Play Ball - Age Defying Seniors Swing for the Fences

By Anthony Vertucci

Some say that youth is wasted on the young. The members of the Suffolk Senior Softball League apparently never got that memo, as they continue to play with the same passion and fire that drives little leaguers.

The Smithtown Patriots battled the Huntington Baymen in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday morning in a back and forth encounter which saw four lead changes. The spirit of competition and the desire to win in this 60 and over league is intense proving that one is never too old to enjoy America’s pastime.

The Baymen jumped out early with a leadoff triple, which quickly turned into an RBI on the second pitch of the game. Down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the first inning, the home field Patriots showed zero signs of intimidation. They fired back with four runs of their own, including a sacrifice fly to deep right from Palmer Scumaci.

“This is a tough club and we fought hard today,” said Patriots’ manager Bill McKadden. “We have seven guys out of 18 roster players who are in their 70s, so it’s a little tough for us when we play other teams who have younger players in their early 60s. We can beat them and we do, but it’s tougher playing guys 15 years younger than you. So it’s great to get a win like this.”

In the top of the sixth the Baymen overcame a three run deficit with four hits, including a two-out two-run double up the middle. After shutting down the Patriots in the bottom half of the inning the Baymen tacked on one more run to head to the bottom of the seventh and final inning with an 8-6 lead.

The Patriots knew they were down but not out, they had faced a similar situation on May 3 in a game against the Chiefs. Down five runs entering the seventh, Smithtown rallied to an 11-10 victory.

Greg Anderson, 67, led off the final frame with a hard-hit single to left. Anderson, who grew up in Nassau, has been playing ball all his life and has known some of his teammates for over fifty years.

After climbing back into the game mid fielder Dennis Cassidy, who celebrates his sixty-first birthday tomorrow, delivered the game winning hit to complete the rally and give his team the 9-8 win. The Patriots briefly celebrated their victory before heading back to the dugout to prepare for the second game.

“What a great comeback. It’s the second time this year we came back in the bottom of the seventh inning to win, and it feels great to contribute like that,” said Cassidy. “We got some lucky breaks finally. We got a beautiful day out, great weather, and the field was in great condition.”

The Patriots were not so fortunate in the second game, as they fell to the Baymen 7-1.

The Patriots maintain third place in the National division after the split. They will have an opportunity to gain some ground on the league leading Brookhaven Silver Streaks when the two teams meet on Tuesday.

Brady Park is shared between both the Smithtown Patriots and the Bulls. Every Tuesday and Thursday, one-team hosts a doubleheader while the other is on the road.