Reed’s Plumbing and Heating swings to Rockland Men’s Softball League crown

ROCKLAND — Top-ranked Reed’s Plumbing and Heating only lost twice on the diamond in the summer of 2021. Both times to No. 2 ABI Masonry.

While it was forced to take the more difficult, more traveled road to get there, Reed’s Plumbing and Heating (13-2) won its final three games of the weekend tournament — including avenging that second loss to ABI Masonry (10-4) in back-to-back games in the championship round — to clinch the Rockland Men’s Softball League championship on Sunday, Aug. 8 on the Elks Field on Rankin Street.

The double-elimination playoff tourney was held Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 7-8.

After being knocked to the loser’s bracket by ABI Masonry, Reed’s Plumbing and Heating swung to an 8-4 win in game one before decisively emerging with a 16-4, six-inning victory to claim the crown.

Team members for Reed’s Plumbing and Heating include Ryan Allender, Carlos Arteaga, Trevor Reed, Andrew King, Zach Cody, Ben Ripley, Cory Nadeau, Tony Willette, Cole Chase, Ryan Creamer and Kevin Reed.

Team members for ABI Masonry include Chris Leon, Connor Graffam, Chris Hart, Brian Blackman, Ryan Blackman, Dalton Oakes, Wally Marr, Josh Bodman, Mitch Caron and Shawn White.

ABI Masonry’s Walter Marr, front. Mark Haskell

The final 2021 regular-season standings were: Reed’s Plumbing and Heating, 9-1, .900 winning percentage; ABI Masonry, 8-2, .800; X-Warmers, 5-5, .500; Back Cove Yachts, 4-6, .400; Riptide, 4-6, .400; and Cutting Edge, 0-10, .000.

In the weekend’s double-elimination playoffs, No. 6 Cutting Edge defeated No. 4 Back Cove Yachts (forfeit), No. 2 ABI Masonry beat No. 3 X-Warmers 10-6, No. 1 Reed’s Plumbing and Heating beat No. 6 Cutting Edge 15-5, No. 2 ABI Masonry beat No. 1 Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 15-8, No. 3 X-Warmers eliminated No. 4 Back Cove Yachts, No. 3 X-Warmers eliminated No. 6 Cutting Edge 12-3 and No. 1 Reed’s Plumbing and Heating eliminated No. 3 X-Warmers 7-6 to set up the two championship games.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating’s Ryan Allender. Mark Haskell

In Reed’s Plumbing and Heating’s 8-4 win in game one of the finals, Allender led the way offensively with a pair of home runs and six of the team’s RBIs, which helped set the table for the winner-take-all battle for the league title.

In game two, Reed’s Plumbing and Heating plated two runs in the first inning and two in the fourth, but asserted their dominance with a pair of six-run frames to take an 8-3 lead, and late in the sixth inning to put the game out of reach for ABI Masonry, which scored three in the first and one in the sixth.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating were led at the plate by Chase (triple, 2 singles, 4 runs), King (home run, 4 runs scored), Kevin Reed (3 singles, 2 runs), Arteaga (double, 2 singles, 2 runs), Allender (2 singles, run), Trevor Reed (single, run), Creamer (double, 3 singles), Cody (run) and Nadeau (3 singles, run).

ABI Masonry’s Chris Leon. Mark Haskell

For ABI Masonry, Ryan Blackman (run), Caron (single, run), Graffam (2 singles, 2 runs), Hart (single), Leon (single), Brian Blackman (single) and White (2 singles) led the offense.

Arteaga pitched for Reed’s Plumbing and Heating and Marr for ABI Masonry.

In the championship, Reed’s Plumbing and Heating got on the board quickly in the top of the first inning after Chase singled and King and Kevin Reed drew back-to-back walks ahead of Artega, who ripped a two-run single through the left side.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating’s Cole Chase. Mark Haskell

ABI Masonry took a brief 3-2 lead in the bottom of the frame when Graffam hit a long RBI-single on a ball that would have cleared the fence had it not clanked off the body of the Reed’s Plumbing and Heating center fielder. Hart added an RBI-single and bloop RBI-single by Leon gave ABI Masonry the 3-2 advantage. However, a double play started by Kevin Reed at third base got the top seed out of the inning.

Then, Reed’s Plumbing and Heating, for all intents and purposes, put the game out of reach in the second.

Cody came in and scored on a sacrifice fly to tie the game 3-3 before King cleared the fence later in the frame with a three-run home run to left. Arteaga ripped an RBI-double and Allender an RBI-single to right to put Reed’s ahead 8-3.

Kevin Reed plated Chase with a single in the fourth and King scored on a sacrifice fly to deep center field — from second base — by Allender to give Reed’s a seven-run cushion.

Reed’s then put the exclamation point on the game with a six-run sixth, which began with a triple by Chase, who came in on an error. Arteaga then plated a run with a single before a second run scampered in on an error on the same play.

Allender blooped an RBI-double and Creamer a two-run double to put Reed’s up 16-3.

Graffam doubled in the sixth and came in to score on a single by Ryan Blackman, but ABI Masonry got no closer.

ABI Masonry’s Connor Graffam. Mark Haskell

Regular-season results

ABI Masonry 11, Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 10.

ABI Masonry 15, X-Warmers 3.

Back Cove Yachts wins by forfeit over Riptide.

ABI Masonry wins by forfeit over Riptide.

ABI Masonry 17, Cutting Edge 6.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 7, Cutting Edge 0.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 14, X-Warmers 8.

Back Cove Yachts wins by forfeit over Riptide.

Riptide wins by forfeit over X-Warmers.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 20, Cutting Edge 3.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 23, Back Cove Yachts 10.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating’s Tony Willette. Mark Haskell

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 20, Back Cove Yachts 0.

X-Warmers 17, Back Cove Yachts 11.

ABI Masonry 19, X-Warmers 0

X-Warmers wins by forfeit over Riptide.

X-Warmers 31, Cutting Edge 6.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 14, Riptide 4.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 3, ABI Masonry 2.

ABI Masonry 20, Back Cove Yachts 4.

X-Warmers 10, Back Cove Yachts 4.

ABI Masonry 22, Cutting Edge 6.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating team members include, front from left, Ryan Creamer, Cole Chase, Carlos Arteaga, Ryan Allender, Tony Willette and Andrew King; and back, Zach Cody, Kevin Reed, Cory Nadeau, Trevor Reed and Ben Ripley. Mark Haskell

ABI Masonry 13, Back Cove Yachts 2.

Riptide 13, ABI Masonry 5.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 17, Riptide 3.

Reed’s Plumbing and Heating 11, X-Warmers 1.

Back Cove Yachts 23, Cutting Edge 8.

Back Cove Yachts 23, Cutting Edge 8.

X-Warmers 10, Cutting Edge 9.

Riptide 13, Cutting Edge 6.

Riptide 11, Cutting Edge 6.

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