The following was submitted by Roger Whittlesey
This could be the season.
After an informal inquiry that included sending league secretary John Bodi to research the e-files, it appears that there is no record of any team in the Westford Over 30 Men’s Softball League, which began in the ‘70s, finishing the regular season with a perfect record. Right now, the first-place Mustangs are 15-0, and after Friday night’s convincing 31-3 win over Healy Oil, they appear on a mission to reach that hallowed 24-0 mark. What’s more, currently only two of the teams the Mustangs will face in their final nine games possess a winning percentage above .500. Mustangs will face second place Floral Arts (14-3) and third place Shortcut Landscaping (9-8) one time each, fourth place Willis Tent (6-10) twice, fifth place Pro Sports Therapy (5-10) once, eighth place Gutcheck (4-10) twice, and last place Mario’s Restaurant (5-12) twice.
Willis Tent 7, Mario’s Restaurant 6
On Sunday, Willis’ Steve Damiani drove in the tying run to start the eighth inning and then ran from first to home on the next hit to give Willis Tent the extra-inning 7-6 victory over Mario’s Restaurant. Dennis Kane (2-for-3), John Hunter (2-for-3, including a double in the eighth), and Brian Anderson (2 hits) led Willis on offense. Bob Fleury was outstanding on the mound and Damiani made several run-saving catches in left field.
Healy Oil 16, Drew Farms 1
On Wednesday, Healy Oil run-ruled Drew Farms in five innings. Healy’s Tony Pantoja went deep twice and Chris Ricard had one home run. Tom Hudson pitched well and Mike Martin kept the runners pinned down at first base.
Shortcut Landscaping 9, Willis Tent 8
Short Curt beat Willis, 9-8, in a back and forth game. Willis led 8-6 until the top of the seventh when Shortcuts got two runners on and then Brett Durham hit a three-run homer to secure the win. Chris Smith and Rich Acabbo were instrumental on defense in the win. Jason Humphrey and Chris Clark also homered for Shortcut. Willis’ Dennis Kane (2-for-3 ) hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth inning. Other Willis standouts were Kevin Adolph (2-for-3) and George Haines, who reached base twice. Willis shortstop Kane started two double plays and Bob Fleury pitched another strong game.
Floral Arts 10, Gutcheck 8
On Friday night, Jim Peloquin (3-for-3, 2 HRs, 4 RBI) offensive heroics gave Floral the edge it needed to beat a scrappy Gutcheck team, 10-8. Billy Luppold (2-for-3) legged out a double to start the fifth-inning rally that saw Floral score five runs. Dave Janowsky made a fantastic sixth inning running catch in left field to keep Gutcheck from mounting a comeback. Jim Curley hit two home runs for Gutcheck and made a nice sweeping tag at first to make an out.
Pro Sports Therapy 15, Mario’s Restaurant 1
Pro Sports Therapy’s ace Dave Chirokas earned his first win of the season, spinning a gem against Mario’s Restaurant. Mark Urlage, who was on base all night, led off with a double and then was driven in immediately by two-hitter John Bodi to spark a five run outburst in the first. PST never looked back, playing solid defense as they stayed on an offensive roll adding runs in every inning to earn the run rule victory after five. Nate Frazee (2-for-2, HR, 3 RBI) had another big night. PST had seven players with multi-hit games and 12 different players scored at least one run, as contributions came from up and down the lineup.
Nashoba Valley Veterinarian Mustangs 31, Healy Oil 3
Don Cusano got the win on the mound and had four hits, including a grand slam.
Mike Kennedy went 5-for-5 with 6 RBI and three runs scored. Jack Erickson and Mark Cusano added four hits apiece. Bill Knute had three hits, including a home run, and threw out another base runner from left field for the winners. Jim Ward and Dave Barnes each had three hits in the game.
