Sudbury Fastball games and a final salute Papalu
June 10, 2014
Sudbury, ON
QUENTIN SEELEY REMAX FASTBALL LEAGUE
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                                                           WE  HAIL “PAPALU “
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                                   League action resumed on Monday night at the Rick McDonald Memorial Sports Complex in Azilda . In the opener the second place Panthers (3-2-1) trounced the last place Dog House Eatery and Sports Bar 13 to 4 .. The Dog House started out on the wrong foot from the get go .In the first two inning they gave up 4 runs on 4 base on balls , two fielding errors and not a single hit by the opposing Panthers in the first two frames ..Nothing improved as they gave up a 5 spot in the third . Bruce McDonald (0-3) who started gave up 8 runs ( 3 unearned) 1 strike out and issued 4 base on balls before giving way to Mike Greslow (0-1) who gave up the final 5 runs ( 4 earned) while fanning out 4 and not issuing a single base on balls . Rylan Stolar (1-0) started his first game of the young season going the distance giving up but four runs ( 2 unearned) , 7 hits , collecting 4 strike outs and issuing but one base on balls . Third baseman , Paul Lauzon led the way for the Panthers going a perfect 3 for 3 (4 runs ,double and one base on balls) with teammate Owen Pelletier hit 3 for 4 (2 runs , double , RBI ) . J P Miron hit 1 for 2 in a losing cause for the Dog House .
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                                                                                      WE PAUSE TO HONOR OUR LOST FRIEND
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                                       Prior to the 9pm game we stop to celebrate the life of a great fan of fastball Lucien “Papalu “ whom we lost this past November the 7th at the young age of 86 . Going back to the days of O’Connor Park (Church League 60’s and 70’s ) , Queens Athletic Field (Sudbury District Fastball League ) and our fields of Azilda and Garson .He rarely and I mean rarely missed a ball game at all those locations . The four league teams assembled around the fastball diamond in Azilda . Masters of ceremony had special guests and speakers brought on to the field behind the Lockerby Legion Color Guard . Then Bryan Welsh (league commissioner ) , Junior Ilnitski (coach /manager of the North Stars), Roger Legendre ( public relation liaison , scorer and statistician ) and Marc Dignard (eldest son of Papalu ) all spoke some beautiful and tender words in homage of Papalu . Then came the emotional moment when both sons Marc and Mitch crossed the infield surrounded by the players as they spread the ashes of their father during which Amazing Grace was song .Then all players left shouting Papalu as they looked toward the sky ..
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                                                           Play then resumed as the nightcap saw two long time rivals Sudbury North Stars(5-0) and Garson Hounds(2-3-1) clash . Well it was a classic and we were not disappointed . It was the best game of the season . Both Carter Joncas (3-0) from the Stars and John Ainslie (0-1) from the Hounds put on a pitching clinic . The North Stars scored one in the first and Joncas struck out the side .The score remained the same until the fourth when the Hounds tied it up at 2 .In the bottom of the 4th , the Stars took back the lead at 2-1 .. In the fifth , Hounds tie it again at 2-2 . Struggling in the 6th , coming back from a recent injury , the Stars scored 2 to take a 4-2 lead . The Hounds could only score 1 in the top of the seventh with the Stars remaining a top of the standings with a close tight 4-3 victory . Joncas who has yet to lose gave up 3 runs (1 unearned) , 6 hits , issued but 1 base on balls and fanning 10 giving 17 in three outings . John Ainslie for the Hounds gave up four runs (all earned) , 4 base hits , struck out 5 batters and issued 2 base on balls . Lanny Fichett led the way for the winners going 2 for 3 at the plate ( triple , 2 RBI’s ) with teammate Jesse St Cyr hitting 1 for 2 (double) while short stop Eric Legendre went 2 for 3 (2 RBI’s) in a losing cause for the Garson Hounds ‘
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                                                              League play will resume Thursday night June the 12th in Garson at the Lorne Brady Memorial Park . In the opener at 7pm , when Dog House will be looking to upset the North Stars and pick up their first win of the season . In the nightcap at 9 pm under the lights the Panthers will do battle with the Garson Hounds .
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                                                               In the flyer concerning the Brad Rienguette tournament coming up on July 26th and 27th , two mistakes to be corrected concerning the contact people . Delete Bryan Welsh from those three and for Dan Quesnel that is a wrong email . Here is the correct email of Dan is quazzycer@hotmail.com . I apologize for the inconvenience it might of cause you . A bit of news , there are already 15 teams committed for the World Senior Fastball Tournament ( the 27th annual) to be held this year in Sudbury at the Azilda Rick McDonald Memorial Sports Complex .. The deadline is August 15th .The tournament is on the Labor Day Weekend ..
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See you on the fastball diamonds !
League scorer , statistician , public relations/liaison and advisor to team representatives and the commissioner
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Here you see Rylan Stolar of the Panthers in his first outing of the season                              These are Papalu’s two sons ( Marc the eldest on the left and Mitch on the right
At second base you see Curtis Broun while Matt Cousineau patrols right field