The Red Hook Locals Softball League playoffs kicked off on August 1 with two matchups both taking place at 6 pm. Despite temperatures in the 90s, all of the teams in action were sharp early. Bait & Tackle, the four-seed, took on five-seed Hometown at Dovey Diamond while across the street the Wobblies (the three-seed) took on MiniBar, the six-seed.
First Round:
Bait & Tackle avoided giving up walks and was able to prevent Hometown from having any big innings. Meanwhile, at the plate, they were able to string together singles and walks and jumped out to a 4-0 lead. Hometown battled back with two runs in a row and Bait responded with one of their own and led 5-2 going into the bottom of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Bait loaded the bases and despite a few pitching changes, Hometown walked in three runs. Bait’s steady pitching kept Hometown from scoring in the final two innings and they won the game 8-2.
Across the street, the Wobblies led for the majority of the game in a low-scoring affair but some nice defensive plays by MiniBar kept the game close. The Wobblies held a 5-3 lead going into the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh MiniBar threatened with a walk and a single with one out. Then a dropped throw at second on a fielder’s choice and a dropped throw at first in the following at-bat cut the lead to 5-4. An RBI single by Ace tied the score but a great throw from Ari in right field cut down what would have been the go-ahead run on a very close play at the plate. MiniBar and some of the fans in attendance disagreed with the call. A walk loaded the bases but a flyout kept the score tied.
With a runner on second and one out in the bottom of the seventh, MiniBar was able to tag out the runner at second after they faked a throw to first and caught him by surprise. The game went to extras.
After an uneventful top of the eighth, the first two batters for the Wobblies made out in the bottom of the inning. However, what looked like a routine single to right for Wyatt Rodriguez turned into a hustle double. With first base open, MiniBar walked Nate Laux who led the RHSL in home runs in the regular season. Jeff “Pickles” then delivered another base hit to right but Rodriguez tripped rounding third base. However, the throw from right was off target and Rodriguez was able to score the winning run and sent the Wobblies into the semifinals with a hard-fought 6-5 victory.
Semifinals:
In the first of two semifinal matchups on August 8, the third-seeded Wobblies took on the second-seeded Record Shop. It rained throughout the evening and the Wobblies offense brought the thunder. They scored four in the top of the first but the Record Shop responded with four of their own in the bottom of the inning. A diving catch by Laux kept the score tied. The Wobblies led 7-4 heading to the fourth and had a monster inning as they strung together singles and doubles, scoring seven in the inning.
The Record Shop would not go quietly and a three-run triple by Joel “Tumbleweed” Kern cut the lead to 15-7. The Wobblies however were not done offensively and took a 20-10 lead to the bottom of the seventh. The Record Shop rallied for five but was unable to complete a miraculous comeback as the Wobblies won 20-15.
The second game of the night featured the last two Red Hook Softball League (RHSL) champions in Bait & Tackle and one-seed B61. Unlike the first semifinal, it began with solid pitching and defense although back-to-back solo shots by Chrii Morel and Shawn Andrew gave B61 a 2-1 lead in the second. B61 led 5-1 after 4 but Michael Buscemi’s second single of the game cut the lead to 5-2 in the top of the fifth.
Bait & Tackle strung together an RBI double and then two consecutive RBI singles in the top of the sixth to tie it up 5-5. However, B61 responded immediately with RBI doubles by DeLeo, Morel, and Andrew. They opened up an 11-5 lead but a diving double play at third by Bait & Tackle helped them get out of the inning down by six.
With their season on the line in the top of the seventh, Bait & Tackle got a rally going as the bottom of their lineup loaded the bases with one out. A two-run double made it 11-7, and an infield hit cut the lead to 11-8. Two consecutive clutch hits made it 11-10 and an RBI groundout by Greg Fischer tied the score. Bait threatened for more but a groundout ended the inning. B61 had the top of their lineup up in the bottom of the seventh and had a runner on second with two outs but a flyout to left ended the threat. Immediately after the seventh inning, the lights at Dovey Diamond went out meaning the game had to be continued August 15th.
When the game resumed, both teams made clutch plays in the field as Lee made a sliding catch in the top of the eighth for B61. Gobbins made a running catch down the left field line for Bait & Tackle in the bottom of the eighth with two outs and a runner on second. Bait threatened with runners on first and second and one out in the top of the ninth but two straight groundouts ended the threat.
Kate Morelli led off the bottom of the ninth with a walk and a single by NYC Tim gave B61 another chance to walk it off. After a fielder’s choice at third, Chuck lined a single to center, and B61’s third base coach waved the runner home. It would have been a close play but the throw was wide and the dramatic walk-off sent B61 to the championship. B61 players ran onto the field to celebrate and then shake hands with Bait & Tackle but there was not too much time to celebrate as the championship game was played after a 15-minute break for the Wobblies to warm up.
Championship:
Following B61’s extra-inning victory in the second semifinal, they took on the Wobblies in the championship and had home advantage as the higher seed. Despite the hot hitting from the Wobblies in their semifinal victory, Andrew held them scoreless for the first three innings of the championship. He got help from his defense as Lee made a sliding catch, and B61 avoided making errors.
In the bottom of the first B61 struck first as two runs scored on a single by Andrew and Lee followed that up with a sac fly to make it 3-0. In the bottom of the third B61 made it 5-0 on a two-run single by Andrew, and 6-0 on an RBI double by Lee. A fielder’s choice got another run in, giving B61 a 7-0 lead after three.
The Wobblies battled back and after a couple of long at-bats resulted in walks, a two-run double by Laux got them on the board in the top of the fourth. In the top of the fifth, the Wobblies loaded the bases with one out and Craig worked a walk to cut the lead to 7-3. However, Andrew limited the damage and got out of the inning with a popout which he caught, and a fielder’s choice to Morel at short.
Strong pitching from the Wobblies kept them in the game and the score remained 7-3 heading to the top of the seventh. A great pick by NYC Tim on a grounder to third and then a groundout to second had B61 one out away but once again the Wobblies battled. A runner reached on a bobbled grounder to short, followed by a walk, and got a rally going. To the cheers of the crowd, player-coach Chris Tsanos pinch-hit for the Wobblies and promptly lined a single to center which loaded the bases and brought the tying run to the plate. Andrew quickly got ahead 0-2 and after a foul ball extended the at-bat, he got a strikeout looking to win the game and the Colucci Cup.
This time the celebration wasn’t muted as B61 charged out of the dugout and celebrated in the infield. Fisher presented Morelli with the Colucci Cup and the celebration continued as B61 was back on top.
“We’re the only team to make it to the championship three years in a row and won it twice,” said Anthony Capone of B61. “It’s definitely sweeter after losing in the championship a year ago.”
This is the third year for the Red Hook Softball League since the Red Hook ballfields reopened. In 2022, B61 routed Bait & Tackle 29-7 in the championship but Bait & Tackle won an intense, close game over B61 8-7 last year. This year the two teams had another great battle in the semifinal but it was B61 winning it on a walk-off in extra innings.
“B61 has been around since 2003 so it’s been 21 years since we’ve had a team,” Capone said. “For 10 years, we were with the YMCA League in Park Slope, and now once the fields re-opened here in Red Hook we joined as B61 and we’ve been in the league for all three years. We have players who have been here since the original team like JJ, me, Kate, and Rob. There are a lot of old-school guys who have been here since the start.”
After three great seasons in the RHSL, the road to the Colucci Cup has run through B61.
“I am so happy that we were able to get it done against the Wobblies winning the first one against Bait & Tackle,” Morelli said. “I was just hoping for a good game, good defensive play on both sides, and not a blowout, and that was exactly how it played out. Of course, I was hoping for that win and I’m happy to have the Cup back home.”
