| Proving there is amateur baseball heaven after the age of 30, the Southboro Cubs put it all together down the stretch to capture the Men's Senior Baseball League World Series late last month, sweeping the defending champion Framingham Orioles in the process and avenging a similar defeat in 1997. The team members, alphabetically, are pitcher, outfielder and first baseman Tom Barnes, who played at Framingham North High and Westfield State and was a Bath Ruth League Athlete of the year in 1977; outfielder Matt Corkum of Marlborough, who helped found the Cubs as an expansion team in 1996 and is well-known in fast pitch softball circles; second baseman and shortstop Pete DiNatale of Weston, a standout player at Sheepshead Bay High in Brooklyn and later at Courtland State; second baseman and outfielder, Frank Fazio of Southboro, who played at East Longmeadow High and coaches various youth sports in Southboro; and outfielder and catcher, Mark Flynn of Watertown, a veteran softball player who played baseball at Mansfield High. Also, outfielder and first baseman Brian Hill of Newton, who played at Villanova; outfielder Tony Leary of Newton, who played at Newton North High; pitcher, outfielder and shortstop Will Lessard of Watertown, who once played minor league baseball; pitcher and outfielder Andy Schultz of Marlboro; outfielder Rich Schwarz of Westboro, whose baseball team at Somers High in Connecticut went to the state championship game twice and who was an all conference pick at Clarkson College; first baseman and second baseman John Sudkin of Newton, who played at Winchendon Academy, UMass-Amherst and in the Boston Park League, and managed the Cubs this season; pitcher and catcher Bryon Withers of Charlestown, a scholarship baseball and football player at Southern Connecticut State; and third baseman Bob Zeleznik of Providence, who toiled on the diamond at Brown University. The Cubs finished the regular season in second place in the National League bracket of the league and won the division playoff, 14-4, against the Medway Phillies, with Barnes and Lessard sharing the pitching duties and Withers lashing out a home run and a triple. Then it was on to the National Championship Game, where the Cubs romped over the Medfield Braves, 13-0. Barnes (six innings) and Lessard (three innings) combined for the shutout, while Flynn belted two homers and a two-run single, and Barnes added another homer. |
In the World Series, the Cubs defeated the Orioles in the opener, 8-3, with Barnes throwing a shutout through six innings and the Cubs breaking it open with a five-run sixth inning. Then they wrapped up the best-of-3 series in extra innings, punching across a run in the bottom of the ninth when Hill doubled, Schultz singled and Fazio, after working the count to 3 and 2 and fouling off several pitches, hit a line drive to right-center for the sacrifice fly and winning run that also made a winning pitcher out of Lessard. DiNatale, Withers and Zeleznik had two hits apiece in the finale. "It was an amazing at-bat by Frank," Barnes said. Schwarz added; "I'm proud to be a Cub. This championship team was three years in the making and it was well worth the wait. This was the most gratifying season of baseball in my life." Indeed, during the regular season, the Cubs, sometimes fielding just eight players because of summer vacations and injuries, still managed to win minus one starter. Of its five losses, three were by forfeit, but the Cubs figured it might be their year when Lessard began the season with a first-at-bat, first-pitch home run. Barnes, meanwhile, was a workhorse on the mound, going 3-0 in the playoffs and posting 18 consecutive scoreless innings before giving up a run. "Give credit to our catcher, Bryon Withers," Barnes said. "I didn't shake off one of his signs in three playoff games." Another key contributor was center fielder Schwarz, who led the team in total hits and was it's leading base stealer. The team has steadily improved, going 9-11 two years ago and losing its lone playoff game, 13-4 in 1997 with a 2-2 playoff record, and 12-5 this season with a 4-0 playoff record. Other teams in the league are Hudson, Medway, Framingham, Milford and Medfield. The Cubs, meanwhile, are seeking a sponsor for next season. According to Barnes, the cost for new players is $250-$280, which includes uniform, insurance, baseballs, umpires, field rental and equipment, and $100 for returning players (no uniform needed). The league plays on Sundays from April through September. For information about the Cubs or the league, call Schwarz at (508)366-2858 or contact the team's website at http://www.ultranet.com/~hschwarz/cubs. |
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Last updated: 10/20/1998 |