[Alsfastball] Allentown Tourney

[Al Doran]

From: "Mike Smith" <number8 at fast.net>
To:  "Al Doran" <fastball at pmihrm.com>
Subject: Allentown Tourney
Date: Tue, 6 Jul 2004 06:05:12 -0400




Riversharks capture Pates' Classic
Last year's runners-up beat the Maryland Masters in the final.

By Keith Groller
Of The Morning Call

Like many Americans on the 4th of July, Allentown's Mike Smith always has a 
picnic at his house.

But Smith's party doesn't just celebrate the nation's birthday; it usually 
celebrates another Pates' 4th of July Classic championship.

Smith has won a bunch of Classic crowns over the years with a number of teams.

On Sunday, his Quaker Riversharks were pushed into extra innings by the 
Maryland Masters, but they won when Todd Moyer's sacrifice fly to right 
pushed across the game-winner in a 3-2 title-clinching win.

The Riversharks, runners-up in 2003, won the 39th annual holiday men's 
fastpitch tourney with a 4-1 record. The one loss was an extra-inning loss 
to the Masters on Saturday.

The same two teams kept it tight a second time on Sunday.

''This was tougher than we expected it to be,'' Smith said after getting 
three hits in the title game. ''But sometimes it's better to win 
extra-inning games than blowouts.''

Smith said that he has had his 4th of July picnic for about 12 years and 
this was either the sixth or seventh time he got to celebrate the holiday 
with a tourney title, dating back to his days with D.C. Tire and the 
Windmillers.

The guests of honor at this year's bash were most valuable pitcher Andy 
Jackson and Moyer, who was named the most valuable player.

Both Jackson and Moyer were huge in the 7-1 win over Keating Fitness in the 
semis.

Jackson, who tossed a no-hitter Saturday, fired a one-hitter against 
Keating and Moyer smacked a three-run homer to highlight a seven-run fourth.

The Masters, meanwhile, got a six-hit shutout from rubber-armed veteran 
Earl Rutledge in beating Delasandro's of New Jersey 6-0 in the other semifinal.

Against the Philadelphia-based Riversharks, Rutledge gave up three hits in 
the first inning, including an RBI triple by Derrick Zechman. Moyer drove 
in the other run with a sacrifice fly to right.

Rutledge, though, settled down and allowed just two hits over six scoreless 
innings to give his team a chance to rally. The Masters did, getting a 
two-run double from Al Panero in the fifth to tie it off Reno Lato, who 
joined with Craig Gibson and Jackson in forming a terrific trio of arms.

It looked like the game could go on awhile, but in the eighth, Bob Wengert 
singled with one out and moved to third on Smith's single to center. 
Jackson was walked intentionally to load the bases.

But Moyer, an Upper Perk High graduate, made sure everyone got home in time 
for the fireworks with his sacrifice fly to deep right.

''Apparently, sacrifice flies were my specialty today,'' Moyer said. ''I 
was chasing balls up in my eyes. Earl threw a great game for them. We 
struggled and battled. Fortunately, I got that last one deep enough to get 
the run home.''

Sharks coach Chip Savini, who, like Smith, has been apart of many 4th of 
July championship teams, said that winning in Allentown is always special.

''This is one of the best facilities we play in all year long and we play 
at a lot of places,'' Savini said. ''The guys love coming here, and, for 
some reason, we're able to put a team together and come up here and do this 
almost every year. It's a shame we're not in the Bob Walsh Tournament , but 
that's another story for another time.''

Savini said that good softball teams, like so many other things in life, 
rely on chemistry.

''Chemistry makes good things happen,'' Savini said. ''You surround 
yourself with good people, who get along and are willing to do what it 
takes to win games. That's it.''

Maryland Masters 000 020 00 ­ 2 5 0

Quaker Riversharks 200 000 01 ­ 3 7 1

Rutledge and Rostkowski; Lato, Gibson (8) and Oeschle. W: Gibson.

keith.groller at mcall.com

From: "Mike Smith" <number8 at fast.net>


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