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08/02/2021 12:00 AMThe Deep River Horseshoe League (DRHL) saw teams continue to jockey for playoff positions in Week 13. The Reds are still perched in the cat-bird seat with a six-game lead at the top of the standings, while the league's usual suspects continue to impress with division leading scores. With only four games left to play, there are 12 to 13 teams looking to grab one of eight total playoff slots.
One of the more interesting contests of the week happened between the Rangers and the Reds. Division A player, DRHL statistician, and media liaison Joe Heery represented the Rangers well against a tough team in the Reds. Heery's Rangers entered the match with playoff hopes dancing in their heads.
Reds B Player Andy Perna, a Chester resident, threw the B Division's first 50-point game this year, and led the division for the fourth-straight week with a series tally of 143. The score was 3-2 in favor of the Reds after game five of the six-game series. The final game featured the B's and C's which pitted brothers-in-law Reds B player Gary Stevens, who lives in Chester, and Rangers C player Jim Weselcouch, an East Haddam resident, at opposite ends of the pits. Chester resident, Jeremy Davis of the Rangers was top Division C scorer with a 115 series, and the Rangers gained a split against the Reds in the final game.
"That was a nice game. It was a game between Gary Stevens against Jim Weselcouch. It was one of those great matches with both families there watching the game," said Heery. "We were right out in the open there, next to Chris's Dog House for food and drinks. It came down to the last shoe of the last game for us to gain a split."
Clinton resident Mark Goodale, the Marlins' Division A player, had the highest series of the week with a score of 163. The Marlins are a scoring powerhouse and they defeated White Sox, who dropped into last place. Old Lyme resident, Billy Beckwith, of the Red Sox, had the third best series among the A's at 141 in a 3-3 split against the Royals. Heery has seen Beckwith and the Red Sox struggle on the Monday make-up games so far this year, but there is always variation in throwers' games. Beckwith still has the third most points in the league, however.
"The last couple of times we played on Monday, Billy hasn't played that well. Billy's up there in score, but battling against guys like Mark Goodale and Mike Zanelli, Sr. is never easy," said Heery. "We've had Brian Walsh [and] Tony Cutone near the top, but Mike and Mark are always up there."
Deep River resident Sheryl Serviss, who plays for the Pirates, scored a series of 115, which was second best among all C players this week. Chester resident Karen Perna of the Marlins actually fell out of C's top scorers after appearing there the past several weeks. Heery expects the two C Players will still be tallying quality scores, but he gives the edge to Serviss in terms of consistency.
"Sheryl is going to throw 100 every week. Karen isn't as consistent as Sheryl," said Heery. "Karen can hit 118 one week, but she doesn't score the phenomenal scores as consistently as Sheryl does."
The Red Sox and Yankees are currently tied for eighth place in the standings. The Yankees went up against the Mets, who were able to move out of the cellar by defeating the Yanks 4-2. Deep River resident Bob Cifaldi took had the third-best score among C players with a series of 118.
The Braves and Dodgers faced off, which pitted Braves A Player Mike Zanelli, Jr., who lives in Higganum, against Giants' A Player Mike Zanelli, Sr., who lives in Haddam. The wily Zanelli, Sr., came out on top in that battle scoring a series of 155, which was second among all A throwers. However, the Braves are doing best in the standings with consistent scoring across their lineup from B player Paul Felie, an Old Saybrook resident, and C player David Atkinson, who lives in Deep River. The Braves grabbed a 4-2 win to move up into the third-place position. The Dodgers maintained second place with some help from B player Butch Carotenuto, who lives in Hamden. Carotenuto had the second highest series among the B's at 120, which was also his best mark of the year. The Dodgers' C Player Scott Allen, Jr., who lives in Clinton, had the third-best series among the C's with a 96. The Dodgers claimed the 5-1 win and gained a pair of games on the Reds.
Heery thought the weather seemed to bolster the scoring across the league. That really helped teams like the Dodgers, Reds, Braves, Angels, and Marlins who have consistent scoring across their three players.
"It was a perfect night really. Everyone was scoring. Eight teams scored 300 points. It was amazing how many good scorers we had that night," said Heery. "Scott Allen, Jr., who plays for the Dodgers, is one of the top players in the C division this season. Along with Butch Caratenuto, who throws over a hundred consistently, they are a big advantage for the Dodgers. If you have a couple of players in the top-3 scorers every week, that's going to be tough for other teams to beat."
For the rest of the way, Heery hopes that he can help power his Rangers into the playoffs, but he also knows that there are other teams around him in the standings searching for the same result. Of course, one of the most important things will be maintaining clear skies so the schedule won't be compressed with makeup dates.
"The first thing we want is the weather to cooperate. For me personally, I want to make the playoffs with the Rangers. I know the other teams feel that way, too. The Reds are in and the Dodgers are too," said Heery. "Those are teams that aren't too worried, but the teams at six through 11 are the ones who are concerned. Moving up or down and every game is going to be a defining factor in terms of who's in and who isn't. That will become clearer in the next week. By the end of the week, we should have a good definition of who has a chance."
After Week 13 play, the DRHL standings shake out as follows: Reds (53.5-24.5), Dodgers (47.5-30.5), Braves (44.5-33.5), Angels (43.5-34.5), Marlins (43-35), Pirates (42.5-35.5), Yankees (42.36), Red Sox (42-36), Tigers (41-37), Cards (39-39), Rangers (39-39), Royals (37-41), Cubs (35-43), Padres (34-44), Giants (32.5-45.5), Orioles (30-48), Mets (28.5-49.5), and White Sox (37.5-50.5).