Nashua Sr. Softball
Hanson’s Automotive 6, Dr. Dionne’s Seniors 5
Tied at two in the bottom of the fifth, Gary Boyle’s three-run home run gave Hanson’s a nice lead. It wasn’t enough, however, as four straight singles in the top of the sixth, a couple of outs and another single, led to three runs for the Seniors and ultimately sent the game into the eighth where three lined shots to short, first and third, well hit as they were, couldn’t plate a runner for Dr. Dionne’s leaving the door open for the Mechanics.
With the designated runner on second, sub Jerry Ferullo hit a shot to Murph Albert playing first. Albert alertly threw to Dave Krumenacker at third who tagged the runner out. After a pop-up to the pitcher for the second out, Woody Woodward singled, Thom Riley walked and Harry Doutt hit a single that scored Ferullo with the winner and another exciting game was in the books.
Woodward went 3 for 4, Doutt had two hits as did sub Harold Murphy. It was the middle of the Seniors’ order that did most of their damage as Jeff Porter (2 for 4), Pete Monaco (3 for 4) and Bob Lemieux (3 for 4) accounted for more than half their hits and scored three of their runs.
Calvary Lock & Key 4, IMEC 3
IMEC scored all three of their runs in the third inning on four hits and a walk, but a big inning was stopped short by a 6-4 doubleplay – one of six they hit into in the game, five of which came over the first five innings.
While the Engineers were wasting chances, the Locksmiths were taking advantage of every opportunity, including the winning run scoring on a walk-off single by Roger Neild.
Cam Boyd, Neild and sub Lester Johnson had three hits apiece for the winners and Bob Napolitano, Ted Theos, Bob Lavoie and sub Rod Robuccio helped out with two each.
Dan Birck, Greg Grote and Al Jarry all managed two hits in a losing cause. IMEC’s left fielder, Dick Gillespie showed that his team could play some defense too when he threw out a runner at the plate to end the second inning with the bases loaded.
M&N Sports 12, Jok’s Auto Sales 5
M&N kept their move up to first place alive with five big runs in the top of the sixth while they held Hap Webster’s Car Guys to two in the bottom of the inning and a single run in the last.
For all intents and purposes the game was over after three when a lone run in that inning for M&N gave them a 7-2 lead.
Four M&N batters banged out three hits each – leadoff man Frank Sommer (only a homer short of the cycle), skipper George Mosnicka, Paul Archer and a resurgent Gerry Moore (three singles and a walk). Charlie Howe, Rich Stratton, Joe Lamy and Dick Moushegian touched Jok’s pitching for two hits each. Webster led all his men with a 3-for-4 day, and Del Patton, Fred Mapplebeck and sub Rick Latham had two hits behind him.
Global Plastics 14, Deerfield Leathers 9
League rules didn’t allow the winners to score any more in the first two innings as they plated five in each on a total of 14 hits to the tune of two doubles, a triple and a Gary Boyle homer. While Global batters were getting their timing down pat, the Leathernecks had a tougher time until the sixth when they banked five to tighten it up considerably.
Unfortunately, the single run Deerfield pushed across in the top of the last wasn’t enough to slow the Polymers down on this day. Everyone but one in Global’s lineup had at least two hits and five of them had three – Boyle, Paul Nickerson, Al Ross, Sonny Twardosky and sub Joe Martinoli. The two-hit guys were Bob Lamontagne, Geoff Geoffrion, Bob Liscio, Al Abele and John Ogrodowczyk. Lamontagne, Liscio and Boyle all had walks to round off a fine day at the plate.
There was no dearth of offense in the Leatherneck’s dugout either, just not quite enough of it, as everyone they sent to the plate reached at least once. John Chase (3 for 4) and Miles Page (3 for 3) led Deerfield, closely followed by Ron Lewis, Greg Gougian and Nick Fowler with two hits each.
IMEC 10, Hanson’s Automotive 9
A walk-off single by Kenny Rousseau gave IMEC the win over Hanson’s. IMEC’s five-run third was matched by Hanson’s in the fourth and, when Joe Kowalik’s single plated Thom Riley after Gary Boyle had scored, the game was tied after six.
The Mechanics went meekly in their half of the seventh on two flies to left-center and a grounder to second, setting the stage for Rousseau’s heroics after Ralph Murphy and Greg Grote singled.
Dick Gillespie and Murphy were the best bats for IMEC with 3-for-4 days, while Dan Birck, Grote, Rousseau, Paul Poisson and Joe Bimonte had two hits apiece. Rousseau added a free-pass in the first to his line score.
Third baseman Rick Latham had a perfect day at the plate for Hanson’s with a double and three singles in four times up. Kowalik and subs Harold Murphy and Gary Boyle added three hits each and Woody Woodward, Riley and Al LaMontagne all reached twice.
Calvary Lock & Key 9, M&N Sports 8
Calvary scored their runs in clusters – four in the fourth and five in the seventh – to beat a hot M&N squad in yet another close game.
When M&N woke up, sort of, in the sixth and scored four runs on a Frank Sommer homer with the bases loaded to take the lead, it looked like they would stay atop the league standings but the top of manager Bob Lavoie’s order really came through. Leadoff man Cam Boyd walked and Bob Napolitano followed with a triple. After a grounder to the pitcher, five hits in succession (including a triple by Pat Cassier) and a free-pass plated four more and Calvary had the lead again. M&N surged back when their first two reached but a 6-4-3 double play killed the rally and lifted Calvary to the win.
Cassier and pitcher Steve Stitt went 3 for 4, and Napolitano, Roger Neild and Leo Melanson contributed with two hits. Sommer had a banner day with four hits in four times up as did Joe Lamy.
Charlie Howe was next at 3 for 4, while Paul Archer and Rich Stratton managed two each for skipper George Mosnicka’s Sportsmen.
Deerfield Leathers 13, Art’s Painting 9
The Leathernecks only scored in three innings, but they did it in style with four runs in the first inning, four in the third and five in the fifth to secure a win.
Meanwhile the Painters struggled after plating six runs over the first two innings. They made it interesting in the sixth and seventh innings with three runs but it wasn’t enough. Every batter on Bert Guimond’s Leathernecks reached at least once with Earl Rinker leaving the basketball court long enough to garner three hits in three at-bats to lead his team.
Ron Lewis, John Chase, Guimond, Greg Gougian, Nick Fowler and subs Joe Bimonte, Bob Napolitano and Ralph Murphy had two hits each. Terry Johnson had a single and a walk to reach twice in four times up. Art’s was led by Rod Robuccio’s 3-for- 3 day at the plate and Steve Coco also reached three times via two singles and a walk.
Jim Edwards, Jerry Ferullo and Harold Murphy all had two hits and John Poulos showed a good eye at the plate with two walks in four times up. Coco, Art’s shortstop, laid out to snag a hard liner off the bat of Pat Cassier in the third inning.
Jok’s Auto Sales 5, Pine Street Eatery 4
The Chefs had a 4-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth when Jok’s finally plated two to break a shutout but it was the three they pushed across in the last of the sixth that snatched the win from Pine Street’s pocket and kept them in the mix for a high finish in the standings. Most painful for Pine Street was the way that the runs scored with three men reaching via walks and only two hits framing the free-passes. Jok’s Mike Albano led all batters with a perfect 4-for-4 day, while Hap Webster pushed him by going 3 for 3 with a walk. Zeke Zarakotas and sub Geoff Geoffrion managed two hits each and Fred Mapplebeck added two walks to his second inning single. Bo Buczynski, Mark Lara, Eddie Gifford, Mike Ford and sub Harry Doutt cooked up two hits each for the Chefs.
M&N Sports 6, Pine Street Eatery 4
Both teams scored two runs in their half of the last but Pine Street needed three more to overcome the Sportsmen’s lead in a game where four more hits garnered by M&N made all the difference – especially a Charlie Howe triple in the top of the seventh followed by a Gerry Moore single, plating the winning runs.
Howe led all batters with three hits in four at-bats and Moore, Paul Archer and Joe Lamy helped out with two hits each. Moore also walked once to increase his OBP.
The Chefs’ Steve Brzozowski, Mike Ford, Alan Halle and subs Butch Dunham and Jim Edwards pitched in with two hits each and Eddie Gifford reached three times on a single and two walks.
IMEC 6, Global Plastics 3
A seventh-inning Joe Martinoli double, a Paul Poisson triple and singles by Al Jarry and Joe Bimonte scored the winning runs for Paul Valdanbrini’s engineers in a close contest that had extra-innings written all over it until IMEC’s heroics in the last. Poisson’s triple scored two big runs and Bimonte’s single gave them a little insurance.
Ralph Murphy at 3 for 3, Martinoli at 2 for 3 and sub Harold Murphy at 2 for 3 provided the only multi-hit game for the winners.
Bob Lamontagne reached three times for Global with two singles and a walk and Paul Nickerson, Al Ross and Al Abele all had two hits in three times up.
Hanson’s Automotive 18, Calvary Lock & Key 3
Hanson’s put up crooked numbers in all four innings they sent men to the plate, stroking 27 hits in 36 at bats.
Woody Woodward, Joe Lamontagne, and subs Don Fusco and Zeke Zarakotas had three hits each, but it was Harry Doutt’s 4-for-4 effort that led the day for Hanson’s. Thom Riley had two hits and a walk, while Tom Mandra, Ron Bedard and sub Bert Guimond pitched in with two hits each.
For Calvary, Roger Neild did his best with two hits and a walk, while Pat Cassier and Leo Melanson had two hits each. Guimond’s two doubles were the only extra base hits for either team.
Dr. Dionne’s Seniors 13, Art’s Painting 2
With manager and hurler Dale Stearns still on the disabled list, Butch Dunham, Peter Monaco and Bill Simmons picked up his slack with perfect 4-for-4 days – one of Dunham’s being a towering two-run shot in the sixth inning. Stearns’ stand-in, Bob Lemieux, showed he was still a player to be reckoned with as he not only stymied Art’s batters, but belted three hits to up his win record.
Dave Krumenacker and Jeff Porter did their share of damage with two hits each. Art’s best were leadoff man Steve Coco, reaching his stride with two hits and Rod Robuccio, also with two. No other Art’s batter reached more than once.
Nashua 70s Division
Red Sox 8, Phillies 0
The Red Sox pounded out 19 hits and the Phillies could only manage 10, as the Sox went on to record the first shutout win of the Nashua 70-year-old Division.
The Red Sox offense was led by manager Henry Perras, Barry Palmer and Ed Duchene with three hits apiece, while Don Vincent, Ben Tosi (home run), Paul Nickerson, Don Smith and Chick Hamel had a pair of hits each.
The Phillies’ Bernie Desbois had two hits, and Clarence Farwell, Al Naticchioni, Fred Maplebec and Roland Peterson had one each. Nickerson made two great plays at shortstop to preserve the shutout, with a running catch in short left field and a snag of a hot line drive headed for the hole off the bat of Rich Stockwell.
Peterson had a great game in left field, making a tough catch on a soft-liner by Tosi, but in hustling to first base to beat out an infield grounder in the fourth inning Peterson awkwardly hit the base, tumbled and had to leave the game.