CMDR Wins Defensive Battle versus Garafolo Holding Corp

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On Monday June 8, Garafolo Holding Corp and CMDR hooked up at Onatru Farm Park and notched a defensive pitcher’s duel. A 2-0 game in the top of the seventh, GHC was obviously hoping to get the lead off batter on, and Jess Van Galen’s sinking bloop into right center seemed to deliver. But Laura Whitten wasn’t buying.

“I saw it coming. I wanted to hold it, I wanted to win it and went for it,” said the right center fielder. Whitten got the squeeze, and two outs later, CMDR had the victory.

The game began with offense, though. Christine Causa singled to center, and Danielle Autieri doubled her teammate to third with two outs. Then a line drive up the middle by Toni Ann Licata looked like a pair of runs. Not so fast, Doreen Schmitt snared the laser, and CMDR readied their bats.

An infield hit by Theresa Pepe was all the offense managed, but the quick turnover allowed Dawn Ianiri to start her vacuum cleaner at short. She gobbled up her first grounder, and two ground balls later, Schmitt had her second scoreless inning.

Straight for the batter's box, the pitcher led off the bottom of the second with a single to left. Unfortunately for the home team, GHC had a pretty good shortstop too. On a pop fly to the second base side of short center, Autieri ranged over and made the catch.

Third base for GHC wasn’t a problem either. Meg O’Leary fielded Donna Thomas’ sharp grounder to the hot corner and got the force at second. Two outs, Kim Iamicelli singled to right, but Causa ran down Merri Jacobsen’s fly to right to keep the scoreboard unblemished.

No problem for CMDR, Schmitt sent down all three batters she faced in the top of the third, and the table was set for the final tally. Whitten led off with a single to right, and with one out, Ianiri singled to right center to put her teammate in scoring position.

So in stepped Pepe and it was business as usual, according to Thomas. “She always hits to the right side,” said the manager, and through the infield gave CMDR a 1-0 lead.

Wendy O’Connell’s ground out to short brought in the second run, but there was still work to do for GHC. On with her hard hat, O’Leary made a tough grab on a foul pop over third, and the damage was contained.

Even so, defense was met with defense. After O’Leary reached on an infield hit, and Van Galen dropped a one out single to right, Pepe put the mileage on in left. Autieri lifted a fly toward the left field line, and as one of the senior members on the team, Pepe didn’t let age get in the way.

She gobbled up the ground and reached low to make a snag that was no surprise to her pitcher. “Theresa has been playing left field for a while,” said Schmitt, “She can still do it.”

Onto the bottom of the fourth and Autieri did her part in the field. On Terri Nadeau’s line drive, the shortstop had the grab, doubled off Schmitt and then ate up another grounder for the third out.

Of course, Ianiri was up to the task. Three ground balls and three outs, she credited her dad for the proficiency. “When I was little, he was my coach,” she remembered. “If it was near me, I had to catch it and make the play.”

O’Leary followed suit in the top of the fifth. Fielding Jacobsen’s ball deep at the third, she made the long throw for the lead off out, and the good defense on both sides continued.

Still, CMDR loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth, but O’Leary was a stone wall again. She fielded Thomas’ ground ball and stepped on third to end the rally.

Three outs to go, the game ended with another stellar play. On Sara Ackerman’s high line drive to short, Ianiri spread her wings. “I didn’t think I still had it. But I knew I had to go for it because we needed to end the game,” she said.

Down with it, the festivities didn’t end. CMDR gathered in the parking lot to revel in victory and continued a fun that Peg Perry hoped more local women would take part in. “It’s fun and gets me out of the house,” she concluded.