UCSSL 2017 PLAYOFF RESULTS
50’s Division
	Playoff Rounds for Week of August 20, 2017
	Deegan Roofing 20, Contact Lens & Vision 1
	Pitcher Pete Appolito and a stingy Deegan defense held CLV scoreless until the last inning. Star of the game for the Roofers was Ricky McMahon who made several incredible catches in the outfield and was 3 for 4 with the bat including a double, home run and 4 RBIs. Also contributing to the offense were Joe DiFabio (4 for 4) and Marty Bernstein (3 for 3). For Contact, Ed Quinn had 3 hits and a spectacular over the shoulder catch that had the Deegan boys up on their feet clapping, Kerry Gelb 2 hits including a double, and Lou Balestriere also with 2 hits.
	Deegan Roofing 27, Contact Lens and Vision 10
	The Deegan offense was led by Joe DiFabio who was a perfect 4 for 4 at the plate. Other hitting stars for the Roofers were Farlan Alusik (3H, HR, 5RBI), Scott Mugele (3H, HR, 2RBI), John Garced (3H, 2RBI), and Marty Bernstein (3H, 2 doubles, 4RBI).  Leading the way for the shorthanded Contact Lens team were  Dr. Joe DeRosa, Ed Quinn, Anthony Miccio and Lou Balestriere all with 3 knocks. DeRosa played a spectacular leftfield making a record 14 putouts in the blazing sun of Memorial 3.
	Deegan wins series 2-0 to advance to the A Division finals.
	Linwood Inn 15, Joemax Telecom 14
	A game saving catch by Brian Latham in the top of the 7th preserved a hard fought victory for Linwood. Jeff Villani, Latham, and Joe Menza were 3 for 3 while Steve Lerner, Slope Rzewuski, Rich Johns and Glenn Anderson contributed two hits each. Mac Kowaleski's 5th inning RBI wound up being the winning run for the Barmen. JoeMax roaring back from an early 14 to 2 deficit, had Steve Tansey perfect at the plate while Dave Eckert, Pete Costello and Bruce Evans all contributed to the offensive surge.
	Linwood Inn 23, Joemax Telecom 11
	In a game that was decided in the last two innings when the Tap House bats came alive to score 14 runs, after solid infield defense including 3 double plays had kept the game close.  For Linwood, Joe Menza 5 for 5, Josh Moore 4 hits, and Joe Sarica, Mac Kowaleski, Rich Johns and Jim Sydlo with 3 hits led the charge.  Walt Patrylo, Dave Eckert, Bruce Evans and Andre Thomas, along with a big blast by Pat Costello, sparked the JoeMax offense.
	Linwood wins series 2-0 to advance to the A Division finals.
	National Energy Network 18, Cranford VFW 10
	Gary Cuttler led NEN with a 4 for 4 night including 5 RBIs. Bruce Crawford, Dave Grandmaison, Angie Melillo and winning pitcher Tom Colandro each contributed 3 hits. Al Feigenbaum drove in 3. For the VFW, Carl Gamba was a perfect 4 for 4 and Mark McGlynn added 3 RBIs. NEN wins the one game play-in to advance in the playoffs.
	Roselle American Legion 20, National Energy Network 8
	Roselle overcame an early deficit by scoring nine runs in the first inning. Leading the way were Ed Rodriguez, Jim McCullough, Bob Glassman and Ed Kushner. Winning pitcher Rich Vella had three hits and also received offensive support from Gene Antonucci and Pat Mooney. Continuing to hit the long ball, Bill Buteau recorded another multi extra base hit game. For NEN,  Gary Cuttler (RBI) and Neil Granstrand (2RBI) led the way with 3 hits each. Angie Melillo also had 2 RBIs.
	Roselle American Legion 15, National Energy Network 13
	In a game with several lead changes and momentum swings, Roselle prevailed by scoring two runs in the seventh and two in the eighth for the victory.  Jim McCullough contributed two hits and made an outstanding catch in the bottom of the seventh to save the game. Ed Kushner had a perfect four hit night. Chipping in offensively were Mike McGuire, Rich Vella, Harry Streep and Dave Wayman. For NEN, Neil Granstrand went 3 for 3 with 4 RBIs, John Rachko and Billy Hillyer contributed 3 hits and 1 RBI each, and Al Feigenbaum drove in 2. Roselle wins the series 2-0 to advance to the B Division finals.
	Riverside Inn 10, Top Line Appliance 9
	Riverside had 5 fantastic defensive plays by Mike Giovine, John McClung, Rich Conklin, Dennis Maluchnik and Paul Newton while jumping out to an early 10-5 lead.  The offense was led by McClung and Tom Wolansky with 3 hits apiece. Wolansky and Rich Polonitza each had 2 RBIs. Tom Murray contributed a key RBI single in the 4 run fourth.  Top Line was led by Ron Kulik and Bill McCormack, each with 4 hits. Greg Harnett also chipped in with 3 hits.
	Top Line Appliance 17, Riverside Inn 16
	In a game that changed leads four times in the last 2 innings, Top Line outlasted a very tough Riverside team in their second consecutive 1 run playoff game. Carey Durrett and Whitey McCormack with 4 hits each, Dave Ball with 3 hits, and 6 others with 2 hits apiece paced the Appliance makers attack.  Ray DiMaggio, who hit the game winning single with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th, also blasted an over the fence home run.  Rich Polonitza led the Riverside offense with a home run and 2 RBIs. He was supported by John McClung, Steve Falco, Paul Newton and Mike Giovine who had 3 hits apiece. Rich Conklin and Mike Giovine had 3 RBIs each.
	Top Line Appliance 24, Riverside Inn 19
	Riverside, apparently putting the game away while plating 6 runs in the 5th to make the score 18 to 9, could not hold off the late inning surge by the Appliance Makers in this 8 inning contest. Great defensive plays by Dave Ball and Bill McCormack helped the victors slow down the Riverside attack in the final frames. The Top Line offense was led by Carey Durrett, Ron Kulik and Greg Hartnett with 4 hits apiece. Bill McCormack, Don Montefusco, Ray DiMaggio, Ball, Rory Caldwell and Bobby D’Meo chipped in with 3 hits each. The Riverside offense was led by Dennis Maluchnik who had 4 hits and 2 RBIs. He was supported by Rich Polonitza and Paul Newton with 3 hits apiece, and John McClung with 3 RBIs. Top Line wins the series 2-1 to advance to the B Division finals.
	Linda's Driftwood Inn #2 11, AJ Jersey 3
	Three hits each from Kevin Caroll, Kariem Draper and Willie Shumate in support of fine pitching performances from Draper and Otha Chapman sparked the Linda's victory.  For AJ, Stu Lukowiak and Chuck Serafin had 2 hits each and Jeff Hoffman doubled driving in 2.
	Linda's Driftwood Inn #2 24, AJ Jersey 9
	Powered by Bob Pells and Eddie Engram with 4 hits each, and 3 hit games from Doc Black, Kevin Carroll, Roy Melvin and Al Brown, Linda's rolled over AJ for the victory.
	Lindas wins the series 2-0 to advance to the C Division finals.
	Bad Brains 15, 10th Street Bar & Grill 13
	In a close game, Bad Brains took the lead in the 6th inning plating 4. Jose Cortes pitched a great game and helped his cause with 3 hits including a long two run home run. Ramon Martinez added 3 hits, while Mike Ju, Fred Marchev (3B), Keith Johnson and Ken Zeidner had 2 hits each. Keith McDede drove in the game winning run while Joe Scarfuto made an outstanding over the shoulder catch in right field preventing several runs from scoring.
	Bad Brains 21, 10th Street Bar & Grill 13
	There were plenty of hits and runs scored in this 5 inning contest called due to darkness. For Bad Brains, with 25 hits, Keith McDede led the way with 4 hits including a double. Ramon Martinez (grand slam), Ken Zeidner (HR, 3B), Keith Johnson (2B) and Fred Marchev (HR, 3B) all blasted 3 hits for the victors while Jose Cortes, Joe Kenny and Joe Scarfuto all chipped in with 2 hits apiece. Bad Brains wins the series 2-0 to advance to the C Division finals.
	Playoff Rounds for Week of September 10 2017
	Deegan Roofing 30, Linwood Inn 7
	Deegan, scoring the maximum 6 runs in each of the first 5 innings while making only 3 outs during that span, smacked 5 home runs over the fence. Hitting stars for the Roofers were Charlie Collins (3H, 3R, 2B, 3B, HR, 3RBI), Scott Mugele (3H, 3R, 2B, HR, 4RBI), Kevin Spellman (3H, 3R, 3B, 3RBI) and Nick Russo (3H, 3R, 2-2B, HR, 3RBI).  Joe Sarica, Mike DiRienzo, Rich Johns, Josh Moore and Jim Sydlo contributed to the Linwood attack.
	Deegan Roofing 25, Linwood Inn 10
	Deegan Roofing defeated Linwood Inn to sweep their best of 3 championship series in the  "A "Division.  This was Deegan's 4th consecutive A Division championship and their 60th consecutive UCSSL win spanning 3 seasons. Linwood took the early lead 4-2 after two innings with some timely hitting and several amazing outfield catches. Deegan's 4-run 3rd inning captured the lead and they never looked back. Doug Fischer went the distance on the mound for the Roofers. Hitting stars were:  Fischer (3-4, 2B, 3B, 4RBI), Scott Mugele (2-4, HR, 4RBI), Farlan Alusik (3-4, HR, 2RBI), James Nardello (3-3, 3-2B, RBI), Charlie Collins (4-4, 3-2B, 2RBI), Kevin Spellman (2-2, 3RBI), Steve Barba (3-3, RBI) and Tom Baldowski (3-4, HR, 4RBI). For the Tap House, who have finished 2nd to Deegan in the playoff finals the last 2 years, Glenn Anderson went 3 for 3, Slope Rzewuski (HR), Brian Latham (HR), Mike DiRienzo, Joe Sarica, Rich Johns and Brian Schaefer had two hits each.
	Deegan wins the "A" Division playoffs 2-0.
	Roselle American Legion 19, Top Line Appliance 7
	Despite being down by six runs in the third inning, Roselle fought back taking Game 1 of the series. Leading the charge offensively were Ed Kushner, Pat Mooney, Bill Dugan, Jim McCullough and Bob Glassman. Defensively, Mike McGuire made several outstanding plays to support winning pitcher Rich Vella.  Top Line was led by Ron Kulik with 4 hits. Dave Ball also added 2 hits for the Appliance Makers.
	Top Line Appliance 9, Roselle American Legion 8
	The Legion, leading in this contest until the 6th inning, saw Bob Greco's
	bat and Ron Kulik's feet combine to score the winning run in the bottom of the 7th frame to even the series.  Bob, Ron and Greg Hartnett led the way for the Top Liners with 3 hits apiece. Hartnett at short, Bobby D'Meo in left and Don Montefusco in center added several defensive gems for the Appliance Makers. For The Legion, Bob Glassman had a key 2 out hit in the 7th to tie the game. Contributing to the early lead were Ed Kushner, Gene Antonucci, Pat Mooney and Mike McGuire.
	"B" Division finals tied at 1 game each.
	Linda's Driftwood Bar #2 27, Bad Brains 12
	In a game that was a total Linda's team victory, Bob Pells helped set the pace with a home run. For Bad Brains, Jose Cortes (HR), Ramon Martinez and Keith McDede (2B) each had 3 hits. Fred Marchev added 2 more including a home run.
	Linda's Driftwood Bar #2 15, Bad Brains 7
	Sparked by home runs by Eddie Engram and Steve Barden, Linda's defeated Bad Brains to take the "C" division playoffs 2 games to 0. For Bad Brains, Ramon Martinez had 2 over the fence home runs driving in 4.  Joe Scarfuto, who contributed with a great catch in right field, and Keith Johnson each added 2 hits for Bad Brains.
	Linda's wins the "C" Division playoffs 2-0.
	Playoff Rounds for Week of Spetember 13, 2017