Fred Hanker’s 13 hits, HRs in semi-final and final lead the way
The Long Beach Black Sox won their third Alliance tournament, ending the season as it began in March in Palm Springs when they won the first tournament of the season. The Black Sox topped the Rounders 9-8 in the championship game, after the Rounders rallied from an 8-0 deficit to put the tying run at third in the 7th before Randy Clay closed it out.
No other team in the Alliance won more than one tournament during the season. Ironic, in that the Sox were the last team to qualify for a spot in the ASA “C” Nationals. But for a couple tough Sunday morning draws, they might have made a run for the Alliance Championship. Waiting for official word on who that honor goes to — the Amigos or Primetime. Both made it to the Final Four on Sunday, but fell in the semi-finals, the Amigos to the Black Sox in a wild extra inning affair, 14-13, and Primetime, to the Rounders. A grand slam by Gerald Pyle broke the latter game open. The Amigos and Primetime were tied for the Alliance crown headed into Sunday.
Primetime suffered the loss of workhorse ace Dan Zupp Saturday to a leg injury. The team is cautiously optimistic that he’ll have time to heal before Nationals.
Read the entire story on the Black Sox’s tournament win at the Long Beach Black Sox website. Some efforts that paved the road to the title, courtesy of Fred Hanker’s LBBlackSox website:
*CHUCK CHAPLE .320 5 RUNS
*ANDY MARTINEZ .523 10 RUNS 11 HITS 2 SB
*FRED HANKER .619 2 HR 8 RBI 5 2B’S 6 RUNS 13 HITS
*DAMO GUERRERO 1-0 HR 5 RBI
*CHRIS MINOGUE .444 2 HR 7 RBI
*JOHN OTTE .444 5 RUNS 3 RBI
*BRETT SEMANS .500 GS HR 5 RBI
*YOGI “THE BEAR” SALCEDO .389 4 RUNS 2 RBI
“RANDY CLAY 3-0 2 CG SHUTOUTS SAVE
*CHUCK VRANICH 2-0 CG SHUTOUT OVER SAVALA / WIN IN FINAL GAME
Click here to see the 2005 So Cal ASA Alliance finalists for each tournament.