Delweld wins 4th consecutive championship (July 31st, 2010)

JOHNSTOWN - Every new season brings surprises, but the biggest surprise of the 2010 Johnstown City League came at the end as Delweld swept regular season champion Martella's Pharmacy with an 11-3 victory at Point Stadium on Friday night. With that win, Delweld became the first franchise in Johnstown history to win four consecutive league championships. Delweld will represent Johnstown as the host entry in the 2010 national tournament, while Martella's Pharmacy will represent the secondary Johnstown entry.

Delweld won the first game of the series 10-0 in a mercy rule, and won the second game 2-1. In the third game, the Golden Boys nearly mercy-ruled Martella's once again. After a 5-run third inning, Delweld added 2 runs in the 4th and 2 runs in 6th and had a 10-0 lead heading into the bottom of the 6th. But Martella's continued to fight and scored twice in the bottom of the inning. The Pharmicists started the 8th inning with 2 on and no outs and were looking to finally get the offense going. But after scoring one run, Delweld pitcher Bobby Carbaugh shut down the side, first striking out Mikie Pelekanos, then striking out Steve Bills on three pitches, and finally getting Pat Gully swinging. Carbaugh finished the game with 2 more strike outs in the 9th as Delweld cruised to an 11-3 victory. 

"You could tell everybody wanted it. We had a lot of energy and everyone did their job," said winning pitcher Bobby Carbaugh. "Everything felt great when I was pitching. [Catcher Matt] Cornetti called a great game."

"It feels good," said Delweld manager Chris Delsignore. "It never gets old." Delweld has built itself into one of the strongest franchises in Johnstown city history and has the system and personnel in place to continue its dominace for many more years.

"It starts with the players. I work hard to bring in the right players, and they dedicate themselves to each other." Even with talented players, the regular seasons have not always gone smoothly for Delweld, but consistently strong performances in the playoffs have shown the true character of the team. Two years ago, the Golden Boys finished 3rd in the regular season, but won both playoff series to advance to the national tournament. This year, they were undefeated in 6 playoff games.

"We're a playoff team," said Delsignore. "We have a core team that returns each season, and that makes the transition easier. Nobody is a rookie by the time the playoffs roll around." 

In the other dugout, Manager Chris Pfiel can take some consolation in knowing that his team will still be entered in the national tournament.

"We learned last year that we can compete with anyone. It's an exciting experience, no doubt about it. It's a good ball team here." By winning the regular season, Martella's was guaranteed a spot in the national tournament, but Pfiel does not believe that this contributed to his team's poor performance in the championship series.

"We took nothing for granted. Delweld played better. They took advantage of all of our mistakes and they hit well." Pfiel says his team is a bit beat up following a long season and tough playoffs and they will use this upcoming week to rest up and regroup. But it's not only their bodies that have been battered in these playoffs.

"There are some bruised egos. We're not happy," said Pfiel.

Delweld will have the first selection for pick-up players. After their selections, Martella's will also have the opportunity to select up to 4 pick-up players. The 2010 AAABA national tournament will begin on Monday August 9th with host Delweld playing a yet-to-be-determined opponent at the Point Stadium at 7:30pm.

Bobby Carbaugh pitched a complete game Managers Chris Delsignore and Chris Pfiel talk after the game Delsignore gets a victory shower from his players
Drew Westover makes a diving catch in the seventh Delweld players after winning the championship Final handshake of the season

League Updates (July 30th, 2010)

JOHNSTOWN - Despite finishing behind Martella's Pharmacy in the regular season, Delweld won the season series between the two teams. Now in the playoffs, Delweld again holds the edge, as their 2-1 victory over the Pharmacists on Thursday night put Delweld one win away from their fourth consecutive city championship. Delweld has won the city league the past three seasons, matching Hahn Packing (1959-1961), Monte Carlo (1970-1972), and Pepsi-Cola (1989-1991) for most consecutive league titles. No franchise has won the league four years in a row. The third game of the 5-game series is tonight at 7:00pm at the Point Stadium in Johnstown.

Regional Updates (July 29th, 2010)

NEW BRUNSWICK - At Memorial Stadium this weekend, national runner-up New Brunswick Matrix will host Brooklyn's Youth Service in a 3-game series. Contrary to previous reports, Schenectady will not be attending the New Brunswick regional. There will be a double-header on Saturday beginning at noon. If a third game is required, it will be played on Sunday at noon. Visit the Regionals section of this website for more information.

Regional Schedules and Playoff Updates (July 29th, 2010)

REGIONALS - Complete schedules for the Altoona and Zanesville regionals have now been posted under the Regionals section of this website. The tournaments begin this Saturday, July 31st. In Altoona, Philadelphia plays newcomer Miami at noon, with host Altoona playing Elk County at 4:00 pm. In Zanesville, Coach's Corner of Livonia plays the Glaciers of Youngstown at 4:00 pm, with host Zanesville playing Lansing at 7:30pm. We have no updates yet on the New Brunswick regional.

ALTOONA - Altoona will again be represented by Johnston Realty, who beat out Ketrow Insurance in the Altoona Greater City League. After winning their regional last season, Altoona dropped out of the national tournament in only 2 games. But, franchise representative John Austin feels optimistic about this year.

"They're another young team. I think they have three or four very good starting pitchers, and in all my years of experience: pitching is the name of the game." First year manager Mel Curtis has posted a 14-10 record in the unlimited City League. He took over leadership of the team after long-time manager Kurt Farabaugh stepped down last year.

This was the first year in nearly a decade that Johnston Realty had competition to be the Altoona representative, but Mr. Austin tells us that they will have even more competition next season. A third AAABA team will be competing in the city league in 2001, and there is the possibility of a fourth team, as well. No information is available on those teams as of yet.

ZANESVILLE - The big news in Zanesville is that Rick Berryman's Michigan Rams will not represent Livonia. In a nail-bitter finish, Coach's Corner passed the Rams in their Michigan Premier Collegiate League standings in the final days of the regular season. As a result, Coach's Corner will attend the Zanesville Regional with hopes of qualifying for their first national tournament.

Another new look for 2010 will be the Youngstown Glaciers. Bob Mingo's team acquired new sponsorship and will drop the Metros moniker that they have worn since 2005.

Lansing will again be represented by Carl's Supermarket and Zanesville will again be represented by the Junior Pioneers. Both teams finished at 0.500 in the 2009 national tournament and will be looking for another good showing in Johnstown.

JOHNSTOWN - The anticipated showdown for the Johnstown City League championship got off to a flying start, but only for only one of the teams concerned. Delweld trounced Martella's Pharmacy 10-0 in a seven inning mercy rule at the Point Stadium. Game 2 in the best-of-5 series is tomorrow at 7 pm, also at the Point Stadium.

NEW YORK - This year's Big Apple representative will be the Long Island Astros-East managed by Jeff Rossoff. The Astros-East posted a 15-9-1 regular season record in the Long Island Federation of Amateur Baseball League's National League. They finished 1 point behind the Long Island Bombers in their division and were 5th overall. This will be their first AAABA national tournament appearance.

NATIONAL - We have learned that the AAABA plans to play 3 games at the Point Stadium this season in order to give more teams a chance to play at the peculiar field. As a result, the Revloc field (being the most northern field) will not be used for AAABA national tournament games this year. More information on fields and other national tournament news will be posted as it is learned.

2009 National Championship - New Orleans

League Updates (July 28th, 2010)

JOHNSTOWN - Based on recent AAABA seasons, it is no surprise to see Delweld and Martella's Pharmacy back in the championship. Delweld won last year's playoffs and also eliminated Martella's from the national tournament. This year, the two teams meet once again in the finals. Since Johnstown will have two representatives this season, the winner of the series will be the host entry and the loser of the series will be the runner-up entry. The finals begin this Thursday at Point Stadium.

BUFFALO - After dropping the first game of their series, Meridian Medical rebounded with a 9-0 victory on Sunday at a 3-1 victory last night over Pignataro's, winning the semi-final series 2-1. Meridian will play New Era in the championship beginning on Thursday. New Era swept defending champion Ken-Hy Auto by scores of 1-0 and 7-0. For more information, visit the AAABA of Buffalo website.

LIVONIA - The Michigan Rams have been a familiar face in Johnstown the past 6 seasons, but are facing some stiff competition from Coach's Corner in this year's Michigan Premier Collegiate Baseball League. The Rams have concluded their 36-game schedule with a 27-8-1 record and have a 3-point lead over both the Michigan Bulls and Coach's Corner. The Bulls are a 22U team and do not qualify for the AAABA, but Coach's Corner has 3 games in hand (2 points for a win, 1 point for a tie). If Coach's Corner can earn 3 points in their remaining 3 games, they will dethrone the Rams and advance to the Zanesville Regional.

The Rams posted back-to-back 3-2 finishes in 2004 and 2005 and finished last year's national tournament with a 1-2 record (win against Toledo, losses to Johnstown Martella's and New Orleans). For more information, visit the Michigan Rams website or the Michigan Premier Collegiate Baseball League website.

ZANESVILLE - Both AAABA entries in the Central Ohio League tournament in Zanesville were eliminated in their semi-final matches. The 2nd place Junior Pioneers fell to the Zanesville Vipers 4-1, while the Columbus Braves lost to the Senior Pioneers 4-3. Zanesville's Junior Pioneers will host representatives from Lansing, Livonia, and Youngstown this weekend in the Zanesville Regional.

League Updates (July 25th, 2010)

JOHNSTOWN - Martella's Pharmacy and Delweld have each taken a 2-0 lead in their best-of-5 semi-final round playoff series. Regular season champion Martella's defeated Roxberry Creamery by scores of 11-4 and 3-1, while Delweld beat the Berkley Hills Renegades 9-0 and 4-2. Sunday's games have been postponed until Monday due to rain. Roxberry and the Renegades both need wins to keep their seasons alive. Martella's is already guaranteed a berth in the national tournament because they won the regular season championship, but they must win the playoff series to represent Johnstown as the host entry. Delweld can also secure a place in the national tournament by advancing to the finals.

ALTOONA - The Altoona Mirror reports that because of their 11-0 victory over Ketrow Insurance on Tuesday, Johnston Realty will once again represent Altoona in the AAABA. Johnston Realty has represented Altoona since 2002. Their best finished was 4th in 2008. Altoona hosts Miami in the Altoona Regional beginning on July 31st.

BUFFALO - Pignataro Financial Group used a 1-game play-in to qualify for the 2010 AAABA of Buffalo playoffs. With that win, they advanced to face regular season champion Meridian Medical, and won the opening game 4-2. In the other best-of-3 semi final, New Era defeated last year's champion Ken-Hy Auto 1-0. The Saturday games were rained out and were rescheduled for today. For more information, visit the AAABA of Buffalo website.

League Updates (July 20th, 2010)

JOHNSTOWN - Martella's Pharmacy has clinched the regular season championship on the strength of an 8-game winning streak. Second place Delweld and third place Berkley Hills Renegades have also qualified for the playoffs. The final playoff spot is currently held by Roxberry Creamery, who have a 2-game lead over Principle Development with only 3 games remaining.

The city league playoffs begin this Friday, July 23rd at 5:45 PM. The playoff champion will represent Johnstown in the AAABA National Tournament in August. For winning the regular season, Martella's Pharmacy is guaranteed a spot in the national tournament. If the Pharmacists win the playoffs, they will represent the host franchise for Johnstown, while the playoff runner-up will represent the secondary Johnstown franchise. If the Pharmacists do not win the playoffs, they will represent the secondary franchise while the playoff champion represents the host franchise.

Last year, Delweld won the city championship and represented the city in the national tournament. Martella's Pharmacy was also entered into the national tournament when Washington's Arlington Senators failed to show. Martella's was eliminated from the national tournament by Delweld on the strength of Drew Shaulis's 4-1 no-hitter.

For more information, visit the Johnstown League section of this website.

ALTOONA - With only two weeks remaining, Johnston Realty holds a 2 1/2-game lead over newcomer Ketrow Insurance. The two AAABA teams will meet at Blair County Ballpark on July 20th at 5:30pm. Proceeds from the game will benefit Kristen Aungst who died in a car crash earlier this year. 

BALTIMORE - Youse's Maryland Orioles are leading the Cal Ripken League with a 26-10 record. They have 5 games remaining until the playoffs begin on July 28th. Visit the Cal Ripken Sr League website for more information.

BUFFALO - Meridian Medical have won the regular season championship in Buffalo with an 11-2-1 record. New Era (8-2-4), Ken-Hy Auto (8-4-2) and Royal Printing (5-8-1) have all qualified for the playoffs. The remaining four teams all finished with identical 4-8-2 records. The winner of the playoffs will represent Buffalo in the national tournament.

For more information, visit the AAABA of Buffalo website.

CLEVELAND - The Old Brooklyn Hurricanes will represent Cleveland in the 2010 national tournament. The Hurricanes play in the Great Lakes Baseball League and are coached by Bill Kirchner. Last year, the Hurricanes were eliminated from the Zanesville regional with losses to Toledo (11-1) and Zanesville (7-4).

After a pair of 0-2 finishes in 1994 and 1995, the Cleveland franchise laid dormant until 2006 when the Allegheny Athletics of Pittsburgh qualified for the national tournament. That year, the Athletics went 2-2 with surprising wins over Livonia and Brooklyn. Both loses were to the finalists, Baltimore and Chicago-Metro. The following year, the Athletics were eliminated in 2 games by Washington and Maryland State. In 2008, the JL Thomas team went 1-2, including a 6-5 loss to Johnstown which eliminated the team from the tournament.

NEW ORLEANS - The Delgado Community College Dolphins finished their spring schedule with a record of 36-21. Lucas LeBlanc, the 2009 national tournament MVP, had a 0.420 average including 17 doubles, 7 triples, and 11 home runs plus 67 RBIs in 57 games.  Scott Fabre, the 2009 national tournament batting champion, had a 0.341 average with 10 doubles, 4 triples, and 4 home runs plus 46 RBIs in 51 games.

TOLEDO - The Monarchs are 15-15-1. For more information, visit the Monarchs' website at www.lakeeriemonarchs.com

WASHINGTON - It appears that the historic Clark Griffith League has reached its end. The league suspended operations this season with plans to regroup in 2011, but have lost teams to the current economic situation and to the rival Cal Ripken Sr. League. With the Detroit franchise in perpetual limbo, it now appears that another Big Four franchise is gone. Washington has won 10 championships, ranking third behind Baltimore and New Orleans.

Beginning in 1996, the franchise was most-often represented by the Arlington Senators who won 4 championships from 1998-1999, and 2001-2002. The Prince George Gators were champions in 1997, giving Washington 5 titles in 6 years. After a 3rd place finish in 2003, the Senators were replaced by the Bethesda Big Train in 2004. The Big Train was eliminated 0-2 and Washington was not back in the tournament until 2007 and 2008, when the McLean Raiders posted two consecutive runner-up finishes. Last year, the Vienna Senators were poised to return, but cancelled their appearance the day before registration due to a season-long accumulation of injuries.

Without a Washington entry for the 2010 AAABA national tournament, Baltimore and New Orleans are left as the two remaining powerhouses. While the traditional rivalries of the AAABA are beginning to disappear, a new crop of teams have emerged and are threatening to become perennial contenders. Toledo went 3-2 in their first visit to Johnstown, and the New Brunswick Matrix were one win shy of the national championship in 2009. This year, the Florida Bombers of Miami--the self-proclaimed 'Most Successful Franchise of the Decade'--will enter their first regional competition in hopes of advancing to the national tournament and adding to their impressive trophy case.

The loss of Washington will certainly be a big loss for the tournament, and even with new teams entering the association, none have proven themselves capable of challenging Baltimore and New Orleans on a yearly basis like Washington. Hopefully this reorganization will be successful and the Senators or another Capitol City team will return to the AAABA in a future year.

ZANESVILLE - The Junior Pioneers are 12-6 in Ohio Independent Collegiate Baseball League play and 20-14 overall, including a 3-game winning streak against fellow AAABA member Columbus B

 Zanesville 6-3. Their loses were to Livonia 14-4 on Monday and eventual champions New Orleans 10-5 on Friday.

ZANESVILLE - The Junior Pioneers are currently 11-8. In this weekend's Y-City Bash tournament hosted by the Zanesville Old Timers, the Junior Pioneers defeated Altoona's Ketrow Insurance 10-8. The Pioneers will face Altoona's Johnston Realty on Sunday in another tournament game. The Junior Pioneers are 8-8 in their last four national tournaments, including 3-2 in 2008.

Click here for archived news articles.