Carpentry To Open Playoff Series Monday Aug. 4th Against Local

The Neck League playoffs are here! The 2008 postseason begins tomorrow night with Flanagans vs. Yesterdays. The number three seed, McInnis Carpentry opens up on Monday, August 4th against Local 104. Here are the matchups:

Tues, July 29: #1 Chefs (17-3) vs. #8 Yesterdays (7-13) Chefs Lead Series 1-0

TBA: #2 Flanagans (17-3) vs. #7 Manet (9-11)

Mon. Aug. 4: #3 McInnis Carpentry (15-5) vs. #6 Local 104 (11-9)

TBA: #4 S6 vs. (12-8) vs. #5 Morrell Club (11-9)

Yocco, Logan Power Carpentry Over New Team 22-4

HOUGHS NECK - The McInnis Carpentry softball team went about their business last night by dishing out a steady barrage of hits to coast to their 14th win of the season over the "New Team" 22-4.

Steve Yocco and Scott Logan continued their monster seasons by combining to go 7 for 7 from the plate & scoring five times. Yocco had went 3-3 with a HR, Triple and career high 6 RBI's. "I'm seeing the ball real well right now," said the Hammer outfielder. "Not trying to do to much with it. Just keeping my eyes on the ball and driving the ball wherever it's pitched."

Logan, in a tight race for the team batting title with Yocco, had three straight hits before lifting a 5th inning sacrifice fly to left-center. The Carpentry thirdbaseman raised his average to .688 which trails only Yocco by seven points (.695). "The Game is here to take what is his," said Logan "I am the king of kings when it come to softball! Stevie's got an edge now and I suggest he enjoys it. . . because it won't last."

Greg Harper (4-4, 4 Runs, 2 RBI) sparked the Hammers offense by hitting the first pitch of the game to center field. After a walk by Yocco, Jimmy Dennis line a two run double to right. Logan followed with a hit to left. After a force by Steve McInnis (HR, 3 RBI), Sean Munro tripled to clear the bases and give the black & orange a quick 4-0 lead.

The Hammers used the long ball in the fourth to push the lead to double-digits. Mike Berry (3-4, 3 Runs, RBI) and Harper stared the inning and scored on a three run homer by Yocco. After hits by Dennis & Logan, McInnis connected on another three run bomb to right field. Two batters later Munro launched a solo shot to left center to close out the scoring.

The New Team were unable to produce much offense, scoring only two runs on seven hits through the first four innings. The Carpenters broke the game wide open in the fifth, scoring six runs behind hits by Tom Fratolillo (2-3, Double, 2 Runs), Rich Brill (2-4, 2 Runs), Berry , Yocco & Logan.

"We hit tonight," said Fratolillo "They were a bit overmatched tonight. We have a veteran group who had just lost two in row and was hungry for a victory. Whoever we played tonight would have had their hands full. Give them credit for hanging in there though. We needed this to get back on track."

S6 Routs Carpentry 21-8

HOUGHS NECK - S6 took advantage of a slumbering McInnis Carpentry, jumping out to a big 16-4 lead after four innings and cruising to the 21-8 victory.

"We got hit hard early," said pitcher/owner Steve McInnis "They grabbed the lead but I still felt good about our chances. But we were a bit flat tonight, it's tough to keep your energy up for twenty games. Every team has a let down at some point and you hope it just doesn't happen on a night when the other team is on. Unfortunately S6 came to play, we would have had our hands full even if we played well tonight."

Down 5-0 in the second inning the Hammers mounted a comeback behind hits by Gary Smith, Steve McInnis, Sal Buonopane and Mark Free. Free's bases loaded single scored two and Neal Plant followed with an RBI hit to make it a 5-3 game. That was as close as the Hammers would come all night.

S6 exploded for 9 runs in the fourth, sending 13 men to the plate to take control of the game. "We hit the ball well tonight," said S6 catcher Joe Mariano "One through eleven hit. When we play like that we can run with anyone."

The Carpentry offense sputtered the rest of the way, never threatening the S6 lead. The loss dropped the Hammers to 13-5 on the season.

Lomo, Miller Help Chefs Upend Hammers 19-15

HOUGHS NECK - Once again the Hammers took on a red hot Chefs without several key starters, but unlike their first meeting the Carpenters put up a fight.

The Chefs came out swinging in the first, sending twelve men to the plate en route to scoring seven big runs to put the Hammers on the ropes early. Getting big nights by Rob Lamonica (5-5, 2RBI), Brian Dunn (4-5, 2 Runs) & Steve Miller (4-5, HR, Triple, 4 RBI) the Chefs built a 13-4 lead through 5 and a half innings.

"They are playing great ball right now", said Hammers GM Tom Fratolillo "Probably the best we've seen from this group in years. They have a good mix of young & veteran players, they will be tough to beat come playoff time."

The Carpenters got back in the game with a big five run fith inning. Steve Yocco (3-4, 2 RBI) scored on an RBI hit from Scott Logan (4-4, HR, Triple, 4 RBI). After another RBI hit from Steve McInnis (3-4, Triple, 2 RBI), Sean Munro (3-4, HR, Triple) connected on a long three run homer to center field to pull the Hammers within four runs.

The Chefs responded right back in the 6th. Johnny Johnson led off with a double and scored on a one out single by Lamonica. After an RBI single by Mark Robertson, Josh Giordani's hit to center plated another run to put the Chefs up 16-9.

Down 19-11 in their last at bat, the Carpenters took advantage of a tough sun in left. Logan led off the inning with a home run and after a McInnis sun-aided hit to left, Munro lined a triple to left center. The Chefs turned a big double play to slow the Carpenters attack down. After another hit by Chris Smith (3-4), Neal Plant hit a liner to left which was lost in the sun again, scoring Smith while Plant ended up on third. Brian Dunn got Tom Fratolillo to fly to left to end the Carpenters comeback bid and win the game 19-15.

With the win the Chefs improve to 11-3 while McInnis Carpentry drops to 12-4.

Shedding The Monkey? Late Inning Surge Helps M.C. Topple Morrell Club 22-13

HOUGHS NECK, MA - For years the Morrell Club has owned McInnis Carpentry. No matter how successful the Hammers season was going there was always the boys from the Morrell Club lurking in the shadows, ready to crash the party.

After a four game losing streak that spanned two years the Hammers took a step in the right direction to shedding the monkey off their back as they outscored the Morrell Club 17-3 in the final three innings to win 22-13 last night at LaBreque Field.

"Well, it's certainly a big win and it feels good to finally beat these guys," said Hammers GM Tom Fratolillo "But we still have the playoffs and they're going to be around for a long time. We'll just take this win and enjoy the moment."

Down 10-7, the Hammers scored 7 in the top of the sixth to take a 14-10 lead. The Morrell Club answered right back with 3 to cut the lead to one. With two outs and a run in the Carpenters strung together 8 straight hits to push the lead to nine and complete the season sweep.

Fratolillo Places 4th at Northeastern Surfing Championships

PEDDOCKS ISLAND, MA - Service on the Peddocks Island Ferry was suspended as a terrific storm system barreled up the east coast and through New England on Friday, bringing torrents of rain and winds that were relentless. The surf was 8 to 10 feet on Saturday, but completely out of control. When ESA officials put the contest on alert for Sunday morning, the forecast was for diminishing offshore winds and over head surf.

“We knew the waves would hold for the contest,” said ESA Competition Director William Weed. “But we assumed from the forecast, the winds would ease up. They did not.” With the town beach all but closed out and hopeless, the contest machine moved to a reef break near the Pt. Judith Lighthouse. “The surf was great, but the winds were really strong,” said Frade.

With wind gust up to 50 knots, competitors had to dig deep, to get into the 6 foot plus waves that pumped all day long. If they made the drop, the ride was spectacular. If they took off in the wrong spot, it was a long way back to the line up. Heats were extended up to 20 minutes, to allow for the extra time for the long paddle out.

Everyone who did show up for the 34th Annual Northeast Surfing Championships, were stoked with the waves. “A bunch of us came from Cape Cod for the contest,” said ESA competitor, Mike Bamber of Orleans, Massachusetts. “And this is much bigger and cleaner than the surf on the cape right now.”

As expected in adverse conditions, the best action came in the Men’s Open division. Boston’s Bobby Clarke found a 8-foot screamer on the outside reef, and finished off a solid barrel ride with a spectacular floater, to top Gary Shaw for the Men’s title. Shaw came back with two solid, charging lefts, to edge out Connecticut's Mike Hattfield and Quincy's Tom Fratolillo.

"The sea was angry today", said Fratolillo "Big waves and big action, she really chewed up and spit out a few of us. But that's the way we like it, the best conditions one could ask for, really."

Nantucket’s Jeff Beard topped Hendricken Surf Team’s Ari George for the Junior Men’s title, hanging inside for a solid left that lined up into the shore break. Narragansett’s top two women went head to head in both the short board and long board finals. Jen McCall found two inside rights to win the short board, while Katie Charles captured the long board title.

In the oldster categories, it was Narragansett’s Jake Salvatori taking the Grandmaster crown, while Peter Pan won the Legends, Legends Long board, and Open Body board divisions. Wellfleet long board stylist, Edgar Valli, nose rode to the victory in the Men’s Longboard Final, while Curtis Fenton took the Junior log title.

At the conclusion of the last heat, the trophies were awarded right in front of the break, with ESA officials forced to hold down the trophies, which were ready to blow away in the wind gusts. “It was certainly a wild day of wind,” said Women’s winner, McCall. “But the waves were worth it."

Mardo Resurfaces at Houghs Neck's 3rd of July Festival

John "Mardo" Martin who retired from the Hammers at the end of the '07 regular season and has not been seen since, recently resurfaced at the McInnis Carpentry Compound on Manet Ave. during 3rd of July festivities.

He hasn't made a public appearance at a softball field in 11 months, has declined interview requests and passed on annual invitations to visit his former team, the McInnis Carpentry Hammers.

"The perception of Mardo is so completely different than the reality," says Mike Shaw, a friend of Martin who often sees and talks to him. "People think he's out of the game, but they have no idea just how much he's still in the game."

Although Martin declined to comment for this story, friends, colleagues and those in the game say he is slowly returning to softball. They point to the secret hitting lessons he gives to a small group of Neck leaguers and patrons of Cronin's Bar & Grille, and the time in November he nearly became the hitting coach of Yesterdays.

"He would be a tremendous hitting coach," Yesterday's general manager Mike Aupperlee says. "Really, he'd be great at just about anything he wanted to do in softball. He has so much passion for the game, and so much to offer."