OVER-THE-LINE : Cromar Claims Another Title

Chuck Cromar was 19 when he won his first Over-the-Line World Championship on Fiesta Island. It came in 1975.

Now 35, Cromar on Sunday became the first player to win the men’s open in three different decades as his Ryno’s Athletic team came back a fourth time in the bottom of the fifth and final inning of the title game to edge Captain Morgan’s, 21-20.

In the women’s open division, the Lady Ryno’s (Kim Osuna, Janet Hunstable and Julie Dossett) claimed their first title with a 7-2 victory over B-100 (Tess Franklin, Maria Larsen and Nina Loffredo) in the championship game.

It might be forgiveable that Cromar didn’t feel much like celebrating after repeating history and making it at the same time.

“We’ve played against each other for so many years,” he said of his first-time teammates. “I’ve beat them for the championships before, but this time I would like to give them the credit. My game was off, but they played great. They made up for me.”

For the other two-thirds of the Ryno’s trio--Gary Romano and Zane Cramer--it was their first OTL title. They hooked up with Cromar because they were sick and tired of finishing second all the time.

Before Sunday, Romano had been a runner-up three times at the World Championship tournament.

In its first game with Ryno’s after emerging from the loser’s bracket, Captain Morgan’s--Kevin Murray, Phil Zimmerman and Craig Engleman--shot out to a 12-3 lead in the first inning. The game was called after three because Captain Morgan’s led, 21-8.

In the title game, Captain Morgan took a 4-1 lead going into the third inning. In the top half of that inning, Murray, Zimmerman and Engleman combined for 11 consecutive hits before recording an out. When the hitting ended, Captain Morgan’s led, 13-1.

But Ryno’s went ahead by one in the bottom half by pushing across 13 runs. the lead changed every half inning from that point.

There was also something of a milestone for one of the three members of the women’s open champions.

Dossett turned 40 last month, which gave her the opportunity to back up her words.

“A few years ago I said my favorite Over-the-Line fantasy would be to win this tournament when I turned 40, and to win any tournament when I turn 50,” Dossett said.