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Brookline All-Stars
Finish With 8-3 Record
* Brookline Journal - July 15, 1982 *
The "Stars" come out in the early
evening hours Thursday, July 15 when the heavy hitting Brookline
All-Stars take on a powerful team from North Braddock.
The event promises to be a super
sports happening for residents of the Brookline area. This years team is
led by Angelo Masullo Sr and has the potential to capture several games
during the course of the Williamsport tournament.
Coaches for the stars include
"Wild" Bill Lonero, who handles the bullpen, baserunning and mixed
strategy; Rich Surdzial, who handles the catchers and infielders; Billy
Caye, who is in charge of the pitchers.
The following boys are scheduled
to participate on the Brookline team: Billy Joe Spratt from American
Legion; Tony Falce, Julius Caye, Joe Coyne and Mike McConnell from
Resurrection; Chris Sestilli, Gregg Gielas and Billy Lonero from BYMC;
Dave Binkowski from Volpatt Tile; Walter Daley and Gary Reese from Droz
Steel; Ron DelDuca, Larry Zacharis and Jimmy Walsh from St.
Marks.
The boys are filled with
enthusiasm and optimism, and they feel that they can win several
ballgames. Hopefully, the Brookline baseball fans will be in the same
mood tonight when the umpire shouts "Play Ball" to start the 1982
All-Star tournament.
* Brookline Journal - July 22, 1982 *
The Brookline All-Star team
defeated North Braddock in a game last Thursday at Sam Bryen Field. Chris
Sestilli led the way with a dramatic homerun to start Brookline on the
road to victory.
Both teams were guilty of several
miscues which was a sign of nervousness normally associated with all-star
play. It was a credit to the local team to hold on for a tight 5-3 win.
Billy Lonero was the winning pitcher for Brookline, who next faces South
Park at South Park Field on Friday, July 23.
* Brookline Journal - July 29, 1982 *
An outstanding group of young
baseball players were defeated, 5-4, by a good South Park team even
though it appeared the local favorites had the overall edge in
talent.
By losing, the team was eliminated
from the Williamsport Tournament, which is the biggest of them all. So it
was not to be for a great team to advance beyond the second
round.
Two homeruns gave South Park a 5-2
lead going into the final at-bat for Brookline. After two were out in the
last frame the prospects of winning seemed very grim. Jimmy Walsh, Billy
Joe Spratt and Chris Sestilli thought otherwise. Jimmy stroked a clean
single to right field. Billy Joe came up for his only plate appearance,
and as he did all season long got a clutch hit to keep the rally
alive.
The anxiety heightened when
slugger Chris Sestilli got comfortable in the batter's box after Julius
Caye had walked on four pitches to load the bases. Chris responded by
pounding a double to left center, scoring Billy Joe and Jimmy to make the
score 5-4. Young Chris had come through with his usual high quality
performance.
Unfortunately, Brookline could not
score another run and were downed by one marker. Gregg Gielas was the
losing pitcher even though he did an excellent job.
Brookline fans, led by the
encouraging cheers of Frank Falce, spouted enthusiasm throughout the
contest. In actual numbers Brookline fans outnumbered those of the host
team.
Ralph Sestilli, who did a great
deal of expert coaching for champion BYMC, also displayed a great deal of
exhuberance as Brookline tried to pull a win out. Next stop for the
all-stars is their own tournament which is currently running at Sam Bryen
Field. In the first game, Brookline defeated Uptown, with Chris Sestilli
pitching the team to victory. Further activity continues in Robinson
Township, where the boys play against Sheraden tonight.
* Brookline Journal - August 5, 1982 *
Brookline All-Stars Beat
Robinson
The Brookline Little League
All-Stars roared from behind to overtake Robinson Township and capture
their second win in action at Sam Bryen Field on July 26. The locals were
trailing by a pair when Billy Joe Spratt lashed a shot through the box.
After one out, Chris Sestilli launched one of his rockets deep over the
centerfield fence to tie the game.
Gregg Gielas smashed a deep homerun
to right center and Brookline never looked back as they went on to a 13-8
victory over an excellent team. Gielas was also the winning pitcher with
an inspired outing in relief, holding the visitors to three
runs.
Gary Reese, Dave Binkowski, Billy
Lonero and Julius Caye all had key hits for Brookline. Defensively,
second baseman Tony Falce turned in several gems and walked four times,
scoring three runs in the process.
Billy Joe Spratt gunned down two
runners trying for extra bases from his left field position and Chris
Sestilli didn't allow a single stolen base while catching a masterful
game.
Brookline Posts Win
Over Bethel
Brookline's All-Stars took on an
outstanding group of young ballplayers from Bethel Park in their first
game at Robinson Township on July 29.
Chris Sestilli was the winning
pitcher, going all the way for his second consecutive All-Star victory.
Young Chris also belted a three-run homer into the night to back up his
strong pitching. Billy Joe Spratt got into the homerun derby by rocketing
a shot deep off the right-center field fence while leading off the sixth
inning.
Tony Falce slashed a key single
and played outstanding defensive ball during the course of the evening.
Gregg Gielas had a key hit to drive in a pair of runs, and Ron DelDuca
checked in with a bullet back up the middle during a middle inning rally
as Brookline eventually held on to claim an exciting
victory.
Brookline Overpowers
USC
The only undefeated team in the
current tournament being held at Sam Bryen Field is host team
Brookline.
Aided by numerous errors by Upper
St. Clair, the local team easily defeated the visitors by a count of 13-4
behind the strong pitching of Joe Coyne, who had little trouble quieting
the bats. Coyne finished with nine strikeouts and allowed only five
hits.
Brookline's offensive fireworks
were highlighted by a long line drive homer off the bat of Chris
Sestilli, who added a pair of singles and four RBI's. It was a day when
USC had problems in the field time after time, allowing unearned runs to
race across the plate while Brookline's defense was
strong.
Billy Joe Spratt made two super
running catches to back up Coyne's fine effort on the mound. Tony Falce
handled several ground balls, and one play in particular excited the
crowd. A ball was popped high overhead, apparently destined for right
field. Tony adjusted quickly, hauled down the hot smash, and made an
accurate throw to first base for the putout. Jimmy Walsh drew applause by
making a remarkable shoestring catch in the final frame.
Gary Reese slammed a late inning
triple for the victors and Billy Lonero produced a double. Other hits
came off the bats of Dave Binkowski and Ron DelDuca.
Next action for the Brookline team
will be on August 3 against a yet to be determined opponent. The boys
seem ready to capture the crown as champions of the first annual
Brookline Little League Tournament.
* Brookline Journal - August 26, 1982 *
Brookline Little League's 11-12
year old All-Stars recently ended a successful season with an overall
record of 8-3.
Led by Brookline's "Boy Wonder"
Chris Sestilli, who batted an unbelievable .606, the All-Stars ended
their outstanding baseball season by winning the first Brookline Little
League Tournament, going undefeated in four games.
They also participated in the
Williamsport and Robinson Township Tournaments, posting a combined 4-3
record.
The boys did an excellent job and
showed spectators some fine baseball and good sportsmanship.
The Brookline Little League is
proud of its manager Angelo Masullo Sr and his coaching staff of Rich
Surdzial, Billy Caye Sr, Bill Lonero and Ted Gielas for their help in
getting the boys ready in such a short time. |
