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BACK-TO-BACK LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!
EN FUEGO WINS THEIR SECOND STRAIGHT THURSDAY LAGUNA HILLS LEAGUE
CHAMPIONSHIP
August 2, 2007
LAGUNA HILLS – FINAL: En Fuego 12, Blood, Sweat, & Beers 10 |
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In typical fashion En Fuego (9-3) did what they needed
to do to win their 19th championship in team history.
Without being flashy or tearing the cover off the ball
En Fuego beat Blood, Sweat, & Beers 12-10 in the
championship final. With solid pitching and defense and
timely hitting they become the third team to win
back-to-back championships in the Thursday night league
at Laguna Hills.
After taking first place in the regular season, En Fuego
was set to face the fourth seeded Bull Dawgs (5-6) in
the first round of the playoffs. In recent seasons this
match-up has been as intense as any En Fuego has ever
had, including a 31-28 showdown in last season’s
championship game, which En Fuego won. This game was no
different. A determined En Fuego team played stellar
defense and came up big on offense when they needed to.
It was the third straight season in which En Fuego and
the Bull Dawgs have faced off in the playoffs and fourth
time in five seasons. In a close game through four
innings En Fuego led 7-5 but finally broke away and
scored six times in the bottom of the fifth inning to
take a 13-5 lead. Shortstop
Cesar Reyes led the way going 3-for-3 at the plate.
En Fuego also got a spark from
Vince Petruzzi who
returned to the line-up after missing most of the season
with injuries. Petruzzi collected two hits, a walk, and
scored three times. With a final 15-9 victory En Fuego
swept the Bull Dawgs (3-0) for the season and recorded
their fourth consecutive win against them over the last
two seasons. “It was great to be back!” Said Petruzzi
“We keep winning with the same guys. It doesn’t get any
better than this!”
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Co-MVP OF James Verdi
hit .610 on the season to lead En Fuego. |
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Advancing to the final, En Fuego would face the second seed
Blood, Sweat, & Beers (6-5-1) who knocked off Spring Training
(5-6-1) in the first round. In another close game En Fuego
remained poised and confident as they have done so often in
recent championship seasons. Trailing 8-4 heading into the
bottom of the fifth inning, again En Fuego would rally for six
runs behind catcher Jason Santoro’s
second inside the park home run of the game. “That’s gotta be a
record.” Said Santoro
Blood, Sweat, & Beers were unable to regain the lead as En Fuego
held on for the 12-10 victory. Reyes went 3-for-3 in the game
making it a perfect 6-for-6 on the night. Leadoff hitter
Kevin Lorton and outfielder
James Verdi collected three hits
apiece in the game to help En Fuego to their fifth championship
in the last eight seasons in the Thursday night Laguna Hills
league. |
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Verdi edged out second baseman
Mike Kerr for the batting title by one-thousandth of
a point (.001). Verdi batted .610 and drove in 18 runs
while scoring 14 runs on the season. Kerr batted .609
had 11 RBI and scored 21 runs. They were both named
Co-MVP for the season. It was Verdi’s first batting
title and MVP with En Fuego. For Kerr he won his fifth
MVP with En Fuego to go with his three batting titles.
“I bleed the red and black!” Said Verdi
Since the inaugural season in the spring of 2001 the
only other teams to win back-to-back titles are Team
Twisted/Dough Pro who won the 2001 fall and 2002 spring
championships. The other team, Spring Training, did it
twice winning the very first league championship in the
2001 spring season as well as the 2001 summer season.
They did it again winning the 2003 summer and 2004 fall
league titles. The 2004 fall title was their last
championship. Spring Training who dominated the league
early on won five championships in the first nine
seasons in the Thursday night league at Laguna Hills,
which is clearly the strongest league in all of Orange
County and perhaps even Southern California. Team
Twisted/Dough Pro and En Fuego won two titles each in
the first nine seasons. Since the league began in 2001
it has become even more competitive yet En Fuego has
surpassed Spring Training’s benchmark of success. In
recent season’s En Fuego has flat out been dominating
when it comes to winning. In the last eight leagues they
have been to the championship game six times winning the
championship five times.
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Co-MVP 2B Mike Kerr hit
.609 with 28 hits to lead En Fuego. |
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In twenty seasons since the inception of the Laguna Hills league
in 2001, En Fuego has played in nineteen of the twenty leagues.
They have now played for the championship a record ten times
winning the championship seven times, another record. En Fuego’s
last five appearances in the finals have been against a
different opponent each time. They beat Blood, Sweat, & Beers
12-10 for their seventh Laguna Hills championship this season.
Last season they beat Bull Dawgs 31-28 in an epic battle. In the
2006 summer championship win they beat Dead End 17-15. In the
2005 fall title game they beat rival Spring Training 16-13. And
in the 2005 summer season, their only loss was to HOS in the
finals.
Notes: There were a number of milestones that were surpassed
during the 2007 summer Thursday night league…On May 17, 2007
Craig Watkins scored his 800th
run in a 17-11 win over Sofa Kings/Dead End…and
Greg Reynolds drove in his 600th
career RBI for En Fuego…On May 31, 2007 James Verdi played in
his 300th game, a 12-7 win over Spring Training, as member of En
Fuego…On June 14, 2007 in a 18-6 win over Zephyrs,
Corrie Willkie scored his 600th
run with En Fuego…On June 28, 2007
Mike Lorton doubled for his 700th career hit with En Fuego
in a 11-7 win over the Bull Dawgs…In a 16-12 win over Spring
Training on July 5, 2007 Vince Petruzzi knocked in career RBI
600…On July 12, 2007 Greg Reynolds played in his 450th game with
En Fuego, a 15-9 win over Blood Sweat & Beers…Reynolds ranks six
all time in games played with En Fuego…On July 26, 2007 in a
19-18 loss to Sofa Kings/Dead End, Mike Kerr played in his 400th
game…Kerr is seventh all-time in games played with En Fuego…On
that same day Ryan Sauers drove in
his 400th run as a member of En Fuego…On August 2, 2007 in the
En Fuego 15-9 win over the Bull Dawgs in the first round of the
playoffs Vince Petruzzi collected his 1,200th hit with the team
which ranks him third all-time behind only Kevin Lorton and
Jason Santoro…Also on August 2, 2007 in the 12-10 championship
win over Blood, Sweat, & Beers…Kevin Lorton collected his 700th
RBI with the team…and pitcher Craig Watkins played in his 700th
game earning the win and going 1-for-2 in the game with two RBI
at the plate…Watkins is the first player in En Fuego history to
reach 700 game played…On May 19, 2007 En Fuego played in the
27th Annual Am Com Catalina Bash Tournament…In the first game of
the tournament Vince Petruzzi played in his 600th game as a
member of En Fuego…En Fuego wound up going (3-2) and finishing
in second place…During the 2007 summer Thursday night
championship season En Fuego allowed only 120 runs in twelve
games for an average of 10 runs allowed per game…Impressively,
En Fuego allowed 12 runs or less in eleven of the twelve games
played…Also, En Fuego played their 750th game on July 19, 2007,
a 18-3 win over Zephyrs. |
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Semi-Final:
BD
002-302-2---9
EF
213-162-x---15
Records: EF (8-3), BD (5-6)
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Final:
BSB 100-421-10---10
EF
021-162-0x---12
Records: EF (9-3),
BSB
(6-5-1) |
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