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Gamblers prevail for league title by John B. McClelland Of all the wins the Greenbank Gamblers have had over the years, perhaps none is more satisfying than the 5-1 victory the team fashioned last Thursday night over Winslow/Gerolamy Motors. Leading WG three games to one in a best of seven series for the Peterborough Mens Fastball League crown, Gamblers went into this one with an air of cool determination. To a man they wanted to end the series on that hot, muggy night in the mosquito-infested Peterborough Bowl. And they served notice early that this was their night; they would not be going back for game six. Pitching, defense and the long ball (the fundamentals) were the weapons Gamblers deployed to systematically wear their opponents down. Second baseman Greg Newell staked Gamblers to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when he lashed a twosout, two-strike pitch off WG starter Glen Crowe. The ball sailed on a flat line over - the 18-foot high fence in right centre field. But it was the top of the second inning where the Gamblers really showed they were not going to be denied this night. WG touched lefty Mark Goreski for back-to-back hits (single and double) that left runners on second and third with none out. They got the first out on a grounder to third baseman Brian Till who glared the runner back to the bag then fired to first to get the batter by a step or two. The second out came on a throw to the plate where Paul Goreski applied the tag and WG went quietly on a routine grounder for the final out. Gamblers had worked themselves clear of what could have been a big jam and that really was the turning point in this match. They scored their second in the bottom of the two when Brian Till connected with two out and bases empty. His home run ball glanced off a light standard in right centre to give Greenbank a 2-0 lead. After Goreski put WG down easily in the third, Gamblers upped their margin to 3-0. Terry Till legged out an infield hit, Greg Newell took a walk and a passed ball put them on 2nd and 3rd. Bill Buys hit one on the ground to the infield, and Till beat the tag at the plate. The call upset WG hurler Crowe who argued and was then ejected from the game. Playing coach Gary Baker then greeted with Randy Fife with a sacrifice fly to score Newell from third and it was a 4-0 ball game. WG tried to get back into the game in the 4th after a single and a short fly to centre squibbed under the glove of Buys to score one. But that was it as Goreski fanned the next batter and got but no such luck at OASA Intermediate championship Fresh from their victory Thursday evening to win the Peterborough League let-downs against Norwich and wound up losing 6-5 which pretty well sealed their fate for the weekend the Gamblers hit the road Friday for the OASA Intermediate A tournament in Norwich. With 17 teams entered and with Gamblers having just one pitcher, Mark Goreski, available for mound duties, the team had one purpose in mind: try to get through the tournament without a loss to minimize the number of Lng Goreski would have to rn one slated for Friday evening was rained out and that meant Gamblers would have four games on Things started well Gamblers in their first with the host Norwich squad as they sent 11 men to the plate in the first inning to grab a 5-0 lead. for But misfortune struck the squad (under-manned for the tournament due to work commitments by some players) when lead-off batter Terry Till pulled a muscle in the first inning and was out for the rest of the tournament. Gamblers had some defensi They were able to bounce back in game two for a 1-0 win over Dunnville in extra innings as Rod Real slammed a triple and scored on Mark Goreski's fielders choice. Dave Bacon made a rush trip to Norwich to fill in for the injured Till and had an outstanding game in the field. In game three, Gamblers started Bill Buys on the mound to give Goreski a rest. Buys pitched well for the club, but again the defense was well below the form it showed in the League series against Winslow/Gerolamy Motors. The result was a 7-3 loss that put an end to the Gamblers OASA tournament hopes. Manager Rod Foster said winning the Peterborough League championship was certainly the high light of the summer for the Gamblers. Already the Gamblers are looking head to the "play ball" call in 1998. the final out on a routine grounder. Gamblers had a chance to really put the game away in the 6th after Baker turned on a Fife pitch and sent the ball over the right field fence (the third homer in almost the same spot) The team loaded the bases with none out but came up empty after Fife snared a line drive and doubled the runner at first. In their last-at-bats in the 7th, WG led off with a single. But Goreski got the first out on a come-backer to the mound and force at second. He got the second out much the same way, a come-backer to the mound, and the final out was strictly routine as the batter hit a soft flare into the glove of short-stop Don Beaton. Other than the second inning threat, Goreski was never in serious trouble on the Greenbank mound. He gave up six hits and fanned six and was Gambier playing coach Gary Baker accepts trophy from league rep George Flanagan last Thursday evening. Looking on are captain Don Beaton and manager Rod Foster. Gamblers won 5-1 to defeat Winsiow/Gerolamy 4 games to 1. able to get a lot of the WG batters to hit ground balls to the infield. Along with the three round- trippers, Gamblers had 13 hits series in the worst way. The players felt they had been treated shabbily this summer when the League ruled that all playoff games would be held in in this one and played Peterborough, thus denying fund lly sound baseball in Gambler fans a ch the field. "Our defense was great, they just didn't make any errors out there," said manager Rod Foster after he, Don Beatty and Gary Baker accepted the George Dormer trophy for the League title. After dropping game one 4-2 Gamblers won four straight. In last Tuesday's encounter Goreski allowed seven scattered singles and the team got all its runs in the first inning en route to a 2-0 victory. Blick to back doubles by Terry Till dnd Greg Newell got one, then GaryBaker drove in Newell for the other and that was all they needed. The Gamblers wanted this to see on action in any post- It is most unlikely Gamblers will be in the Peterborough League next year. They'll probably enter the Oshawa Loop to renew acquaintances with their old rivals from Port Perry. The series win over WG had to have just a little extra meaning for Mark Goreski after Wayne Wells quit the team in mid- season, leaving the strong lefty to shoulder all the pitching duties. 'Thursday night's cool and gritty victory certainly went a long way to easing the anger and frustration the team has felt this summer. _ The members of the Greenbank Gamblers Fastball tsam after winning the Peterborough Men's League ip last g. It was an especially satisfying moment for this team that has gone through some trying times this season. (See story). From left front: Brian Till, Gary Baker, Terry Till, Rod Real, Trevor Till. Back left: manager Rod Foster, Don Beaton, Paul and Bil Buys. Not present for photo were Pete Costerholt, John Tait, Dave Bacon, John Foster, Mike Giroux, . and coach Don Phinney. , Greg Newel!