Hannington’s wins Eastern National Softball crown
By Joe DeFeliceThe Hannington’s of Massachusetts Over-55 softball team traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, for the Senior Softball-USA Eastern National Softball Tournament and came away winners for the second consecutive year. Hannington’s had previously qualified for the Eastern Nationals by winning tournaments in Palmer (Mass.) and Syracuse, New York, earlier in the year.
Hannington’s started the tournament by winning two round-robin games — both in the bottom of the seventh — to secure the coveted top seed going into the elimination brackets. In the first game, Kevin Lipsett doubled home the winner against Diamond Resorts International of Virginia. In the second game, Danny Sides singled home the winning run against Flip Dow Bonding from Charlotte, North Carolina.
After a four-hour rain delay, Hannington’s squared off against the Hammers of Virginia. Hannington’s jumped out to an early eight-run lead and held off a late rally by the Hammers to win 13-9. In that game, the middle infield combo of Sides and Mark “Woody” Davis turned two double plays.
The finals of the winners’ bracket saw Hannington’s take on the local favorites from Raleigh, Reality Check. Hannington’s bats and gloves came alive in a convincing 26-7 win. Sides and Davis turned four more double plays to keep the big Reality bats quiet. Davis also connected for a 350-foot grand slam in the first inning.
In the finals, Hannington’s was once again matched up against Reality Check, who had squeezed out a close win in the losers’ bracket final. This time, Reality Check jumped out to early leads of 8-2 and 12-8 before Hannington’s battled back. Ken Day’s three-run, inside-the-park home run in the bottom of the sixth enabled Hannington’s to take a three-run lead into the seventh. Great pitching and defense thwarted a Reality Check rally as Hannington’s held on to win 16-14.
Other teams participating in the tournament were perennial contender Motion of New York and the local powerhouse, Carolina Cobras. In 2010, Hannington’s defeated Carolina in a hard-fought, two-game final. Both the Motion and Cobra teams were defeated early in the tournament in 2011.
Hannington’s will now travel to Phoenix in October to compete in the world championships for the second straight year. Hannington’s will face off against the Western champion, Sigillo Cellars of Washington, for the national championship. Last year, Hannington’s lost the national championship game by one run (17-16) to Spot Bar and Grill of Oregon. The Hannington’s Over-55 team has also earned a berth to the Tournament of Champions, to be held in Lakeland, Florida, in February 2012.
The Hannington’s tournament team includes many of the premier senior softball players from three leagues in the New England area. Coach Paul Casey, Larry Moone, Lipsett, Sides, and Mike Swinamer are all members of Hannington’s Canton team in the EMass League. Bill Curry and Ron Kenyon play for the Canton Thunder team in the EMass League, also sponsored by Attorney Glen Hannington. Day pitches for the Medway VFW team, and Tim Veo plays for Wayland in the EMass League. From the Rhode Island Senior Softball League are Mike Faria, Andrew Harmon, Pat Gordon, Glenn Wilbur, Randy Wilbur, Davis, and Paul Frigon. Rounding out the roster is Fred Shields from Western Mass.
Selected to the All-Tournament Team were Sides, who led the Bombers with an .812 batting average, Glenn Wilbur (.786), Davis (.733), Shields (.600), and Day, the winning pitcher of the Eastern finals.
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Posted by Joe DeFelice
on Aug 17 2011. Filed under Beyond CHS, Sports.
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