Mercy Win for Highway Hammers Still Makes for a Fun Night for Both Teams

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On Wednesday June 19, the Highway Hammers took on Prime Pub in Men’s Softball, and by the 5th inning, the game was decidedly going in the favor of the highwaymen. Even so, Tommy Deagan took his time in the box and methodically leveled the dirt. Not going unnoticed by Al Tiso on the rubber, the Prime Pub pitcher responded in kind. “Will you get in the box already,” Tiso couldn’t hold back. So was the terse little exchange some B-League gamesmanship at Reis Park on a sweltering summer night.

No way, said Tiso after his team’s 17-5 loss, “Me and Tommy are friends. We like to have some fun out there.”

Still, Deagan wasn’t in complete agreement. “There’s nothing better than beating Al Tiso,” he joked.

The game didn’t start that way, though, and despite being down a few players, Prime Pub loaded the bases. Dave Kossow reached on an error, Kevin Murray singled, and Bob Considine’s one out walk completed the traffic jam.

Jackson Kossow then kept it in the family with a sacrifice fly and Tiso reloaded the bases when his grounder wasn’t handled at second. A pair of singles later by PJ Rossetti and Nick Uva and it was a 4-0 game.

Undeterred, the Hammers started swinging, and their weapon of choice was singles. Deagan, Steve Danko, Erik Carnazza loaded the bases, and after Anthony Maestri grounded out to short, Scott Pires, Mikey Pires, Matt Lancia, Eric Carpaneto and Gio Fierro did it with two outs.

The top half of the inning erased, the Hammers led 5-4, and the second inning only had Prime putting up a single by Murray. The Hammers weren’t waiting around for Prime to catch up either.

Mike Factor reached on an error, Danko singled to the opposite filed, and Carnazza drove in Factor with another single. 6-4 now, the Hammers continued to keep the ball in play.

A grounder to short by Scott Pires produced another error, and Mikey Pires was looking pretty smart when he blooped a two out double to the right field line. But the 1st baseman didn’t chalk the hit up to bat control and taking what the pitcher gives. “It just happens. It will be inside and the ball still goes that way,” he admitted

Good for three more runs, he wasn’t giving the RBIs back, and in the top of the third, the Prime bats remained rare. One, two, three went the visitors, and the home half was pretty quiet too.

Two hits and no runs for the Highway, and Prime was positioned to make a game of it in the fourth. Uva and Mike Cooney singled with one out, and Barry Cash dropped what appeared to be a third straight single to short center.

But the force was thrown in from the outfield, and now runners were on the corners with two outs. A bad break, Dave Kossow grounded to short, and the home team took out the sledge.

Danko led off with a homer, Carnazza singled, and Scott Pires’ shot to deep center resulted in an inside the park home run.

The lead now eight, a single up the middle produced some more amusing commentary by the two elder statesmen. “That’s the third one you guys have hit back at me,” Tiso directed toward Deagan.

The Prime pitcher was referring to an unwritten rule among the players. Meant mostly for old guys, batters should try to avoid hitting up the middle.

Nope, Deagan was strictly by the book. “Aim head high,” he instructed his team.

A pitcher himself, Deagan knows the peril, and obviously kidding, he enjoyed a chuckle with his counterpart. Even better, a grounder to second ended the inning, and Kossow did get a little revenge.

He led off the fifth with a home, and a 12-5 game was still in reach. But the bottom proved the end of the road, and Danko did major damage again. “It’s always good to hit a couple of homers,” said the centerfielder.

His mom agreed. “Awesome,” said Marie Danko, and she loves that her son has added another memory to a long list.

Three more hits, and Mikey Pires found right field again for the mercy victory. A 17-5 final, all that remained was giving credit where due.

Not a chance, said Tiso, “Tommy Deagan is not a good pitcher.”

More fun banter, Tiso summed another fun night up at the park with his friend. “Tommy doesn’t really care anymore, and I don’t really care anymore either,” he concluded.