By Rob Potter
LIBERTY — August 28, 2007 — The Beaverkill Valley Fire Department Backdraft and Cobbler’s Bombers softball teams posted wins on Thursday night in Liberty Slo-Pitch Softball League playoff games at the Liberty Elementary School softball field.
In the first game of the evening, Beaverkill Valley FD recorded a 15-6 victory over the Center For Discovery Dodgers in Game 2 of their best-of-five game “B” Division finals series. With Thursday night’s triumph, Beaverkill Valley FD, which prevailed 11-10 in Wednesday night’s series opener, took a commanding two-games-to-none lead in the series.
Game 3 of the “B” Division finals was scheduled to be played at 7 p.m. last night at the LES field.
In Thursday evening’s second game, Cobbler’s Bombers defeated C. Edwards Realty, 17-10, in Game 1 of the “A” Division finals series.
Beaverkill Valley FD
tops CFD Dodgers
Beaverkill Valley FD wasted little time in taking the lead in Thursday night’s contest. As the designated “away” team, Beaverkill Valley FD batted first. And the squad sure took advantage of that opportunity.
Three straight singles by Jesse Carlson, Aaron Carlson and Paul Hahn gave Beaverkill Valley FD a 2-0 advantage. After Jeff Meola singled to put two runners on base, John Henry Schleiermacher smacked a base hit to center field. Hahn crossed home plate on Schleiermacher’s single to give Beaverkill Valley FD a 3-0 advantage.
However, Center For Discovery tied the game in the bottom of the first with a classic two-out rally. Consecutive singles by Donny Santiago and Warren Rogers put runners at the corners. Chris Constant then ripped a triple to center field to score both Santiago and Rogers.
Constant scored the game-tying run when Vinnie Collura singled to left field.
The score remained knotted at 3-3 until the fifth inning.
In the bottom of that frame, Center For Discovery took a 6-3 advantage. Tom Mead, who began the inning with a single, scored on an error to give Center For Discovery its first lead of the night.
RBI singles by Santiago and Constant moments later pushed Center For Discovery’s lead to 6-3.
Beaverkill Valley FD took the lead for good in the top of the sixth. Hahn, Meola and Schleiermacher hit back-to-back-to-back RBI singles to tie the score at 6-6.
In the top of the seventh, Beaverkill Valley FD added some insurance runs.
Patrick Severling led off with a single and the next batter, Scott DePew, blasted a home run over the center field fence to give Beaverkill Valley FD an 11-6 advantage.
Meola and Adam Carlson added RBI singles and Hahn and Meola both scored on Schleiermacher’s double to center field to extend the Beaverkill Valley FD lead to nine runs at 15-6.
After getting groundouts from the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh, Beaverkill Valley FD pitcher Adam Carlson allowed a double to Josh Mendez.
But Carlson got the next batter to hit a line drive right to a teammate to end the game.
Game 3 of the series was scheduled to be held at 7 p.m. last night at the LES field.
Cobbler’s Bombers stops C. Edwards Realty in Game 1
Cobbler’s Bombers took an early advantage and then held off a late-inning comeback attempt by C. Edwards Realty to win the “A” Division finals series opener.
Greg Lewis gave C. Edwards Realty a 1-0 lead in the top of the second when he hit a home run to center field.
Cobbler’s evened the score at 1-1 in the bottom of the second. William Smith began the inning with a double to left field. He scored the tying run moments later when Steve Vlaovich doubled.
Cobbler’s took a commanding 10-1 advantage in the bottom of the third inning. Keith Shaddock hit a one-out single and scored when the next batter, Dan Gallo, singled to center field. Gallo also crossed home plate on the play when the throw back to the infield was errant.
RBI singles by John Rusin, Jay Falasca and Vlaovich enabled Cobbler’s to take a 6-1 lead.
Smith then reached on an infield hit to load the bases.
Matt Stoddard cleared the bases by blasting a grand slam home run to center field.
C. Edwards Realty pulled to within eight runs in the top of the fourth. With two outs, Scott Edwards ripped a double to left center field. Lewis then doubled to right field, which allowed Edwards to score.
Cobbler’s extended its advantage to 13-2 in the bottom of the fourth as Vlaovich belted a three-run homer over the center field fence.
Gil Suarez scored on Gallo’s single in the bottom of the fifth to give Cobbler’s a 14-2 lead.
C. Edwards Realty reduced its deficit to six runs in the top of the sixth inning. Scott Edwards and Evan Irwin had RBI singles in the frame, while Josh Schwartz and John Gorr recorded RBI doubles and Lewis hit a sacrifice fly to allow C. Edwards Realty to make it a 14-8 game.
Cobbler’s answered with three runs in the bottom of the sixth, however. With one out, Falasca reached base on a bloop single to right field. Vlaovich then hit a home run to center field. After the second out of the frame was recorded, Ashton Richards hit the ball to deep center field. As the C. Edwards Realty outfielders tracked down the ball, Richards sprinted around the bases and crossed home plate for an inside-the-park home run.
C. Edwards Realty scored twice in the top of the seventh. With Mitch Peck on base and one out, Tim Mills hit the ball to deep right field. He quickly circled the bases for a two-run, inside-the-park home run.
Moments later, Lewis kept the game going with a two-out double to center field.
But Gallo, the Cobbler’s pitcher, got the next C. Edwards Realty batter to hit a ground ball right back to the circle. Gallo calmly fielded the ball and threw it to first baseman Rusin to seal the seven-run victory for Cobbler’s.
Game 2 of the series was slated to be held at 8:30 p.m. last night at the LES field.