Big League Baseball Opens Season

By Frank Rizzo
MONTICELLO — June 30, 2000 -- The Monticello Big League Baseball team opened its season on May 28 by spliting a doubleheader versus Otisville.
(Big League baseball is an extension of Little League and teams consist of 16-to-18 year-old boys.)
Otisville prevailed in the first contest by a 6-4 score, but Monticello rebounded to grab a 10-8 victory in the nightcap.
In the first inning of the opener, Otisville quickly jumped out to a 4-0 lead — thanks in part to a pair of Monticello errors.
But Monticello battled back in the bottom of the first. Raul Vaquedano’s RBI single brought home Gil Suarez and Brian Heavey to cut the Otisville lead in half.
In the bottom of the second, Vaquedano again stroked the key hit. His single scored Abe Cores and John Snowden to knot the score at 4-4.
Runs scored by Otisville’s Bob Hanson in the fourth and Brian Dermott in the fifth gave the visitors their winning margin.
Despite pitching a complete game and surrendering only one earned run, Monticello’s Rich Fello took the loss. Otisville hurler Matt Uhrig, who also went the distance, picked up the win.
A five-run outburst in the sixth inning of the second game propelled Monticello to victory. Suarez, who had four hits on the day, ripped an RBI single to plate Brett Bradley and Chris McBride, which broke a 5-5 tie.
Vaquedano, who finished the day with a total of six RBI, then singled home Heavey and Suarez. Later in the frame, Suarez doubled to score Terrence Hulse for a 10-5 Monticello lead.
Otisville’s Brad Natalizio hit a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth and Otisville scored twice in the last half of the seventh, but Monticello hung on for the win.
Hulse went all seven innings for Monticello and earned the win, while Otisville’s Justin Soudant, who fanned six Monticello batters in the contest, took the loss.
Hulse helped his own cause in the top of the first when he knocked in Suarez and Heavey, each of whom had singled, for an early 2-0 lead.
Otisville scored once in the first, but Monticello responded with a pair of runs in second and one in the third. Stephen Figura and Brett Bradley both walked and eventually came around to score in the top of the second.
Suarez singled and later scored in the top of the third to give Monticello a 5-1 lead.