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| WMFD shortstop Trevor Bystrom couldn't come up with this hard ground ball during Little League action at the Bayfront Recreation Center on Longboat Key. |
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| Hooke runs in Melbourne 5K. |
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Congratulations!
Rod Bluhm, right, of Oconomowoc, Wis., hit a hole-in-one on the No. 8 at Timber Creek Golf Club. Witnesses who helped celebrate the event were Bernie Shea of Kalamazoo, Mich., left, and George Wilson of Grand Rapids, Mich. All are also Holmes Beach residents. Islander Photo: Courtesy Mary Bluhm |
Duncan rallies past WMFD to remain undefeated
by Kevin Cassidy
Islander Correspondent
Shawn Conover scored the tying run and Blake Wilson raced home with the winning run as Duncan Real Estate rallied past WMFD on April 8 to remain undefeated in Anna Maria Little League AAA action.
Trailing 10-9 to start the bottom of the sixth, Conover ripped a single to right field that got past the WMFD outfielder, allowing Conover to race all the way to third. An RBI groundout by Glenn Bower tied the score to set the stage for Wilson.
Wilson reached on a walk before advancing to third on a throwing error and a passed ball. There he easily took home on a hard grounder by Justin Succa to score the game winner.
WMFD jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second inning, getting singles from Jake Rappe, Daniel Pimental, Bo Gurskis and Pat Edwards. Rappe, Daniel Janisch, Pimental, Gurskis and Edwards all eventually came around to score.
Duncan got one run back in the bottom of the inning when Succa reached on an error and came around to score on an RBI single by Alex Burgess.
WMFD got the two runs back in the top of the third when Tommy Price reached on an error in front of Janisch, who hit a towering home run to left field to give WMFD a 7-2 lead.
Conover led off the bottom of the third with a single and after advancing to third on a stolen base and a passed ball, he easily scored on Bower’s RBI ground out. Wilson followed with a solo home run to right field to bring Duncan to within three runs. Succa followed with a double to left-center and came home on a double to right by Connor Cloharty.
WMFD extended its lead to 10-4 in the top of the fourth. Alex Hall led off with a walk and after moving to third, he easily scored on Rappe’s single to left field. Price then plated Rappe with an RBI double to center field, which turned out to be the last run of the game for WMFD.
Duncan pulled to within 10-9 in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bower, Wilson, Succa, Burgess and Cloharty reached base safely in succession and all of them scored to set the table for their sixth-inning heroics, completing the comeback victory.
Succa led Duncan with a single, double and three runs scored, while Wilson homered and scored three times. Conover had a pair of singles and scored twice, while Bower and Cloharty each had hits on the day for Duncan.
Janisch led WMFD with a two-run home run and two runs scored, while Price added a two-run double and two runs scored. Rappe, Bystrom, Pimental, Gurskis and Edwards each had hits in the loss for WMFD.
Other AAA League action
On April 5, Duncan Real Estate 10-runned Morgan Stanley in four innings to remain undefeated on the season with the final score 12-2. Justin Succa and Glenn Bower each went 2-for-3 and scored two runs to lead Duncan, which also received a single and one run scored from both Hunter Parrish and Connor Cloharty. Michael Dolan added a double for Duncan, who received a stellar pitching performance from Max Moneuse and Shawn Conover in the victory. They combined to limit Morgan Stanley to two hits and two runs in four innings of work.
Pate managed a single and one run scored to lead Morgan Stanley, which also received a single from Jack Titsworth and one run scored from Julian Botero in the loss.
On April 3, WMFD received strong hitting performances from Daniel Janisch and Tommy Price to lead them past Morgan Stanley by a 20-12 score. Janisch tripled, doubled and scored two runs, while Price added a pair of singles and two runs scored. Daniel Pimental doubled and scored two runs to add to the WMFD offense that also received a double, single and two runs scored from Trevor Bystrom.
Morgan Stanley was led by Martine Miller, who scored three runs, including one on an inside-the-park home run in the fourth inning. Jack Titsworth added a single and two runs scored for Morgan Stanley in the loss.
Hooke sets race record in Melbourne
Former Island resident Mickey Hooke grabbed an overall win and a record in his age group during the 24th annual Downtown Melbourne 5K race on April 1.
Hooke, who has been battling a calf injury, didn’t really expect to claim the overall win, but had hoped to challenge the men’s 45-49 age group record.
Hooke pushed hard throughout the race but West Melbourne’s Steve Hedgespeth pulled away in the last mile to clock in at 16:50 to break the previous record of 17:04 set by Titusville’s Terry Hayden in 1995.
Horseshoe news
Adin Shank and Lou Meeks were the only twosome to emerge from pool play with a 3-0 record, which earned them bragging rights for the April 5 horseshoe competition at the Anna Maria City Hall pits.
John Crawford and Rod Bussey defeated Dave Long and Harry Stoltzfus to capture the April 1 competition.
Art Kingstad bested two other teams tied for second in a playoff to earn runner-up status on the day.
Play gets under way at 9 a.m. every Wednesday and Saturday at the Anna Maria City Hall pits. Warm ups begin at 8:45 a.m. followed by random team selection. There is no charge to play and everyone is welcome.
Key Royale golf news
The women of Key Royale Club held a special events day on April 4 with a theme of “it’s a jungle out there.” The committee, headed by Lorraine Manning, offered a wild menu, including some “animals” on the course that were hunted by the golfing foursomes.
Special winners of the semi-annual event included Sue Hookom for longest drive, Nancy King for straightest drive and Joyce Reith for closest to the pin.
Team prizes were given for the best total scores led by the first-place team of Mary Miller, Mary Selby, Cheryl Kinerk and Penny Williams. Second place went to the team of Barbara Mason, Lucille Cooney, Cindi Mansour and Lois Biel, while third place was captured by Nell Bergstrom, Joanne Feldl, Marian Mulroy and Joy Nellis. Dot Camboni, Rose Slomba, Marilyn Thorton and Terri Westby earned fourth place on the day.
Little League needs equipment
Little League and Junior League baseball are under way, but all is not good. Most of the safety equipment that is vital to youth baseball is old and damaged and needs to be replaced.
The Anna Maria Island Little League board is seeking sponsors to raise money to purchase new equipment. For $500, “grand slam” sponsors will receive a field banner advertising their business and a spot on the permanent sign listing all contributors under the press box.
Field banners are also available for $150. For more information, contact Dawn Wash at 725-1403.
3-on-3 basketball tourney coming to Tampa
Hoop It Up, the world’s largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament, is coming to Hillsborough Community College April 22-23. Hoop It Up is now accepting registration for prospective teams in this annual event. Participants are guaranteed three games of 30 minutes or up to 20 points throughout the festival-style weekend. Cost per team is $140, which includes a T-shirt for each team member up to a maximum of five players.
Players of all ages and abilities are encouraged to participate as Hoop It Up offers 36 divisions for male, female and coed teams ages 8-30 and up.
To register or to learn more about the tour, visit www.HoopItUp.com or call (888) 997-PLAY. Registration deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, April 17. |
