Bombers Edge Bulldogs in Soggy Playoff Opener

Reading (2) – B. Flutie 3-2, Cataldo 2-0, Manzi 2-0, Fischer 3-1, O’Leary 3-2, Buitkus 3-0, Talis 3-1, Hartwell 3-1, Dellorfon 3-0, Totals 25-7

Testa Corp (3)-  Ma. Addessa 3-1, Serino 2-0,  Klimkiewicz 3-0, Mi. Addessa 3-1,  Allen 3-0, DeMartinis 0-0,  Witkowski 3-1, Eruzione 3-1,  Roberts 2-1, Totals 22-5

Doubles – Mark Adessa

Triples-  O’Leary

Home Run-  Witkowski

WP- DelPrete (3-2)    LP-  Cotoni  (4-3)

Reading        2000000     2   7   2
Testa Corp.   000012x     3    5   2

Wrap: 

The Bulldogs found a tough way to lose their playoff opener on a wet and windy night spent at Sartori Field in East Boston, losing 3-2 to the Testa Corp. Bombers.

Note: The game was played in East Boston due to the Bombers home field in Malden not being available. The multi-purpose field is located at Logan Airport does not have a fence and has artificial turf except for the mound and plate areas.

The Bulldogs were leading 2-1 with five outs left to seal their win, when Nate Witkowski (Bentley) hit a two run “inside the park” home run to provide the winning margin for the Bombers.

The rally started when Stan DeMartinis had reached on a one-out error when a slippery baseball was dropped by Bulldogs pitcher Derek Cotoni. Witkowski then drove a two strike pitch to the left center field gap where it skidded off of the artificial turf down a hill at the” fenceless” field.

Darren Hartwell eventually tracked the ball down and relayed it to Brett Flutie who threw a strike to home plate but the ball was jarred loose in the bang-bang play at home plate between Witkowski and catcher Zac Talis.

“With the weather and the field layout, it was not the optimum conditions in which to be playing a playoff game,” said Bulldog owner John Halsey Bulldog Owner, “and both ended up being a factor during the game, which is too bad.”

The Bulldogs had jumped ahead 2-0 in their first at-bat against league veteran Anthony DelPrete.

Flutie singled and then stole second base and scored when the throw from right field on a tag-up play was thrown out of play. Alex Fischer then singled and scored when red-hot Kevin O’Leary hit a long triple down the left field line.

Cotoni was pitching strong through the fourth inning, allowing just one hit and striking out five. In the fifth, he was victimized by an unearned run when Mark Addessa (double) scored on a two-out infield popup that was misplayed.

After Testa took the lead in the sixth, Hartwell’s single put a runner on with one out, but DelPrete induced a double play grounder to end the game.

“The story of the game was our inability to take advantage of our opportunities to pad the lead after the first inning,” said Ed Silvey acting Manager. “We didn’t execute some fundamentals and it ended up costing us in a close game.”