TNT Sports Club 2010

TNT Sports Club wins National ASA Softball Title

TNT Sports Club’s 50 & Over Softball team of Norristown, managed by Sonny Termine traveled Burlington, NC to compete in the ASA National Championships. And when all was said and done, they came home National Champions. The tournament started with each team playing two “pool games” to determine bracket seeding. They lost to the Golden Vipers of Michigan 12-11. Bill Pezzotti cracked a homer, while John Hickman and Steve Dimitry both went 3-3. In the second game, TNT rolled over F&S Gutterworks on North Carolina 27-15 as Jim Reeseman’s 4-4 led the way along with Bobby Foley, who homered and had 4 RBIs. Ken Capelli and Dean Finch each chipped in with 3 hits.

The Double Elimination Championship Round started with TNT defeating North Carolina’s Grill-584. In a tough fought game, the Sportsman came away with a 16-11 victory behind Bob Foley’s home run and 6 RBIs. Reeseman, Pezzotti, Finch and Dimitry all had 3 hits apiece. In the second game, TNT rolled over the Tidewater Greyhounds of Virginia 18-6. The infield of 3B-Jim Saldutti, SS-Scott Downs and 2B-Carmen Loiacono turned in some fantastic defensive plays to back the pitching and sensational defense of Rob Wisner. Next up was TNT’s arch-nemesis, Michigan’s Golden Vipers who once again defeated TNT 13-12 and sent them to the loser’s bracket. Duane Impeciati and Jim Reeseman each had 4 RBIs and Ken Capelli and Steve Dimitry were 4-4 to lead the offense that fell just short with the tying and winning runs on base as the last out was made.

Once in the loser’s bracket, TNT faced Grill-584 once again and behind the unbelievable 3 hit pitching of Rob Wisner, the Sportsmen advanced with a 13-1 victory. The offense was led by Denny Reagan and Steve Calabrese, both going 3-3. Dean Finch’s 3-run homer ignited the team and shortstop Scott Downs once again was incredible on defense. TNT has now advanced to the Championship round and had a tough task of defeating the only team to beat them thus far in these National Championships, none other than the Golden Vipers of Michigan, who earlier in the month won the USSSA 50+ National title.

TNT came out of the gates banging and then held off a furious rally by the Michigan squad to now take the first championship and take the national title to a deciding “if” game to decide all the marbles. Steve Dimitry went 4-4, while Impeciati (a monster home run) and Reagan combined for 6 hits and 8 RBIs. Capelli, Pezzotti and Wisner were 3-3. Now in the final Championship Game, TNT showed the heart of a Champion as they rallied behind an early 3-run blast by Bob Foley and that momentum carried them to a easy 13-5 victory. Dimitry, Hickman and Downs were all 3-3 and Wisner once again shut down the opponent with his array of pitches.

The team was awarded the ASA National Championship Banner and all the players received a National Championship Plaque and Championship jackets were ordered also. Left Center Fielder John Hickman (19-26, .732 avg and 9 RBIs) was named the National MVP as he led-off and played flawless defense. Steve Dimitry was awarded the National Batting Championship going 21-24 for a .875 average (he also collected 12 RBIs). Dimitry was named to the ASA National All-American as was Hickmen and also joining them on the team were Ken Capelli (18-24, .750), Denny Reagan (16-26, .615 and 15 RBIs), Bob Foley (16-25, .640 with a tournament leading 18 RBIs), Dean Finch (16-24, .667 with a HR and 10 RBIs) and last but not least, the glue of this team, Pitcher Rob Wisner, whose incredible defensive ability at the Pitcher’s position made the difference between winning and losing. Other Team members include Bill Pezzotti (13-24, .524 with a homer), Scott Downs, Duane Impeciati (16 RBIs), Jim Reeseman, Carmen Loiacono, Steve Calabrese, Jimmy Saldutti, Mike Corliss and Leo Fitzpatrick.

TNT Sponsor and Manager Sonny Termine and his TNT squad have won the ASA of PA State Championship earlier in the Season [Joe Bonavita-MVP (12-14, .857), along with All-State performers; Bill Pezzotti (12-17, .706), Bob Foley (15-18, .833), Steve Dimitry (13-18, .722), Denny Reagan (10-15, .667)] and also the ISSA Senior World Championship in Manassas, VA [Scott Downs-MVP (13-18, .722), Bruce Cavalotti (15-20, .750), John Hickman (17-23, .739), Ken Capelli (16-22, .727), Jimmy Saldutti (11-17, .647 and Carmen Loiacono was named the Defensive MVP). Not bad for a summer’s worth of work. The team recently traveled to Virginia Beach and finished 5th in the ISSA Winter World Championships (Jim Reeseman 10-14, .714 was named to the All-World team). Termine said "this team is not built around one player, each and every guy does his part on any given weekend and thats what makes us winners". Termine dedicated the ASA National Title to his beloved sister who was very ill and passed away a week after the Tournament.

TNT Sports Club Wins ISSA World Softball Title

TNT Sports Club of Norristown struck again last weekend in Manassas, VA, winning the coveted International Senior Softball Association (ISSA) World Championship in the 50 & over Class-AA Division. The Firecracker men started off their title run on the bad note as they lost the first game of the tournament in the round robin preliminaries to a strong Strabane SNPJ Lodge of Hickory, PA 20-18. Carmen Loiacono kept the score close with two fantastic diving catches in the OF. John Hickman and Jim Reeseman were both 4-for-4. Lou Lussi smashed a 3-run homer. In the second preliminary game, TNT woke up and defeated local Manassas power Team Zip 18-8 behind the pitching of Steve Calabrese and hot hitting of John Hickman (4-4). Bruce Cavilotti, Duane Impeciati and Bill Pezzotti also had three hits including a homer and 4 RBIs for Pezzotti.

After the Preliminary Rounds were completed, teams were seeded and then placed into a double elimination type format. TNT opened up the elimination portion of the tournament with the Beltway Bandits of Centreville, VA. Behind three hits each from Steve Dimitry, Reeseman and Cavolotti, plus the power of Bob Foley (HR, 5 RBIs), TNT came out on top with a 17-12 win. That set up the next match with the Pittsburgh Stars of PA. This game was a tough one and went back and forth and TNT escaped with a 11-10 victory as Jim Saldutti knocked in what proved to be the game-winning run. Dean Finch, Scott Downs, Dimitry and Pezzotti all collected three hits in the win. Reeseman chipped in with a mammoth home run. Up next were the Portsmouth Greyhounds of VA. This team had previously steamrolled every team it played, but was no match for the TNT squad as Calabrese shut them down with his crazy array of pitches. Foley hit a towering home run and finished with 6 RBIs to lead the team to a 24-8 victory. Calabrese was also backed by the combined hitting of Ken Capelli, Joe Bonavota, Impeciati, Saldutti, Pezzotti, Dimitry and Lussi, all collecting three hits each.

TNT now advanced to the winner’s bracket final against Team Zip from Manassas, VA. Playing in a steady rain didn’t slow down the men of dynamite as pitcher Steve Calabrese (3-for-3) twirled another gem and Loiacono and Hickman dove and slid their way to a series of incredible grabs in the OF. Downs looked like a human vacuum at short-stop. Saldutti made one diving play after another at third-base to halt any other rally that Team Zip could muster. Foley banged out his 4th home run of the tournament and he along with Hickman’s 4-for-4 performance and a supporting cast of Capelli, Finch, Bonavita and Cavilotti all collecting three hits led the offense.

As TNT Sports Club sat in the King Seat watching the Dudley Martin Jokers of Manassas take on Team Zip for the right to have to double dip TNT for the title, Manager Sonny Termine wrestled with trying to find the right combination of a lineup. He had been batting 15 players throughout the tournament and wanted to get down to 11-12. But, after much soul searching and the continued hitting of his 5 Extra Hitters (Pezzotti, Dimitry, Impeciati, Cavolotti and Foley), he decided to go what got him to this point and decided to bat an unheard off 15 players in the Championship game. Team Zip defeated the Dudley Martin Jokers (Jokers finished in 3rd) and the stage was set for the championship showdown. TNT was undefeated and the Zips had to defeat them twice. After TNT jumped out to a 14-3 lead in the first five innings, the result was never in doubt … or was it. The Zips mounted a furious attack and came within 14-10 going into the last inning when the defense of Loiacono and Saldutti made great plays to back pitcher Steve Calabrese and TNT to the promised land and the ISSA World Championship. Loiacono, Cavilotti, Pezzotti and Downs all had 2 hits in the final game. Manager Sonny Termine just sat back and watched “his boys” celebrate and with a tear in his eye, proclaimed “I never thought this was possible when every team we played batted their best 10-11 players and we batted all 15 of our players and we still came out on top”. This is a credit to every player on this team that sacrificed and played hard during this whole three day event”.

At the Awards Ceremony; Sonny Termine was awarded a plaque as the ISSA Manager of the Year Award for his guidance of the TNT gang as his hunch paid off with the EH crew and his defensive switches. Shortstop Scott Downs (13-18, .722) received the Tournament MVP Plaque as his leadership at shortstop and his clutch hitting was a huge factor in this championship win. Carmen Loiacono earned the Defensive MVP of the Tournament Plaque for his magical glove work. Members of the All-World Team, who received special medals include: Bruce Cavilotti (16-20, .800), John Hickman (17-23, .739), Ken Capelli (.727) and Jim Saldutti (11-17, .647). The other members of the team also received championship medals include; Bill Pezzotti, Duane Impeciati, Steve Dimitry, Jim “Dawg” Reeseman, Dean Finch, Joe Bonavita, Steve Calabrese, Lou Lussi, Bob Foley and Lynn Thompson. The team will rest for a couple of weeks and then head down to Burlington, NC for the ASA Senior National Championships on Labor Day Weekend.

TNT Sports Club Captures another State Softball Title

TNT Sports Club of Norristown under the managerial reigns of Sonny Termine captured the ASA of PA 50 & Over State Softball Championship this past weekend in Quakertown, PA. The Tournament was run by District-14 commissioner Sully Gelet and assisted by Tom Schadt. Eight teams from around the state entered the event. TNT started their title run on the right foot by defeating Spring-Ford AA White of Linfield 35-9 in the opening game. Bob Foley, Steve Dimitry and Bill Pezzotti all went 4-5 to back the fine pitching of Rob Wisner.

The next game was a nail-biter as TNT defeated Garner Lumber of State College in the bottom of the 9th inning on a walk off single by Bill Pezzotti. The game was a seasaw battle with both teams making some great defensive plays. Bobby Rodgers, Dean Finch and John Hickman all made terrific grabs to end potential Garner rallies. The bottom of the 9th started off with Dimitry singling up the middle, Jim “Dawg” Reisman singled to left, Bob Foley was then intentionally walked to load the bases, before Pezzotti’s heroics plated Dimitry with the winning run and a 21-20 victory.

Next up was the powerful defending State Champs Scoreboard/Gallerie & Sons of Stroudsburg. In last years Championship final, Galleris defeated TNT to capture the 2009 crown. TNT would not be denied this time as Denny Reagan and Bob Foley each went 4-4, both with homers. Joe Bonavita continued his hit hitting as he collected his 9th straight base hit of the tournament. OF Steve Calabrese and the Scranton Legend Lou Lussi both collected 3 hits too help out in the 19-14 win.

After Garner eliminated Scoreboard/Gallerie in the semi-finals, the stage was set for a rematch between TNT and Garner Lumber. These two teams have a long history playing each other many times over the years in 45+ and 50+ play. The rematch never had the intensity of the first game as the defense and pitching of Rob Wisner led TNT to a 16-8 victory. Bill Pezzotti’s 3 run homer was the big blow in the game that featured some great defensive plays by OFs Leo Fitzpatrick and Carmen Loiacono. Foley and Pezzotti were both 4-4, while Dimitry and Hickman chipped in with 3-4 performances.

This was manager Sonny Termine’s 9th State Championship in long and illustrious career. After the tournament was over, awards were presented and Joe Bonavita (12-14, .857) was named the tournament MVP. Rob Wisner (10-15, .667) was selected by Termine as the Tournament Defensive MVP. All-state tournament selections were as follows: Bob Foley (15-18, .833, 2 HRs), Steve Dimitry (13-18, .722), Bill Pezzotti (12-17, .706) and Denny Reagan (10-15, .667, 2 HRs). Termine praised the OF play and the unselfish running ability of John Hickman as he volunteered to be a courtesy runner and did so countless times. Hickman was (9-17, .529), which was amazing considering he placed LC and ran all day. “He’s an incredible athlete”, Termine said. Termine also paid a fins compliment to Dawg Reisman (.10-17, .583) for getting some clutch hits throughout the day. Other Team members not previously mentioned include Jim Saldutti, Gator Steiner, Scott Acornley, Mike Corliss, Lynn Thompson and Pete Lynch.

The team has made plans to attend the ISSA World Tournament in Manassas, VA in August, the ASA National Championship in Burlington, NC in September and also the SSCW Northeastern National in Cape May, NJ in September. They also will travel to State College in early August to compete in the ASA of PA 45 & Over State Championship.

In 2011, TNT Sports Club Club was moved up in Class because of it's very successful year in 2010. They had many ups and downs and one of the highlights was Capturing the Class-AAA/AA ASA of PA State Championships once again. They didn't fair as well in many of the other events. Yea, they won games, but the Championships were far and few in-between. Players were hurt, players got frustrated and the competition was much better. The talent was still there, just didn't have the breaks they needed to win. In 2012, the players on the team decided to go in different directions, some of the players joined the East West Outlaws, based out of the Pittsburgh Area, some stayed home with TNT Sports Club based out of Norristown and some retired. It was a wild ride while it lasted and the players involved will never forget the feeling of what they accomplished in 2010. This team started in 2009 with basically a skeleton of a team and through pickups and attrition, grew into the National Power house they became in 2010. 2011 when the team was moved up a class created some hurdles, but they did compete and did win many games, but the thrill of what they did in 2010 will never be duplicated again. In my heart, I always hope this team will reunite once again, but to all the guys playing on the many teams, I wish every single one of you the very best always. There is a bond that we achieved in 2010 that will never be broken. Peace and Health to all the cast of characters.