Sports
By Don Lyons - June 8, 2006
World traveler Ryan Murtha made it to third base and later scored for the Wildcats. Photos by Ralph Stewart
Men's softball season opens
Half of the Men's Softball League teams stepped up to the plate, Monday, to start the summer softball season that will occupy a corner of Tisbury's Veterans Memorial Park, Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays through July.
The league playoffs to crown a champion will begin July 31 and occupy August.
As last year, eight teams will take the field, six with familiar names: Boilers, Brewhas, Hurricanes, Riptide, Treds, and Wildcats and two new teams with names not yet familiar to fans: the Highlanders and the Loose Cannons.
The first game, scheduled to start at 6 pm, pitting the Wildcats against the Treds, actually started some 40 minutes later as the Tee Ball League occupied the field, to the delight of Men's League players and fans alike.
The Wildcats failed to score in the first and second innings. The Treds pushed one run across in the first. Jason Chalifoux scored on Richie Roy's liner into right field.
The 'Cats evened the count in the top of the third but the Treds responded with six runs in their half of the inning. The big blow was Ken Wentworth's wall-clearing home run, driving in Peter Lambos and George Medeiros, both of whom had singled. Wentworth would homer again in the fifth and the Treds took the season opener in a walk, 12-2.
Ken Wentworth is greeted by his Treds teammates after circling the bases following the first of his two home runs.
The second game of the evening pitted the Riptide against the reigning champion Hurricanes.
After the 'Tide was retired three up, three down, in the top of the first inning, the 'Canes batted around and posted eight runs. Both Chris Wiggins and James Belcher had round-trippers.
The Riptide were not ready to concede anything. They scored four times in the second and five in the top of the third, tying the score at nine.
But the Hurricanes had too many guns and an infield that made few mistakes. They scored five more in the bottom of the third and six in the fourth. The game was halted after six innings with the 'Canes up, 26-11.
Tonight the Highlanders are home to the Brewhas and the Boilers entertain the Cannons.
The men's league is in action Mondays and Thursdays until mid-June when they begin their three nights schedule adding Wednesday.
Tee-baller Ryan Uva drove the ball into center field without the aid of a tee for the Phillies.
Little League
Last week the high-riding Dodgers beat the A's, 12-1 at Veira Park and the Red Sox, 13-5, on Nunes Field.
Ben Ciciora pitched three innings of no-hit ball at the A's, struck out nine, walked two, went 4-for-4 at the plate, driving in five runs. He hit two homers out of the park.
Dodgers Chris Morris, Tony Canha, and Ramon Espino each pitched one inning of hitless ball.
Carlos Guzman and Joe Wannamaker shared the mound for the A's.
At Nunes, Friday, Ciciora, Canha, and William Stewart combined for a six-hitter with 13 K's and three walks. Ciciora, Morris, and Mike Cutrer each had two hits for the Dodgers. Both Ciciora and Cutrer tripled.
Eric McIlleney and Trenton Brown hurled for the Sox, fanning six, walking 10, and giving up 12 hits.
All five of the Sox runs came across the plate in the fifth when Michael DeBettencourt hit a triple with bases loaded. Corey Perotta made a great running catch of a Ramon Espino drive into center field. Matt Long shone at second base.
League standings, according to our latest information
G W L
Dodgers 12 10 2
Cubs 12 7 5
Tigers 13 7 6
Red Sox 13 6 7
Mets 12 5 7
A's 11 2 9
