Verdi’s and Snook Inn Absorb First Loss as Races Tighten

After three weeks of play, Verdi’s, despite their first loss, continues to hold a slim half-game lead over Salty Dog in the Island Division. In the Marco Division, Snook Inn lost to Sami’s but remains half a game ahead of them in the standings. Oyster Society won a pair of games this week to move into a tie with Crazy Flamingo for the top spot in the Gulf Coast Division. For the complete, up-to-date results and standings, visit the league website at marcoseniorsoftballleague.com.

ISLAND DIVISION

Tuesday January 20, 2026

Nacho Mama’s 13                                                                Dolphin Tiki 8

In a game played in brutal weather conditions, Nacho Mama’s used some late offensive firepower to defeat Dolphin Tiki and earn their first victory of the season.

Trailing 7-6 in the middle of the sixth inning, Nacho’s pushed across seven unanswered runs over the next two innings to take control of the game. Bill Coyle doubled to start the rally, followed by a run-scoring single by Dave O’Brien (three hits, three RBIs), a double by Chuck Stathopoulos (three hits), a two-run double by Frank Tedesco, and a run-scoring single by Randy Sheridan (two RBIs) to make it a 10-7 game. After Nacho’s added another run an inning later a run-scoring double by Wayne Bombaci, O’Brien came through again with a two-run base hit to extend the lead to 13-7.

Other offensive contributions for Nacho’s came from Bob Masulis (three hits, two RBIs) and Ed Adrian (three hits).

Manager Ricky Cuevas led the Tiki with four hits and John Kelly added three. Sal Tidona, who finished with three RBIs, and Joe Rocco both slammed two-run triples in the third inning, helping Tiki build the early lead.

Salty Dog 11                                                                                 Verdi’s 7

In a battle of the two top teams in the division, Salty Dog used a combination of timely hitting and strong defense to claim the win and deal Verdi’s with their first loss of the season.

After Verdi’s erased an early 5-1 deficit with five unanswered runs, Salty Dog went to work. Chip Mathers slashed a double up the middle to even the score, and Brian Alexander (three hits) followed with a clutch two-out, two-run single to give the Dog the lead for good. Then with the Dog hanging on to a 9-7 lead in the ninth, they added two big insurance runs on RBI singles by Dave Koch (two RBIs) and Jeff Robinson for the final margin of victory.

Tom Polston and Dave Johnson also knocked in a pair of runs for the winners. Tad Fabian led Verdi’s with three base hits, Jon Thomas drove in three runs, and Mike Faria had a pair of RBIs in the loss.

Thursday January 22, 2026

Verdi’s 13                                                                         Nacho Mama’s 6

Outfielder Mike Compton drove in five runs to lead first-place Verdi’s to the win over Nacho Mama’s. Compton, who had four hits, singled in the second and sixth innings each scoring a run and capped his clutch performance with a two-run base hit in the ninth.

Verdi’s and Nacho’s were locked in a one-run contest going into the sixth inning when Verdi’s crossed the plate four times on run-scoring base hits by Compton, Gary Grefer, substitute Brian Craig, and a double by Matt Minik to give them a 9-4 advantage. Verdi’s took a 10-6 lead into the ninth inning when they added three big insurance runs, two on Compton’s hit to put the game out of reach.

Rob Barstow also punched out four hits for Verdi’s, and Minik, who had two RBIs, and Mike Faria added three hits apiece. Verdi’s pitcher Jim O’Toole helped his own cause by recording an astounding ten assists for the game.

Manager Todd Rogers, who tripled, and substitute Dave Mayo each knocked in a pair of runs for Nacho’s.

Salty Dog 13                                                                           DaVinci’s 12

Salty Dog scored twice in the seventh inning to erase a one-run deficit and made it hold up as they topped DaVinci’s in a nail-biter.

Salty Dog got out of the gate early with a five-run first inning, thanks to RBI singles by Ron Lukasevicz (three hits), Dave Koch (two RBIs), Bill Krausmann, Jeff Robinson (two RBIs), and Dan Gulick. DaVinci’s evened the score with a five-run inning of their own and the game seesawed from there. DaVinci’s Paul Kramer doubled home two runs to tie the score at seven, but a two-run home run by Chip Mathers gave the Dog a 9-7 lead. After DaVinci’s scored four times to retake the lead, Salty’s Brian Ward (three hits) tripled home one run then scored the next to make it an 11-11 ballgame.

After an Ed Seery (two RBIs) sacrifice fly gave DaVinci’s a 12-11 lead in the top of the seventh, the Dog answered with two of their own on a Dave Johnson single scoring one followed by a Bob Ferreira triple that scored the eventual game winner.

Ron Goralski also pitched in with three hits for Salty Dog. For DaVinci’s, Carl Parker, Ken Polarek, Chris Flynn, and Bill Novakovich all had three hits, and Parker added two RBIs for the game.

Speakeasy 21                                                                     Dolphin Tiki 12

Clean-up hitter Terry Downs came up big for Speakeasy, knocking in six runs on four hits to lead his team to the victory over Dolphin Tiki.

Downs doubled home two runs in the first, singled in one in each of the third and fourth innings and capped his hitting clinic with a two-run double in the eighth. He had plenty of support from teammates Mike Reale (four hits, three RBIs), Mark Whealy (four hits, two RBIs), Vito Iacovazzi (three hits including a triple, two RBIs), and Tom DeAngelo, Laz Ferro, and Brett Bartholomaus, all with three hits as Speakeasy scored in every inning except one and led the whole way.

The five-run fourth proved pivotal for Speakeasy as they stretched a one-run lead to 11-5 on run scoring hits by Mike Galloway, Whealy, Iacovazzi, Reale, and Downs.

Ron Baden carried the big stick for the Tiki with three hits and four RBIs, including a two-run triple that trimmed the deficit to 13-10 in the sixth inning. Gary Revall, Sal Tidona, and Lou Marinaccio also had three hits for the Tiki, with Revall knocking in three runs in the contest.

MARCO DIVISION

Monday January 19, 2026

Snook Inn 23                                                                       Stonewalls 16

Mixing an array of singles and extra base hits, Snook Inn rolled to its fifth straight win on a blustery day as the top of its batting order combined for 14 hits and 12 RBIs.

The hitting template for the Snook started in the first inning. Cleanup hitter Jim Willert’s (three RBIs) sharp, opposite field grounder rolled for a double, scoring three runs, good for a 3-0 Snook lead. Batting fifth, Karl Kann (three hits, two RBIs) then stroked a run scoring double with the Snook scoring one more time to conclude the first inning uprising. Snook used the five-run formula again in the second inning.

Leadoff hitter Steve Hemmerlein’s (three hits and three RBIs) looping single scored two runs. Number two batter Tom Deater (four hits and two RBIs) then ripped a line drive triple, scoring two more runs. Snook added another run to complete its second straight five-run rally. Snook’s other power swings belonged to number three hitter Gary Menzies, who lined an opposite field triple for his two RBIs, and John Cavanagh (four RBIs), three of which rode home courtesy of his three-run home run.

Stonewalls made a bid to rally back in the game. In its half of the third inning, Steve Friend (five RBIs) tattooed an opposite field two-run home run. Rookie Brian Wegner (three RBIs) then hammered another two-run home run as Stonewalls cut its deficit to 13-8. Other notable hitters for Stonewalls were Bobby Williams (two RBIs) and Dan Dumbauld, who laced a triple.

Brewery 15                                                                               Sand Bar 5

Three power swings to centerfield sparked Brewery’s offense as the Brew Crew broke through for its first win of 2026.

The Crew’s Bob Armstrong (two RBIs) started the trend in the third inning. He boomed a triple to straight away center, plating two, giving Brewery a 4-1 lead in the first inning. Two innings later, Rick DiStasio (two RBIs) followed suit. His line drive to centerfield rolled for a two-run home run, upping Brewery’s advantage to 8-1. Bob Traver (three RBIs) then completed the trifecta of extra base power when he smoked a drive to centerfield, good for two runs and 14-2 Brewery lead after four innings. Other notable hitters for Brewery included Rod Lashley and Glenn Ahlquist, with three knocks each.

For Sand Bar, Randy Wesolowski led the Sand Men with three hits while Steve Levesque had two RBIs. Jim Stewart chipped in with a triple as Sand Bar’s offensive struggles continued.

Wednesday January 21, 2026

Joey’s Pizza 12                                                                        Brewery 11

Joey’s Robert Stried came through in the clutch as the Pizza Men prevailed in the Marco Division’s game of the week.

With the game tied at 11 in the seventh, Joey’s George Giacobbi (three hits) completed his perfect day at the plate with a single, putting two runners aboard for Joey’s. Up stepped Stried, whose well placed hard grounder between shortstop and midfield scored the winning run. Stried now has team leading 10 RBIs on the young season. Joey’s other spotlight hitter was Tom Rensch who had two RBIs.

Jon Krebs (three RBIs) and Ray Capella (three RBIs courtesy of a three-run home run) had key hits to lead the Brew Crew offense. Krebs’ RBI single in the fourth inning capped a five-run uprising as Brewery rallied from a 7-1 deficit at the outset of the inning to pull within one run at 7-6. In the sixth inning, with Brewery trailing 10-6, Capella drilled a shot to left centerfield for a three-run home run as Brewery again pulled within one run, this time at 10-9.

Sami’s 20                                                                                Snook Inn 5

Sami’s broke open a close game by scoring 13 runs in its final three at bats to claim its fourth straight win in a game ended due to the league’s mercy rule.

Leading 7-5 as it came to bat in the fourth inning, Sami’s started its scoring run that led to the convincing win. John Stuart ignited the rally by drilling an opposite field triple to right field. Jim Fairbanks (two RBIs) then scored Stuart with a single, upping Sami’s lead to 8-5. Dave Schott then lofted a wind aided triple to score Fairbanks for a 9-5 Sami’s advantage. An RBI single closed the three-run rally with Sami’s up 10-5.

The White and Red then blew the game open with a five-run rally in the fifth inning. Dean Stone (three hits including a triple and three RBIs) ignited the rally with a single. John Binns (three hits and two RBIs) also stroked a single. Both would score on a series of Sami’s hits and Snook fielding errors that resulted in a five-run uprising for Sami’s and a comfortable 15-5 lead. Sami’s other hitting stars were manager Dick Eddy (three hits) and John Gross (two RBIs).

On an otherwise tough day for Snook offensively and defensively, Tom Deater led the attack with three hits while Bob Bejnerowicz chipped in with two RBIs.

Stonewalls 22                                                                           Sand Bar 6

Thanks to its 24-hit attack that included a home run and six doubles, Stonewalls thumped Sand Bar.

Stonewalls Tom Breslin (four hits and two RBIs) shook off an early season slump by blasting a solo home run as well as stroking two doubles and a single, totaling nine bases in the process and earning the game ball for his efforts. He had plenty of hitting support.

Leadoff batter Bobby Williams had four hits as did manager George Lancaster, whose stat sheet also included four RBIs. And rookie Brian Wegener continued his torrid hitting, smacking two doubles among his three hits while also driving in four runs. Other contributors included midfielder Jim Dorey (three hits), Steve Friend (three RBIs), and Tom Gazillo (two RBIs). Stonewalls saved its offensive best for its last at bat. The Men in Black scored 14 runs, turning what was an 8-3 lead after five innings into an insurmountable 22-3 advantage, thanks to its seventh inning hitting and run barrage.

For Sand Bar, pitcher Jim Stewart led the offense with three hits and two RBIs while John Klebauskas also chipped in with three hits. And midfielder Dave Korte continued his strong start with a triple. As a team, Sand Bar did have 15 hits but was also done in by Stonewall's sterling defense (no errors) that included turning two double plays, one of which killed a bases loaded threat for the Sand Men in the fifth inning.

GULF COAST DIVISION

Monday January 19, 2026

Oyster Society 11                                                        American Legion 7

Newcomer Mike Roman hammered a grand slam home run in the first inning to set the tone for the Oyster Society as they led throughout the game to top the American Legion.

Following Roman’s blast, the Oyster Men extended the lead to 6-0 on RBI singles by Al Schneider and Al Cenicola going into the third inning. The Legion rallied for four runs, two on a Jim Lencioni single and one on a Jeff Taylor triple to close the gap to 6-4 in the third. Three innings later with the Oyster Men clinging to an 8-7 advantage, John DeRosa delivered with a two-run single and Fred Kramer, who also tripled, followed with an RBI hit to extend the lead to the final 11-7 margin.

Wednesday January 21, 2026

Doreen’s 15                                                                    Crazy Flamingo 9

Doreen’s scored seven times in the final two innings to pull away from a tight contest and hand Crazy Flamingo their second straight defeat.

With Doreen’s up 8-7 going into the sixth inning, the Coffee Crew pushed across four runs on RBI base hits by Paul Womack, Jan Grossman, and Larry Anspach, along with a bases-loaded walk. After Crazy’s closed the gap to 12-9 in the bottom of the inning, Doreen’s added three insurance runs on an RBI single by Chuck Reich along with a pair of fielder’s choices.

Doreen’s hit leaders included Anspach, Paul Glynn, John Robichaud, and Dick Folsom with three hits apiece. Reich drove home three runs, and Womack, Anspach, and John Gill two.

Gary Badger was the lone bright spot for Crazy’s with three RBIs on a pair of singles.

Friday January 23rd 2026

Crazy Flamingo 18                                                       American Legion 8

Crazy Flamingo did most of their damage late in this one as they scored eleven runs in the final two innings to pull away from a tight contest and defeat the American Legion.

Already holding a 7-4 advantage going into the sixth inning, the Crazy Birds pushed across five runs, the final two on RBI singles by Joe Barry and Jimmy Cuevas. They followed that up with a six-run seventh, highlighted by a run scoring double by Mick Keller, run scoring singles by Huck McPhee and John Ranieri, and a two-run base hit by Gregg Graycarek that gave Crazy’s a commanding 18-5 lead.

Earlier, Cuevas blasted a two-run homer as he and Graycarek led the way for Crazy’s with three RBIs each. They received support from Brian Bergman, Rich Klein, and Nick Lordi who all smacked three hits, with Bergman and McPhee both plating a pair of runs. John Sherwin also contributed a triple for the winners.

The Legion’s John Barrett hoisted a solo homer, and Don Mandetta and Tom Obermeier each punched out three hits in a losing cause.

Oyster Society 16                                                                     Doreen’s 6

Mike Corless put an exclamation point on this game with a seventh inning grand slam as the Oyster Society topped Doreen’s to keep pace with Crazy Flamingo.

The Oyster Men struck early scoring five first inning runs, with a two-run single by Steve Risch (three RBIs) after an intentional walk being the key hit. After Doreen’s clawed their way back to a one-run deficit at 6-5, Risch delivered again for the Oyster Men with an RBI groundout to extend the lead, which gradually grew to 11-5 heading into the seventh and setting up Corless’ heroics.

Pitcher Ed Kopecky finished the game a perfect 4-for-4 for the Oyster Society. Mike Roman and Dave Chroust both chipped in with two RBIs and Jim Williams slammed a triple for the victors.

John Robichaud and Mike Gallagher both knocked in a pair of runs for Doreen’s.