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Beacons
Win Expansion Series; Sweep Sunsets To Win Title
January
18, 2003 (Federal League Wire Service)
The Lighthouse Point Beacons
rallied from a 10-2 deficit to record a thrilling 13-12 victory
over the Sunrise Sunsets in Game 3 of the Expansion Series to
complete a series sweep and earn the team's first league
championship.
The game, played before a standing room only crowd at chilly
Pompano Municipal Stadium on Saturday, featured the Beacons
third late inning rally in four playoff games played this
season.
The Beacons took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Harry
White and Pat Pisani delivered two out RBI singles to score
Keith Nicoll and Manny Marrero, respectively. The Sunsets took
the lead an inning later, scoring three runs in the bottom of
the second. Drew Raphael and Matt Rosner, who broke an 0-9
slump, produced RBI hits off of Beacon starter Keith Nicoll.
Julio Rodriguez, who started for the Sunsets, appeared to be in
command of the Beacons, but after yielding a leadoff single to
Pat Pisani to open the fourth, Rodriguez, complaining of
shoulder tightness, removed himself from the game. Tom Stout
came on in relief of Rodriguez and held the Beacons at bay in
the fourth.
The Sunsets increased their lead with a single run in the
fourth, on Matt Rosner's RBI single, and six runs in the fifth.
Brett Hollander started the Twilighter's fifth inning rally by
drawing a one out walk. Norman Vazquez reached on a infield
single, and Francisco Ramirez plated Hollander with a bloop
single. Drew Raphael lined a single to right that scored Vazquez.
Sandy Glatzer relieved Nicoll, but Julio Rodriguez greeted
Glatzer with an RBI single. Mike Spring walked to load the bases
and then Matt Rosner worked a walk to force in another run.
After Miguel Rodriguez bounced into a force play for the second
out, Christian Carbonell reached on an error that allowed Rosner
to score. Glatzer finally retired Hollander on a grounder to
short to end the inning.
Trailing 10-2, the Beacons immediately responded, showing the
kind of resilience that they demonstrated throughout the
playoffs. With one out, Rich Martell reached on Sunset shortstop
Matt Rosner's error. Manny Marrero drew a walk and Harry White
was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pat Pisani lifted a long
fly to left field that Miguel Rodriguez appeared to settle
under, but Rodriguez was unable to corral the ball and Martell
and Marrero scored. After Bob Morency grounded out for the
second out, Frank Pisani singled home two runs. With Eric
Rosenberg at the plate and the Beacons trailing 10-6, Stout
uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Pisani to go all the way to
third. Stout argued that Pisani was out at third and was ejected
by third base umpire Charlie Grippe. Vinny Barone entered the
game to pitch for the Sunsets and Rosenberg lined a single to
left to score Pisani, closing the gap to 10-7. Mike Caserta came
on to pitch for the Beacons and retired the Sunsets in the
bottom of the sixth without incident.
The Beacons drew closer in the seventh. Nicoll drew a lead off
walk and Rich Martell singled him to second. Manny Marrero
singled to center to drive in Nicoll, but when the ball skipped
past Twilighter center fielder Mike Spring, Martell was out at
the plate as Spring, Matt Rosner and catcher Norman Vazquez
combined on a quick relay to nail Martell at the plate. Marrero,
who took third on the play, appeared to have scored on Harry
White's fly ball to right field, but the Sunsets appealed that
Marrero left the bag too early and Marrero was called out to end
the inning.
The Sunsets got a run back in the bottom of the seventh. Rosner
worked Caserta for a walk. Miguel Rodriguez also walked and,
after Rosner stole third, Carbonell flared a single to right
that scored Rosner and gave the Sunsets an 11-8 lead. After
Caserta walked the bases loaded, Bob Morency came on in relief
and induced Francisco Ramirez to pop out to second to end the
inning.
Morency then started the next Beacon rally in the top of the
eighth by drawing a one out walk from the Sunsets' fourth
pitcher of the game, Miguel Rodriguez. After Frank Pisani
singled, Rodriguez yielded the mound duties to Norman Vazquez.
Eric Rosenberg stepped in to face Vazquez and was promptly hit
in the head with a pitch. Rosenberg lay on the ground for
several minutes after absorbing the blow that glanced off his
helmet and struck his cheekbone, but gamely took first base.
With the bases loaded and still only one out, Jose Morales
worked a walk to force in Morency, cutting the score to 11-9.
Jamie Siragusa then lined a first pitch single to right that
scored Pisani and Rosenberg with the tying runs. Vazquez retired
Nicoll and Martell to escape further damage.
The Sunsets loaded the bases in the bottom of the eighth, but
failed to score as Morency pitched out of the jam.
Manny Marrero led off the top of the ninth and grounded to
short. Marrero reached base as Matt Rosner threw low to first.
After Harry White's perfectly placed sacrifice bunt moved Marrero
to second, Pat Pisani doubled Marrero home with the tie breaking
run. Morency popped up for the second out, but Frank Pisani
reached as Rosner committed his second error of the inning. The
Beacons then executed the delayed double steal with Pat Pisani
scoring before the Sunsets could retire Frank Pisani in a run
down and the Beacons took a 13-11 lead into the bottom of the
ninth.
With Rich Martell in to pitch for the Guiding Lights, Brett
Hollander opened the inning with a solid single to center.
Norman Vazquez singled to left to bring the winning run to the
plate, but Martell struck out Ramirez for the first out. Drew
Raphael doubled to left center and Hollander scored, but center
fielder Jamie Siragusa hustled the ball to shortstop Frank
Pisani, who made a perfect relay throw to the plate and catcher
Pat Pisani applied the tag on Vazquez for the second out. The
play preserved the lead.
Martell induced the next batter, Julio Rodriguez, to fly out to
Siragusa in center to end the game and the deliver the Beacons
their first league championship in the team's history. Morency
earned the win, while Martell got credit for the save. Vazquez
took the loss for the Sunsets.
After the game, Pat Pisani and Sandy Glatzer were named
co-winners of the Playoff MVP Award.
Game 2 Highlights: The Lighthouse Point Beacons
took a commanding 2-0 series lead in the best of five Expansion Series
Finals with a 17-5 rout of the Sunrise Sunsets at FAU Stadium on
Wednesday night.
Sandy Glatzer, who registered a save in Game 1, tossed a
complete game nine hitter for the Beacons. Glatzer walked none,
hit one, and struck out two. Drew Raphael started for the
Sunsets and was tagged with the loss after allowing 11 runs,
nine earned, on eight hits, with six walks and two strike outs
in just two and one thirds innings of work.
The Sunsets actually held a 2-0 lead in the first inning after
Christian Carbonell slapped a two out single and eventually
scored on a wild pitch. An error and a double by Norman Vazquez
produced the inning's other run.
The Beacons immediately responded in the bottom of the first,
scoring five runs. Jamie Siragusa led off with a walk and after,
Raphael fanned Keith Nicoll for the first out, Rich Martell
singled. Siragusa sped home from second on Pat Vadala's single
to center and then Pat Pisani tripled to right center to bring in
Martell and Vadala. Bob Morency laced a single that plated
Pisani. Morency would eventually score on a single by Jose
Morales. After one inning, the Beacons held a 5-2 lead.
The Guiding Lights were at it again in the second. Siragusa, who
would lead off four consecutive innings as the Beacons batted
around in each of the first four frames, led off with a double.
A strike out, an error, and a walk to Pat Vadala left the bases
loaded with one out. Pat Pisani hit a bullet at second baseman
Carbonell, but in his haste to turn the double play, Carbonell
mishandled the ball and all hands were safe. Siragusa scored on
the play to make the score 6-2. Morency drew a walk to force in
a run and Frank Pisani's sacrifice fly made it 8-2.
In the bottom of the third it was more of the same as the
Beacons scored four times and drove Raphael from the hill. Keith
Nicoll started the rally with a one out double to right center.
Martell walked and then Pat Vadala crushed a majestic home run
far over the left field wall for an 11-2 lead. Miguel Rodriguez
replaced Raphael on the mound for the Twilighters, but Pat
Pisani greeted him with a single, Bob Morency doubled and, after
Frank Pisani was hit with a pitch to load the bases, Eric
Rosenberg's sacrifice fly gave the Beacons a 12-2 lead.
The Sunsets pushed across single runs in the fourth and fifth
innings on RBI by Sean Saliva and Rodriguez, but the Beacons
responded with three more runs in the fifth. Frank Pisani's RBI
double and a two run single by Jose Morales gave the Beacons a
15-4 lead.
The Sunsets got one run back in the sixth on an RBI single by
Sean Saliva, but the Beacons answered in the bottom of the
inning on an RBI double by Frank Pisani and an RBI single by
Eric Rosenberg that capped the scoring.
Every Beacon batter had at least one hit. Vadala drove in four
runs. Frank Pisani and Jose Morales drove in three each. Bob
Morency and Eric Rosenberg each had two RBI.
Game 1 Highlights: The Lighthouse Point Beacons
took a 1-0 series lead in the best of five Expansion Series
Finals after defeating the Sunrise Sunsets, 11-7, in front of a
sellout crowd at Pompano Municipal Stadium on Saturday.
Rich Martell started for the Beacons and outdueled Sunset ace
Corey Harshey, tossing eight and two thirds innings before
receiving relief help from Sandy Glatzer.
The Beacons grabbed an early lead by scoring three runs in the
top of the first. Keith Nicoll and Rich Martell drew one
out walks before Pat Vadala singled in Nicoll. Harry White
walked to load the bases and Pat Pisani singled home two
runs.
The Sunsets tied the game in the bottom of the first. Christian
Carbonell reached on a two out walk and then advanced to third
as Martell's pick off throw sailed over first baseman Eric
Rosenberg's head. Had Martell's throw been a good one, Carbonell
would have been the third out as he was trapped off of first on
the play. Carbonell wound up scoring on a wild pitch and
Martell, perhaps rattled, walked Drew Raphael and Norman Vazquez.
Vinny Barone squibbed a single through the right side to score
one run and Sean Saliva drove in the tying run with a single to
left. The inning ended as Saliva was out at second attempting to
stretch his hit into a double.
The Beacons reclaimed the lead in the second. Rosenberg singled
to open the inning and wound up on third after Harshey uncorked
an errant pick off throw. Keith Nicoll's two out single
delivered Rosenberg and the Beacons led 4-3.
The score remained 4-3 until the top of the fourth. Rosenberg
got on board with a two out single and Jose Morales walked.
Jamie Siragusa, who earlier had thwarted a potential Sunset
rally with two fine catches in center field, singled to drive in
Rosenberg.
Trailing 5-3, the Sunsets rallied to tie the score in the home
half of the fourth. Vinny Barone led off and was hit by a pitch,
but Barone was doubled up as Sean Saliva's bunt attempt was
popped up and caught by Martell. Harshey drew a walk from his
opposite number and then Mike Spring reached on an error. Brett
Hollander connected for a ground rule double that tied the game.
In the top of the sixth, the Beacons regained the lead. Bob
Morency singled with one out and, after Harshey retired Frank
Pisani on a pop out, Eric Rosenberg collected his third single of
the game. Jose Morales walked to load the bases and then Jamie
Siragusa worked Harshey for a walk to drive in Morency. The
Beacons left the bases loaded when Harshey retired Nicoll on a
pop up to short.
The Beacons added to the lead in the seventh. Martell singled
and then stole both second and third. With one out, Harry
White's sacrifice fly drove in Martell to give the Beacons a 7-5
lead.
That score remained until the top of the ninth when the Beacons
added four runs to their lead. Siragusa led off with a single
and the Sunsets relieved Harshey with Tom Stout. Nicoll, the
first batter that Stout faced, was hit with a pitch and then
Martell bunted for a hit. When Stout's throw toward first was
wild, Siragusa scored from second. Pat Vadala walked to load the
bases and Harry White delivered two runs with a single to right.
After Pat Pisani walked to reload the bases, Bob Morency walked
to force in a run.
With the Beacons holding an 11-5 lead heading into the ninth,
the Sunsets attempted to rally. Sean Saliva singled with one out
and, after Harshey struck out, Mike Spring reached on an error.
Brett Hollander kept the Sunsets alive with a soft single to
center and Matt Rosner got aboard as his slow roller to second
was fumbled by Nicoll for an error.
After Miguel Rodriguez singled to bring the Twilighters to
within 11-7, the Beacons brought Sandy Glatzer into pitch.
Glatzer got Christian Carbonell, representing the tying run with
the bases loaded, to ground into a force play to end the game.
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