Published in the August 13, 2020 edition.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — Playoff baseball returned to Moulton Field last night with some familiar intensity and great baseball.
The usual suspects for the Highlife came to play as the squad played well in all three phases to take game one of a three-game Twi League semifinal series, 4-1 over the Slappers.
Nick Dettorre picked up another postseason victory on a complete game, surrendering just one unearned run in the top of the 6th.
Fellow Lifers Anthony Caracciolo (2-for-3, 3 RBI’s) and Eric DiTonno (1-for-2, 1 RBI) provided the clutch hits. The three are a part of a core group of Highlife players who have made it to three straight finals appearances, winning it in 2017 and 2018.
Slapper starter Brian Tartarini (5 IP, 6H, 3K, 3BB, 3ER) pitched well, holding the the Highlife hitless until a three-run 3rd inning. Jake Vezga walked to lead it off and Joe Stackhouse bunted down the third base line – a ball that seemed destined for foul ground hit a Highlife-friendly Moulton rock and bounced way fair to put runners at first and second. It was evidence as to why the No. 1 seed Life, who finished the eight-game regular season undefeated at 6-0-2, chose to schedule tomorrow’s game two at Moulton instead of brand new Walsh Field. Why mess with the juju now?
The tough luck for “Tarts” continued when Anthony Cecere reached on a ground ball error at second base to load the bases with nobody out. Tartarini got number three hitter Derek Dettorre to ground one to Paul McGunigle at third who threw home for the force. Up stepped Caracciolo who has built a reputation for big postseason hits. He came through again for the Life with a two-RBI single and a 2-0 lead. DiTonno, with a similar track record of clutch hits, scored Dettorre with a base knock to give the Life a 3-0 lead. Caracciolo was thrown out at third on the hit and Tartarini got Tom Sheerin to groundout ending the inning.
The Slappers were on the verge of getting some early runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings. McGunigle hit a one-out double in the 2nd but was called out on an appeal to first for missing the bag on his way to second. That one especially hurt when Dave Papagni followed with a single and Dettorre got Jake Baressi to fly out for the third out.
Ryan DiBenedetto led off the 3rd with a walk and after stealing second, he advanced to third on a one-out Andrew Patti single. That set the stage for the web gem of the day when Dave Harris hit a sharp grounder destined to go up the middle. Highlife shortstop Jake Vezga got a great jump, lunged to snag it, stepped on second and hummed a great throw to first for a huge 6-3 double play to end the frame.
In the top of the 4th, Matt Mercurio led off with a walk but Dettorre got a fly out and a ground out. He then got Mercurio leaning off of second base, picking him off for the third out.
The Slappers spun their own double play in the 4th on a 4-6-3, Guido, Patti, DiBenedetto combo to end the bottom of the 4th. Dettorre sat the Slap down in order in the 5th and the Life grabbed one more run in the bottom half, once again off the bat of Caracciolo who crushed a triple down the right field line, easily scoring Cecere who led off with a single and a stolen base. “Tarts” buckled down, striking out DiTonno and forcing Mark Sullivan to pop up.
The Slappers finally got on the board in the 6th with a two-out rally as the Highlife defense lost some focus. Harris reached on an error and stole second. Mercurio was hit by a pitch and Parent brought Harris home with an RBI single. McGunigle loaded the bags on a soft roller to short but Dettorre got Papagni to pop up for the third out.
Dettorre finished up his game one victory with a one, two, three top of the 7th.
Game two between the Life and Slap will take place back at Moulton tomorrow night at 5:45 p.m.
Game one in the league’s other semifinal between the Brewers and Loafers will be tonight, 5:45 p.m. at Moulton.
Bonus
laugh
track:
– Despite the added intensity of the postseason there was still plenty of laughs in typical Twi fashion. In the 2nd with two outs, DiTonno danced off the bag and bluffed to steal. He got somebody on the Slapper bench who yelled “he’s going!” Mercurio, a constant communicator behind the plate, didn’t skip a beat as he yelled back “No isn’t!” just as the pitch was thrown, bringing laughs from both sides.
– DiTonno and Mercurio brought some more entertainment in the 6th when “Merc” was hit by a pitch. He appeared to lean in, at least from the Life’s vantage point on the first base line. DiTonno asked for an appeal to the field ump but didn’t get one. “Look at him, he’s laughing over there,” said DiTonno, pointing at a grinning Mercurio. Even the Life laughed it off. We’ve all done it.
– Rivaling Vezga’s web gem of the day was Wakefield’s Gus Dettorre who made a barehanded snag on a 6th inning hard foul ball down the right field line from his lawn chair “on the hop.” Just how he coached it, Gus kept his head down and watched the ball into the mitt.