Mesa Verde Partners rules ... again

Mike Sciacca

Another season, another championship for Mesa Verde Partners.

Mesa Verde added to its championship hardware collection by

winning the Wednesday League title of the City of Laguna Beach’s

summer softball program, beating Sports World, 14-7, in a recent

championship final played at Riddle Field.

The top-half of the Mesa Verde lineup produced all but one of the

team’s hits.

Lead-off batter Steve McKinley homered and hit two singles. Jeff

Pich belted three home runs and accounted for seven RBI, Jeff

Greenough homered and singled twice and Dave Meggison and Dave

Sommerville each homered twice and singled once.

Ranie Martini recorded the pitching win. He surrendered 11 hits,

all singles save for big home runs by John P. McMurray and Paul

Corey, and a double by Bill Toon.

Scott Bakkum and Mitch Kruger each added a pair of singles for

Sports World which finished the season with a record of 9-3-2.

All three of the team’s losses came against Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde’s championship season included a 12-1 record. The team

won the rest of its games after losing to Sports World, 10-6, in its

opening game of the regular season.

The Mesa Verde lineup also consists of Steve Bryant, Mike Casenza,

Scott Henderson, Danny Lane, Ryan Neptune and Jerry Writer.

Final Wednesday Records

Mesa Verde Partners, 12-1; 2. Sports World, 9-3-2; 3. Courtesy

Auto Body, 5-6-2; 4. Sofa Kings, 3-7-2; 5. Hobies, 3-7; 6. Forty

Majority, 1-9.

In Tuesday League playoff action:

The Tuesday League championship will be a showdown between No. 2

seed Ganahl Lumber and the fourth seed, Island Shade.

Ganahl Lumber 7, Island Shade 3

Ganahl Lumber’s victory sent Island Shade into the loser’s

bracket.

Ganahl Lumber got the win despite only outhitting Island Shade,

10-9.

Leading Ganahl Lumber at the plate was Robert Bonn with a home run

and a double, John Verdugo singled four times in a 4-for-4 game, and

Gary Rauch singled twice.

Mike Burns and Tom Taylor hit home runs for Island Shade, and

Bruce Aguinaldo and Coby Naess each hit a pair of singles.

Island Shade 5, Sandpiper 4

Island Shade made its way into the championship final by

eliminating regular season champion Sandpiper, 5-4.

Aguinaldo hurled an eight-hitters, yielding six singles and home

runs to Dave Sommerville, Jeff Heminghaus and Ryan Neptune.

Andy Bunn powered Island Shade’s offense with three home runs that

produced four RBIs, and Chuck Emanuele singled three times.

Sandpiper 11, Rotary 4

Lead-off hitter Jeff Heminghaus delivered two home runs and four

RBIs, Chris Howell went 3 for 3 and Brett Nelson homered with two

singles as Sandpiper stayed in contention for the tournament title.

Greg Butler homered and singled, and Mark Smith added a two-run

home run in the sixth inning to lead Rotary.

Sandpiper 6, Used Cars 4

Ryan Neptune’s three-run homer in the third inning was the big

shot for Sandpiper, which eliminated last year’s league champion,

Used Cars.

Neptune’s blast gave Sandpiper a commanding 6-1 lead.

Art Johnson had given Sandpiper its first three runs with a

three-RBI double in the second frame.

Mike Cooper homered twice, and Micah Stovall had two hits for Used

Cars.

Used Cars 9, Good, Bad and Ugly 5

Mike MacKenzie smacked two home runs and doubled, for a total of

four RBIs, to lead Used Cars. Teammates Corey Doll and Pete Wilson

each added three singles.

John Mallet’s home run and single topped all Good, Bad and Ugly

hitters.