By The TimesLedger
The Midville Dodgers college team limped into the National Amateur Baseball Federation playoffs last weekend in State College, Pa. The Middle Village-based team had lost three of its starting pitchers and two middle infielders.
“We were hoping to get to the later rounds and then from there anything can happen,” said Midville coach Bob Holden.
But it was not meant to be, as the Dodgers lost two straight in the double elimination playoffs for an early exit. The team represented the New York region, coming out of the Interstate Collegiate Baseball League based in Westchester.
The Dodgers had backed into the playoffs after the New York Giants beat the Throgs Neck Braves on the last day of the regular season to clinch second place for the Dodgers. On June 24, Midville had the best record in the league at 7-0 and then were hit with injuries. The team managed to win only five of its remaining 16 games — with one tie — but still managed to clinch second place.
In the first playoff game, Dodgers ace Ken Ward took the mound and was the victim of hard luck. After an error, three bloop singles and a double just inside the foul line plated four runs for Keystone Academy. The Dodgers never recovered and could manage just two hits off the Keystone ace from Penn State.
The game got ugly in the seventh when the Keystone hurler threw behind one Dodger batter and then hit another. This was in apparent retaliation for Dodger pitcher Ken Ward plucking two Keystone batters in the game.
“Ken has to work inside to be effective and he hit two batters, but they were not intentional,” Holden said.
Words were exchanged by the two teams, but nothing else happened as Midville fell 10-0.
In the second game, the Dodgers faced another tough opponent in Re/Max, the host team of the tournament. Both teams faced elimination as Re/Max pulled out their ace hurler and the Dodgers went with the reliable Ramon Valenzuela.
After Re/Max pushed a run across in the first, the Dodgers threatened in their half with runners on second and third with one out. But the next two batters fanned and the Dodgers wasted a golden opportunity.
That was the story for the entire game, as Midville came up empty in the fifth and sixth innings with two runners on and none out, but couldn’t push across runs and Re/Max made the most of their opportunities against four Dodger pitchers for a 8-0 win.
The loss sent Midville back home to Queens with an empty feeling.
<i>Jr. Dodgers shoot down Condors in tune up</i>
The Midville Dodgers Junior team, fresh from their appearance in National Amateur Baseball Federation (NABF) playoffs in Aberdeen, Maryland, returned to Juniper Valley Park to take on the Bronx Condors.
The game was a non-league tune up for the young Midville squad in preparation their new tournament battles on East Meadow, Long Island and Fall River, Mass. The later tournament will begin in mid-August. The Dodgers are the defending champions in East Meadow Tournament. Last season they captured the month-long tournament in impressive fashion, topping Plainview in the championship game, 11-4, behind the impressive pitching of ace righthander, Kevin Conlin.
In the game against the Bronx Condors, after spotting the opposition two unearned runs in the first inning, the Dodgers settled down and scored six unanswered runs of their own. After a couple of walks and some timely hitting by Eddie Kaminsky, the Dodgers built a 6-2 lead. Midville added four more runs thanks to a booming home run by Dean Andriotis.
Kaminsky led the offense (3-for 4), with Mike Maloney (2-for-4) and the ever-reliable Andrew Pfeffer (1-for-2) providing key hits.
On the mound, Mike Dietz went 3 1/3 innings, striking out three. Kaminsky relieved Dietz for 2 2/3 innings with five Ks and no runs to pick up the victory. Jimmy Calamia closed out the Condors with two innings and three Ks in the Dodgers’ 10- 5 victory.
