J P Doyle’s and Huddle Titans are Teams to Beat in Tarrytown Recreation Softball

The Tarrytown Rec maintains 12 facilities including a senior center, fitness center, Pierson Park, Patriot’s Park, Lagana Field and Basher and Giaquinto Fields located at Losee Park.

Incorporated within the 12 facilities is a vast array of programs which include Youth and Senior Activities, day camps, Pee Wee Baseball, TNT Baseball & Softball, Wolf Pack Football & Cheerleading, youth tennis, Zumba and Pilates classes, programs for the Developmentally Disabled and the Adult Recreation Softball Leagues.

Ralph Nicoletti has been the Senior Recreation Leader for the department for nine years. Nicoletti supervises all functions of Tarrytown Recreation Softball, which has now progressed to support an extremely popular Co-ed League in addition to the Men’s League.

At present, Tarrytown Recreation Softball has 34 teams participating in the men’s and co-ed leagues. The men’s league, which plays on Monday and Tuesday at Losee Park, has 14 teams within two divisions, the Ichabod Crane and Rip Van Winkle Divisions.  The co-ed league has 20 teams combined in two leagues, the Wednesday league and Thursday league. The Thursday League has two divisions, the Patriot’s Park and Pierson Park Divisions. In total about 700 players compete on teams in the Tarrytown Recreation Softball Leagues.

“We think that we operate quality leagues and teams keep coming back and playing, so they seem to enjoy it,” commented Nicoletti. “A lot of people think the co-ed league is just about, ‘Here is the ball, go out and play.’ However, these teams are competitive, they have fun but they play to win.”

Regarding Nicoletti’s depiction of the fierce competition in the co-ed leagues, nothing was more evident than on Thursday, Aug. 2, at Losee Park. In the 5:30 p.m. game, Siemens Healthcare (10-3) defeated Progenics Pharmaceuticals (10-3) in a nail-biter, 1-0, in a battle for first place in the Pierson Park Division.

Towers Watson (6-7), the defending Pierson Park Division champions, defeated Consumers Raters, 13-12, in the second game. Consumers (7-6) scored five runs in the top of the seventh inning to tie the game, but Watson fought back to win the game in the bottom of the last inning.

Watson’s third baseman, Nancy Rindone, hit a line-drive single to start the bottom of the seventh inning. Rindone later scored the winning run when Watson team captain Lanie Jackson hit a ball to shortstop with two outs and forced a fielder choice play to second base and the throw was late.

John Conway was the winning pitcher for Towers Watson and has been playing for the team for 20 years. Towers Watson evolved from Towers Perrin two years ago after a merger. “Playing in the league sort of promotes a morale booster within the office at Towers Watson. Last season we won the league championship and there was a lot of buzz around the office about that,” stated Conway.

In the late game on Thursday, Saw Mill Auto (8-5) beat Standard Insurance (2-11) by the score of 9-5 in a Patriot’s Park Division contest.

J P Doyle’s Bomb Squad is the 2011 Patriot’s Park Division Champions and overall 2011 co-ed Thursday League Champion. Doyle’s is the team to beat this year in the co-ed league. The Bomb Squad maintains an undefeated record of 12-0 thus far this season. “I am really pleased the way our season has gone so far this year,” stated John Baldini, the team captain of J P Doyle’s.

J P Doyle’s is located on Beekman Avenue in Sleepy Hollow. They have been in the league for six years and have won five of six Patriot’s Park Division Championship and four overall Co-ed League Championships.

Doyle’s roster reads like a Baldini family reunion with five siblings playing on the team including John, his sisters Liz, Victoria and Ashley and his brother Chris. “As you can tell by the roster, we have a lot of family, girlfriends, boyfriends all playing on the same team, it is a nice way to do something together,” depicted Team Captain Baldini.

The Playoffs for the co-ed Thursday league will begin on or about August 16. The playoffs for the Wednesday co-ed league will start August 8. The Washington Irving Boat Club is in first place in the Wednesday league with a record of 13-1.

In the men’s league, The Huddle Titans are the team to beat with an undefeated record of 13-0. the men’s leagues playoffs for both divisions will begin on August 7 or 8. All playoff games will be played at Losee Park.

A huge benefit to playing in the Tarrytown Recreation Softball Leagues is the pristine conditions of Basher and Giaquinto Fields at Losee Park. “Our maintenance staff of Edward Greene, Eddie McClain and Dave Downing do a wonderful job manicuring the fields and having our fields ready for play every night,” acknowledged Nicoletti, who also thanked Recreation Supervisor Arduino for his support of adult softball over the years.

Nicoletti is a former educator in White Plains. He taught for 22 years from 1978 to 2000 at Stepinac High School in White Plains. Nicoletti was also Dean of Students at Stepinac from 1991 to 2000.

The Men’s Fall Softball League will commence during the second week of September. The Fall League has an interesting concept regarding a One-Pitch Softball rule. Each batter gets one-pitch to get on base or make an out.

Any teams seeking to participate in the Men’s Fall One-Pitch Softball League contact Nicoletti at 914-909-1184.

Al Coqueran