By Laura Stabbert
MONTICELLO — July 31, 2010 — Fitness Factory’s 2010 season has been very successful, with a 14-1 record in the Sullivan County YMCA Softball League and two first place trophies – winning the New York State Men’s Class B Modified Tournament and the Darder Stone Works/R&H Gorr Softball Tournament last weekend.
State Tourney
For the past three years Fitness Factory has won third place in the State Tournament, but this year the team was determined to take first.
The team traveled to Clifton Park to compete against nearly 20 teams throughout the state on July 17 and 18 in the double-elimination contest. After a first round loss on Saturday, the team was battling out of the losers bracket.
The team started playing their second day of softball at 8 a.m., and after five victories and nearly 12 hours of competitive ball, the team had the state championship under their belt.
Joe Vankueran pitched all eight games for his team, and won MVP of the tournament.
“I love the challenges and camaraderie between us. We are a family on and off the field,” said Coach Edwin Rodriguez of Fitness Factory.
Leading the team in the state tournament was Aaron Dinkle with a batting average of .500 and Mike Mann had 3 home runs and 17 RBIs.
Local Tourney
A similar story took place last weekend at the Darder Stone Works/R&H Gorr Tournament at the Delaware Valley Youth Center in Callicoon.
A loss to Stone Arch, 2-3, on Saturday put Fitness Factory in the losers bracket in the double-elimination tournament.
Sunday the team had to go undefeated to win its second title in as many weeks.
An early win against Links Lawn Care started the momentum. The team then felled Ronnys Ringers, Darder Stone Works, and then it was another face-off against Stone Arch Inn of Kenoza Lake.
Stone Arch had maintained an untarnished record and Fitness Factory had to beat them twice for the first place trophy.
The first game Fitness Factory had against Stone Arch, the crowd favorites, ended in a 16-7 victory.
In the championship game, a home run by Alex Salazar in the bottom of the sixth inning gave Fitness Factory the lead, but Stone Arch scored in the top of the seventh to tie the game at two all.
Unable to break the tie the game went into extra innings.
Fitness Factory held Stone Arch in the top of the frame and then had their chance at bat. With men on first and second Corey Vankueran had a hit to shortstop; Aaron Dinkle, who was on second, ran through the stop sign held up by the third base coach and scored on a close play at the plate to get a walk off victory for Fitness Factory.
In the Darder Stone Works /R&H Gorr tourney, Alex Salazar had a .500 batting average and Dez Williams had 6 home runs and 15 RBIs.