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09/04/2020 12:00 AMThe Royals claimed the Deep River Horseshoe League (DRHL) championship as the league concluded a successful 65th season by holding its Playoff Tournament last week.
The No. 3 seed Royals took the title after earning a 3-2 win over the 6th-seeded Cardinals in the quarterfinals on Aug. 26, a 3-0 win against the 7th-seeded Mets in the semis on Aug. 28, and then a 4-0 victory over the No. 5 seed Rangers in the final on Aug. 30. The playoffs featured several exciting matchups that ended the DRHL's season with a bang.
The Royals' regular-season roster included league-leading scorer and Division A player Mark Goodale of Clinton, B Player Dave Aldrich of Moodus, and C player George Talmadge of Clinton. Aldrich, however, had a medical procedure at the beginning of the playoffs, necessitating a substitute B player in Sheryl Serviss of Deep River. Serviss, who was the White Sox B player during the regular season, had an excellent run through the playoffs to help boost the Royals to the championship.
"We were all just really consistent. Nobody blew the doors in, but nobody had a bad game, either. We were consistent, and that's what it took to win," Serviss said. "I can't even tell you what an honor it was to be asked to sub in. Dave is a solid player, and Mark is the top scorer in the league. So, for me to get that phone call was shocking. I was really surprised. It was very exciting. Some of the games were pretty close, but we were able to pull it out in the end."
While the seven-game series final did have some drama to it, the Royals ultimately won handily. The Rangers featured A player Mike Zanelli, Jr., of Higganum, B player Andy Perna of Chester, and C player Paul Stevens of Higganum. Both teams had last seen each other during the penultimate week of the regular season in a matchup that resulted in a 3-3 split with each team topping the 300-point mark, including 70-plus ringers and more than 13 doubles.
Game 1 pit the A and C players against each other, and the Royals came out ahead thanks to some early ringers from Goodale and Talmadge. In Game 2, the A's and B's were up, and Goodale and Serviss took the game by 14 points over Perna and Zanelli, Jr.
Game 3 saw Serviss and Talmadge take the B and C matchup by 20 points over Perna and Stevens. The Royals took the decisive game four by a single point due to Goodale and Zanelli, Jr., both tossing for 31. The final tally of the series showed the Royals with 222 points and the Rangers at 154.
"It's uncommon to have a great season and also take the championship. Some teams get hot, and there are usually a couple of upsets. George and Sheryl played very well. Personally, my worst outing was at the final. I pitched below my average, and George and Sheryl pitched above to bring it home," Goodale said. "I also don't want to forget about Dave Aldrich, our regular-season B guy. He was a big part of getting us to the playoffs. He had surgery and wasn't able to compete, but he was a big part of it. He was discharged from the hospital when we started the playoffs, and he was well enough to come down on Friday and Sunday to watch."
Aldrich felt proud to be a part of the Royals' DRHL championship squad, even though watching the playoffs was bittersweet after having to bow out. Still, Aldrich was glad he was there to see his teammates go all the way.
"It was tough to watch and not play. I understand that I couldn't. I would have hurt myself and hurt the team, so I chose not to play. It was still a good time," said Aldrich. "We ended up picking the right sub. Sheryl did very well, and Mark is an excellent person. I couldn't have asked for a better A man, person-wise and throwing-wise."
The Royals tourney journey began with a nail-biter against the Cardinals in the quarterfinals. The last time those teams had met was Week 4, when the Royals defeated the Cards 5-1. The Cardinals featured Division A player Tony Cutone of Essex, B player Tony Malerba, and C player Trevor Ladd of Old Saybrook.
Game 1 saw Goodale go off for eight ringers to secure the Royals' victory, but the Cards took Game 2 thanks to a strong showing from Cutone. The Cards eked out Game 3 with a three-point win to take a 2-1 advantage.
In Game 4, Goodale rung the pin nine times through the first eight frames to help grab the win. Then in Game 5, Goodale and Serviss outpaced the Cards in scratch score, 77-50. As a team the Royals scored 303 points, which was a record for a five-game playoff.
"We were on the edge of extinction there in the quarterfinal. After that, we went a nice run there," Talmadge said. "It's like the NCAA Tournament. Every team that goes on to win it has a close call at some point. We had a high-powered offense."
In the semifinals, the Royals swept the Mets, who featured A player Cody Layton of Deep River, B player Dennis Goodrich of Essex, and C player Jeremy Davis from Chester. Goodale and Talmadge quickly outpaced the Layton and Davis tandem 74-49 in Game 1. In Game 2, Goodale and Serviss had a tougher go of it against Layton and Goodrich, but the Royals outscored the Mets 21-12 in the last three frames to take it. Serviss was the difference-maker with a 32 game as the Royals squeaked out the two-point win.
In Game 3, Davis turned in a strong score of 36, and Goodrich was also a consistent performer. Talmadge and Serviss still managed to take the win with Serviss topping her Game 2 score of 36 with a 38 in the victory. Serviss had one of her best seasons this year due to a combination of added practice and a focused, competitive edge.
"The confidence piece of any sport is huge. If you have any doubt, then you holding on to a bit of fear," said Serviss. "I've come a long way this season. I got my first set of shoes this year, and I'm out there practicing now regularly. Getting chosen for the playoffs was an enormous honor. I had my best friend, Sue Feaster, there cheering me and the team on in every phase of the playoffs and the finals, and she was dubbed the team mascot by George. She was a big part, too."
As for the rest of the playoffs, the quarterfinals featured the biggest surprise of the tournament when the No. 8 seed Angels upset the top-seeded Pirates in a 3-0 sweep. The Pirates' team of A player Kris Toohey of Westbrook, B player Gerald Hines of Higganum, and C player Karen Perna of Chester, had finished with the best record during the regular season at 39-21. The Angels' trio of A player Todd Nuhn of Killingworth, B player Gary Stevens of Chester, and C player Keith Toohey from Westbrook, had claimed the No. 8 seed with a second-half surge that brought them all the way from last place.
The No. 7 seed Mets triumphed over No. 2 seed Tigers, who featured Division A player Robert "Skip" Robinson of Guilford, B player Damin Roberts of Cromwell, and C player Bob Beckwith of Guilford. The Tigers took the first two games, and the Mets claimed the second two. In a decisive Game 5, Robertson and Roberts held off Layton and Goodrich until the final frame. With Layton last to throw in the 12th, he needed a ringer for the Mets to advance, and he got it.
Also in the quarters, the Rangers beat the 4th-seeded Cubs' team featuring A player Vinny Joynas of Ivoryton, B player Anthony Conklin of Marlborough, and C player Scott Allen, Jr., of Deep River. Frank Durinick subbed for Rangers' C player Stevens. The Rangers took Game 1 behind Zanelli, Jr.'s 36, and the Cubs took Game 2 thanks to Conkling's 31. The Rangers won Game 3 and then took Game 4 convincingly for the 3-1 victory.
In the semifinal round, the Angels won Game 1 against the Rangers to keep their underdog run alive. However, the Rangers took the next three games for the 3-1 win and moved on to face the Royals in the final.
In other league news, the DRHL held an election for a new league president after Frank Jolly of Old Saybrook decided to step down from the position. Jolly did some heavy lifting with getting the season off the ground through the COVID-19 pandemic, and it all went off without a hitch. The league's new president will be Mike Zanelli, Sr., who also is the president of the Haddam Horseshoe League. Jolly served in his position for five years, and this season was a challenge that he was happy to accept.
"It was a great season considering everything we had to do. It went well all the way up through the playoffs. We had an outstanding turnout on Sunday. It was a lovely day to begin with," Jolly said. "It's been a great five years, but it would be good for the league to get someone new in the position."