Wayne County Teener’s League Championship

Tusten Chiefs are champs!

Reimer and Frey combine to pitch Chiefs to first ever Wayne County Teener’s League championship by a NY team

By RICHARD A. ROSS

WALLENPAUPACK, PA - In the ancient Greek Myth of Sisyphus, the gods condemned Sisyphus to ceaselessly roll a rock to the top of a mountain, only to have the stone fall back just as it neared the top. They figured that there could be no worse punishment than futile and hopeless labor.

For as long as Joe Curreri has been coaching the Tusten Chiefs, a New York team that plays in the Wayne County Teener’s League, he and his cadre of talented players have reached the playoffs and come close to winning, only to have things come crashing down.

But myths are just that: myths. Even the infamous Curse of the Bambino that haunted the Boston Red Sox mercifully ended after 86 years with a World Series Championship in 2004. Now Curreri’s Sisyphus-like attempts to garner the teener’s title finally came to fruition.

The Tusten Chiefs defeated the Honesdale Eagles two games to one and became the 2006 Wayne County Teener’s League champions with a 9-4 win on July 16.

After losing a shocker to the Honesdale Eagles at home in game one on July 11, the Chiefs rode Logan Grishaber’s complete-game pitching and timely hitting to come from behind and best the Eagles 5-4 in game two (See www.riverreportersports.com for details and photos).

Evening a playoff series for the Chiefs is old hat, but defeating the Eagles in the series rubber game to ice the championship is a crowning achievement.

The Chiefs got the game’s first run in the second inning as Greg MacArthur doubled off of Eagles’ hurler George Gutierrez and promptly stole second. Jeremy Degori brought him in with an RBI single. The Chiefs’ lead was short-lived.

In the third inning, the Eagles capitalized on a base hit by John Abbott and RBI singles from Aaron Diamond and Jake Schilling to take a 2-1 lead.

As the first two games proved, these teams were extremely well matched. Both of those games were decided by one run and featured leads that went back and forth. This game was no different. The Chiefs got the lead back in the top of the fifth when Degori walked and stole second. Austin Sauer walked and both runners scored on a double by Steve Steffens. An RBI double by Tory Samson gave the Chiefs a 4-2 lead.

The Eagles tied it up in the bottom of the seventh as Schilling reached on an E-6 and came home on an RBI single by Gutierrez, who then moved up on a passed ball. He advanced to third on a ground out, and came home on a single by Scott Shaffer that tied the game at four apiece.

Gutierrez and Schilling had pitched five and three innings respectively, so Scott Shaffer came on to pitch in the eighth. He retired the side in order. Chief’s Torin Frey, in on relief for Brad Reimer, got the Eagles out with no damage in the bottom of the frame.

In the top of the ninth, the Chiefs put away the peace pipe and came out ready for battle. Logan Grishaber singled and stole second and third. On an attempted suicide squeeze, he scored on a wild pitch to give the Chiefs a 5-4 lead. Reimer walked and stole a pair of bases, and Frey singled him in. Cody Fredo came on to run for Frey and immediately stole second. Mark Tesseyman recorded an RBI single.

Sparks continued to fly as the Eagles fanned their wings to put out the blaze, but not before MacArthur had a base hit and stole second. With runners on second and third, Degori hit a single to plate both runs and extend the lead to 9-4. Frey retired the Eagles in the ninth.

“We waited until the last inning of the season to hit like we should have done all along,” said a proud Curerri. “Pitching and defense are key, but you have to hit to win,” he added.

And hit they did.

Degori went 2 for 4 and scored two runs. Samson, Frey, Grishaber and MacArthur also went 2 for 4.

The Chiefs will celebrate their win in October at a special dinner. Money will be allotted from the league for the team to purchase something to remember the season by.

“Can we get jackets?” Tesseyman asked, while the team was jumping around after the victory. Curreri couldn’t help but laugh. Finally, after years of season-ending misery, he had something to smile about.

Visit riverreportersports.com for coverage of the series and an album of photos.