“Organ Donors” win B-League Championship
Monday, August 9, 2010
by Dan Kadlec
The Organ Donors claimed their third consecutive championship in the New Castle men’s softball B league on Tuesday night, August 3. Emerging from the loser’s bracket, the Donors swept past the Water Buffaloes by scores of 2-1 and 3-2.
Both games were well-played defensive battles. Donors’ shortstop Andrew Mirable and Buffaloes’ shortstop Ron Rubin gloved everything near them while both outfields played shallow, challenging hitters to go deep. The strategy worked as both teams snagged line drives at critical moments.
The championship was decided in extra innings in the second game, when Kyle Kadlec of the Donors laced a walk-off RBI single in the hole between second base and first base in the bottom of the eighth inning. Donor pitcher Eric Fromm scored the winning run from third base.
Both games of the B-League championship were close
In the first game, the Donors jumped to a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning. The Buffaloes tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth. The Donors scored one run in the seventh for the win.
In the second game, it was the Buffaloes who took an early lead, going up 1-0 in the top of the first inning. The Donors scored twice in the fifth inning, but the Buffaloes tied it at 2-2 in the seventh. The Donors earned the game-winning run an inning later.
“These were two of the best softball games I can recall,” said Donor manager Dan Kadlec. “Our hat is off to the Buffaloes, who played like champions. Every run felt like a marathon.”
This is a double-elimination tournament, meaning each team must lose twice before being pushed out. The Donors finished the tournament at 6-1, while the Buffaloes finished 3-2. Interestingly, the Buffaloes defeated the Donors early in the tournament to send the Donors into the loser’s bracket, where in order to win a team must play more games than the team that gets to the championship game without a loss.
The Donors finished the season with an overall record of 15-6, the best in the B league, and a few percentage points ahead of the regular season winners, The Wings, who were 12-5 after going 1-2 in the playoffs. The Buffaloes ended the season at 13-6.
Dan Kadlec lives in Chappaqua and co-founded the Organ Donors softball team 11 years ago.
Time for the Donors to play in the A division and give others a chance!!!!
Whoever “A real B player” is, he’s wrong. The Donors are a great team with the best pitcher in the league, but they are definitely not guaranteed champions every year, they are far from it. Every team in the B league can beat any other team on any given night. If what I heard is correct, the Donors won 3 playoff games by 1 run each, and came from behind in 4 playoff games to win. If they were gonging every team they played that’s one thing, but 3 one run wins in the playoffs is quite another. Believe me when I say everyone has a chance.
Another reason for them to stay in B is because they are a great group of guys who give you a fun, competitive game every time you play them, and then offer you a beer in the parking lot after the game. The last thing I want is some random A team coming down to B, gonging us every time, and then rubbing it in our faces after. My vote is for the Donors to stay in B.
regarding the previous quote of “a team coming down to b, gonging us everytime, and rubbing it in” - i would say 2 things—-the quality of play between the average A team and B team is not that different. And most A teams play to win, but also like to have fun (during and after the game). on average, the divisions are not that far apart.
Donors are a great team. However like a few other teams in B, they have younger players that often give them an edge over the rest of the “Dads” who play in the B league or tilt the playing field. There really should be an minimum age limit - lets say 30….why are younger resident “Dads” who play in B penalized since they do not have older college age kids to pull onto their team? It should be an even playing field for all teams/players and then the competition would really heat up.
