Island Shade rises to No. 1

Mike Sciacca

A fourth place regular season standing in the City of Laguna

Beach’s Summer Tuesday 16-inch Slow Pitch Softball playoffs did

little to deter a determined Island Shade team during postseason

play.

Island Shade closed out the Tuesday League’s double-elimination

tournament with three consecutive victories at Riddle Field to

capture the championship.

Behind a two-hit effort by Bruce Aguinaldo and two home runs by

Tom Taylor, Island Shade downed Ganahl Lumber, 4-1, in the

winner-takes-all final.

Taylor also added a single in a three for three game and Chuck

Emanuelle and Jeremiah Dietrich each singled twice.

Ganahl Lumber’s only run of the game was provided by Dave Wallace

who hit a solo home run in the fourth inning.

Earlier in the competition, Island Shade had been relegated to

losers’ bracket play following a 7-3 loss to Ganahl Lumber in the

finals of the winner’s bracket. Shade stayed alive in the tournament,

though, by knocking out regular season champion Sandpiper, 5-4.

Ganahl Lumber finished in second place during the regular season,

while Rotary was one spot ahead of Island Shade in third place.

Island Shade set up the championship final by handing Ganahl

Lumber its initial tournament loss, 7-2. They did it behind

Aguinaldo’s five-hitter, two home runs and a walk by Andy Bunn, a

home run and a single by Emanuelle and Mike Burns and a pair of

singles by Paul Sahargun and Tom Dietrich.

Of Ganahl Lumber’s five hits, Gary Rauch hit a solo home run and

Jeff Stevens singled twice.

Island Shade, which finished the summer league with an overall

record of 10-5, is comprised of Ray Brining, Al Jones, Wade Jones,

Coby Naess, Ryan Blackmun, Kevin Ketchum and John Chappel.

Final Tuesday League Standings

Island Shade, 10-5; 2. *Sandpiper, 9-4; 3. Ganahl Lumber, 8-5-1;

4. Rotary, 5-5-1; 5. Used Cars, 5-7; 6. Good, Bad and Ugly, 4-7; 7.

Team Viagra, 1-9.

*Denotes regular season champion.