Sports

Dinizio is

He was, as Keith Olbermann used to say on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” when a player was red hot, “en fuego.”
Southold Fish Market, sparked by the slugging of Jeff Dinizio, rolled past Claudio’s, 19-2, in a four-and-a-half-inning, mercy-rule shortened Greenport Men’s Softball League game on Friday at the Polo Grounds. Dinizio went 3 for 3, with nine runs batted in. That’s right, nine!
Claudio’s (5-9) started off well, scoring twice in the top of the first inning, led by a Brady Ulmet RBI single. But the rest of the game belonged to Southold Fish Market (9-5).
Dinizio smacked a three-run homer in the bottom of the first. In the second inning, he hit a bases-loaded triple. Dinizio capped off a memorable game with another three-run homer in the fourth.
“Jeff started us off and we took off after that,” Southold Fish Market’s Warren Bondarchuk said. “Our defense has been our strong point. We’re just not hitting consistently. Hopefully, this will get us going toward the playoffs.”
After winning three straight games in impressive fashion, Claudio’s Manager Matt Vescovi feared a 12-day layoff would adversely affect his team.
“I knew the layoff was going to be tough for us,” he said. “We just couldn’t get anything going. Defensively, we were rusty. Then we fell apart. Not being able to practice hurt us. It puts us in a tough spot.”
Still, Vescovi is optimistic his team will bounce back. “We’re a tough, young team that is getting better,” he said. “Hopefully, things will swing our way.”
Skippers had beaten Southold Fish Market, 16-2, on July 7. Bondarchuk called it “one of those games when we just didn’t hit.”
Ev Corwin was the hitting star for Skippers (11-2) as he smacked three home runs. Corwin hit a three-run bomb in Skippers’ four-run first inning. He then launched another three-run homer in the third inning. Corwin then capped his majestic display of power with a solo homer in the seven. Keith Sweat hit a pair of homers for Skippers. Mark Berry and John Brush Jr. both went 4 for 5 as Skippers stayed within a half game of first-place Marcello Masonry (12-2).
Skippers’ winning pitcher, John Brush, called Corwin and Berry “two of the best players to ever play in our league.”
Founders Tavern (8-5) is in the midst of a 10-day layoff as it won a forfeit from Pete’s Boys on July 7. But after a rocky stretch of play, Founders’ Jon Schlachter said “the layoff just may be good for us.”
Pete’s Boys withdrew from the league two weeks ago because of a lack of players. The team’s remaining games will be forfeit wins for its opponents.