Sports

Long ball still works for Marcello

GEORGE FAELLA PHOTO
Andrew Garcia fielded a ball for Skippers during its 8-2 opening-day win over Southold Fish Market.

They picked up right where they left off last season.

Marcello Masonry used its trademark, the long ball, to beat Claudio’s, 12-1, on a sun-splashed opening day in the Greenport Men’s Softball League on Sunday at the Polo Grounds. John Hansen and Bob Marcello both homered for Marcello Masonry, the defending champion.

Claudio’s pitcher John Condon said his team just couldn’t mount much of a hitting attack against Hansen, who is a pitcher. “We just couldn’t hit John,” Condon said. “No one got the big hit and we made some errors. But they didn’t blow the doors off us.”

Claudio’s, which is made up of returning players from the old Front Street Station team along with some newcomers, took an early 1-0 lead in the first inning on Matt Vescovi’s run-scoring single. But Marcello quickly bounced back to take a 2-1 lead in the second, and made it 6-1 in the third on Hansen’s home run.

With Vescovi, Condon, Greg Cochio, Ian Ryan, Mike O’Brien and new addition Ned Baker leading the way, this new team “got our feet wet,” Vescovi said. “We’ve got players with varying levels of experience. We’ll be a decent team, but we’ve got to hit the ball better.” Vescovi, Claudio’s manager and catcher, called Baker, the left-center fielder, “an all-star in the making.”

In the other opening-day games, Skippers topped Southold Fish Market, 8-2, and Founders Tavern defeated Pete’s Boys, the former Four Doors Down team, 18-0, in a five-inning, mercy-rule-shortened game.

Matt Verity smacked a two-run homer in the fourth and Chris Luccariello had a run-scoring single in the fifth to help pace Skippers past Southold Fish Market. John Brush, Skippers’ winning pitcher, did a masterful job of keeping the normally potent Southold Fish Market bats in check.

On Monday night, Marcello Masonry outlasted Skippers, 17-15. Skippers jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead, only to have Marcello (2-0) roar back on the strength of home runs by Hansen (two homers), Herb Loper (grand slam), Scott Anderson and Brian Anderson. John Brush Jr. belted a grand slam for Skippers (1-1).