Softball

Late heroics propel Jorgenson’s to Collins Tourney title over defending champs L&P Tree Service

By RICHARD A. ROSS

MONGAUP VALLEY, NY — Eddie Collins graced this planet with his illuminating presence for just 30 years before his untimely passing following a brief illness on April 9, 1981. But it’s not how long we live, but how we live that ultimately matters.

As a standout baseball and basketball player at Eldred High School and on through his college playing days at Sullivan County Community College and SUNY Brockport, Eddie’s love of sports never abated. He went on to become a baseball coach at Sullivan, an assistant basketball coach at Pine Bush and shared his passion and magnetism with the kids at Circleville Elementary School where he was a physical education teacher.

And through it all, he never stopped playing ball. Wherever he played, be it in Middletown, Monticello, Bloomingburg or in Maybrook, and regardless of whether it was modified or fast-pitch softball, Eddie was a standout player, a team leader and a stand-up guy, one of those people who lit up the world around him both on and off the field.

Following his tragic death, friends and former teammates combined their efforts and their energy to construct a field in his memory and that’s how Collins Park in Mongaup Valley came to be. Since it opened in the early ‘80s, the field has become a showplace for great softball. But by far, its heyday each summer is the Men’s Major Modified softball tournament that bears Eddie’s name.

This year marked the 27th year of the tournament organized by Collins’ beloved friend and teammate Dennis Dietrich. To show his approval and appreciation for the ongoing tribute to his memory and another weekend of some of the best play in the nation, Collins arranged for not one, but two, rainbows to shine down from heaven on Friday. The gorgeous multi-hued rainbows followed the first of a number of showers during the weekend. They arched over the field that would serve as the nexus for great play.

Rain can ruin a tournament by washing it out or delaying it beyond repair, but despite a downpour on Sunday, this tourney was destined to reach its storied end late on Sunday night, thanks, in great part, to the helicopter drying of the sodden field as Michael Croissant of Swinging Bridge lowered his chopper just above the field and used the whirling rotors to hasten the drying.

As the championship game began three hours later than scheduled, Jorgenson’s prepared to face defending champions L&P Tree Service of Staten Island, a team they had beaten 12-2 earlier in the tournament. A win by Jorgenson’s would make it the winner, but L&P had other ideas.

L&P had won the losers’ bracket by defeating Zubi’s 10-2. After the reigning national champion, Legends, decided to depart early from the rain-delayed tourney after beating Switch Inn, L&P advanced into the losers’ bracket final and defeated Zubi’s 10-2 by getting great hitting against the normally dominant Nicoli Vasquez. Zubi’s had begun the weekend with the legendary Darren Ray on the mound. Ray had one-hit Fitness Factory on Friday night with his devastating pitches that hopped, skipped and jumped by the Monticello standouts.

Fitness Factory dropped into the losers’ bracket and lost to Legends 8-7 in the bottom of the seventh inning on Saturday afternoon in the most ignominious fashion. Leading 7-5 and only one strike away from a tremendous upset, Fitness pitcher Shane Conner threw what was seen by many as a perfect strike three but it was called a ball. On the next pitch, a Legends slugger, who had already gone yard earlier in the game, delivered the fatal blow with a three-run homer to eliminate Fitness Factory from the tourney.

For its part, Zubi’s, which lost the winners’ bracket final 11-3 to Jorgenson’s, was without many of its heavy hitters, who had gone to the fast-pitch world championships in Stevens Point, WI. Ray would leave to join others there, including Steve Platt, the McConnell brothers and John Rozich. That left Freddie Pena and Vasquez to do the lion’s share of the pitching. Zubi’s did have national standout slugger Frank DeGroat on hand for its early wins.

L&P was defending its 2007 title and figured to ride the stellar pitching of Rodney “Bink” DeGroat for two games against Jorgenson’s to repeat as champions. Earlier in the tourney, Jorgenson’s had easily bested L&P, but Bink did not pitch in that outing.

In game one, Bink outpitched rising star Kris Bogach of Jorgenson’s to force the second game. In that win by L&P, which saw the Axmen get out to a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning, RBI came courtesy of Jared Delmar, a homer from John Cronin, a RBI double from Rob Agnetti and a two-run homer by slugger Scott Porto. Jorgenson’s struggled the entire game as Bink pitched a gem, inducing 10 fly outs from the lethal Jorgenson bats that had been at work through prior wins over Hufcut Concrete, Kestler’s Well Drilling, L&P and Zubi’s.

Jorgenson’s got two runs on a single by Bogach, who had drawn accolades all weekend for his sensational pitching and hitting. L&P kept its hopes alive by beating Jorgenson’s 9-2.

Following a brief respite, the teams took to the field again with the same aces facing each other in what was to be the final tournament game. Bogach wasted no time as he blasted his second leadoff homer, taking a Bink curveball and driving it over the right field fence as he began building his resume that would eventually earn him co-MVP status with Vinnie Malzahn. Malzahn would deliver a tie-breaking two-run homer in the sixth inning to solidify Jorgenson’s victory.

Bogach would also earn the Most Valuable Pitcher Trophy for his stellar work on the mound. Jorgenson’s shortstop Rob Tully earned the trophy for the tournament’s defensive MVP.

But this game was up for grabs from the get go. L&P got two runs in the top of the first with RBI from Porto and Mike Babakis. Bogach got one back with his blast. L&P extended its lead to 3-1 in the second with a homer from Mike Wambier. Using a synergy bat, Wambier reached down and got a Bogach outside pitch to drive it over the fence.

Bink blanked Jorgansen’s in the second and L&P made it a 4-1 game in the top of the third as Babakis drove in Pete Tirado, who had reached on an E-4.

Jorgansen’s responded in the bottom of the frame with RBI from Louie Kass and a two-run triple by Mike Talmidge to tie the game at four all.

Bogach held L&P scoreless in the fourth and his teammates Kass and Rob Tully picked him up by knocking in runs in the bottom of the inning to give Jorgenson’s a 6-4 lead.

But the champs wouldn’t go quietly. They got one run in the fifth as a passed ball scored Wambier with Ronnie Lam at the plate. A leadoff homer by Porto, his fifth jack of the weekend, tied the game at six six in the sixth, making a devilish looking 6-6-6 on the scoreboard.

Malzahn’s blast in the bottom of the frame sent his blue-jerseyed teammates into a tizzy. The 2006 Port Jervis grad became a hero with that drive off a Bink knuckleball that just hung up on the inside corner of the plate.

Bogach worked around a single by Lam in the seventh for the win.

Earlier this summer, the rising phenom pitched the final of his three winning outings as the RTR Financial Services/Dugout Pub/Rhythm & Brews Swashbucklers won the championship in the Blue Water Invitational in Port Huron, MI, with a 7-5 decision over the host Secory Flyers in the final. It was the team’s first trip to the prestigious tourney.

This year’s Collins tourney drew hundreds of onlookers, especially on Saturday night. Despite losing to Legends, Fitness Factory won the Life of the Party plaque as they stayed on and continued their revelry to drown their unforgettable loss.

Kudos to Dietrich and the staff at Collins Park, as well as the fine play evinced by all the teams for a great weekend of softball.

Visit riverreportersports.com for tournament pictures.