Monticello Men’s Softball League

Fitness goes yard in win over Sutphen East

Juggernaut league leaders continue streak with 14 unanswered runs

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONTICELLO, NY - Fitness Factory, the league’s leading team, put on a power surge as the undefeated juggernaut demolished Suphen East in the second game of a double header on July 18.

A thunderous two-run homer to right by Fitness Factory newcomer Mark Logan in the fourth inning caused the men in orange and blue to leap from the bench. They had barely resumed their seats before they were up again when Aaron ‘Red’ Dingle sent one out over the fence in deep left.

Both jacks were part of a breakout six-run fourth inning, as Fitness Factory responded to Sutphen East’s three-run, first-inning lead.

In the top of the first, Sutphen East’s Scott Gebelein opened with a single and Nick Maiori was hit by a pitch. Chris Marston drove in two runs before Juan Dendariarena added a third run with a single. The three Staudt brothers, Rob, Joe and Eric, and beast of the bat, Tim Mills, were not on the roster that evening.

As it turned out, the lead was short-lived. Fitness Factory got two back in the first inning as Keith Shaddock started with a single, stole second and then took third on a flyout by Edwin “Flaco” Rodriguez. Mark Logan and Jay Legenos hit back-to-back RBI doubles to make it 3-2.

Fitness Factory took the lead in the second after Shane Conner blanked Sutphen East’s batters. Showing patience against Irv Rundle, Fitness batters sat back and waited for pitches to drive.

A leadoff single by Denny Rivera was followed by Wayne Kaiser being hit by a pitch.

With Serafin Rodriquez at the plate, Rivera came home on a passed ball and slid in ahead of Rundle’s tag. Rodriquez put down a state-of-the-art bunt to reach first safely and drive in Kaiser.

Shaddock reached on an E-6 and came home on Rodriguez’s sac fly.

Feeling their oats, Fitness added three more runs in the third, as recent acquisition Logan showed his guns with a booming triple. Legenos plated him with a single and scored on a sac fly by Rivera.

In the six-run fourth, Fitness Factory benefited from the aforementioned homers from Logan and Dingle, got triples from Rivera and Kaiser, a double from Legenos and a single from Serafin Rodriguez. When the dust cleared, they led 14-3. Conner allowed one single in the fifth, but that was it as the 10- run rule prevailed and Fitness Factory improved to 15-0.

Sutphen East (7-7) went on to lose to Giant Mobile in the night’s third game, the league’s seventh place team in a game that reversed the rankings of the two squads.

In the first game of the night, Fitness Factory blanked Schmidt Wholesale, 10-0.