Determined
not to rest on past laurels, the Motor Pool Renegades
followed their 2002 championship with another title in
2003. And like 2002, the Bisons clinched their second
championship with another dominating 2-game sweep over
FHWA. The 2003 regular
season was limited to just 8 games because of rainouts
and field permit issues but the Renegades still finished
with a 6-2 record, good enough for a first place tie
with FHWA. The season began on Friday May 16th
and the Renegades wasted little time starting up their
potent offense as they trounced long time rival Highway
Structures 24-12 at a frigid Smith Field. The Renegades
banged out 31 hits including 2 homers from Adam Landry.
Tom DiPaolo, Chris White, Jamie Jackson and Al Miller
also homered for the victorious Bisons. The Renegades
saw their record drop to 1-1 with a tough 18-16 loss to
FHWA two weeks later at Magazine Field but got back in
the win column with a 17-14 win over Maintenance the
following week at Smith Field.
The Renegades next
played on Friday June 20th and improved their
record to 3-1 after blitzing Bridges with a 26-0 shutout
win at Smith Field. Al Miller went the distance against
his former team to gain his first career shutout. The
Bisons made their ’03 Common debut a week later and
suffered their second loss of the season in a well
played game 11-9 to Highway Structures. Tom DiPaolo,
John Megan, John Roche and Chuck Kostro all homered for
the Renegades. But just as in the ’02 season, the loss
at the Common to Highway Structures would be the last
time the Bisons would lose in 2003.
With first place on the
line, the Renegades battled FHWA in early July at the
Common and squeezed out a hard fought 22-18 win. With
“The Nat” on the shelf with a “tired” arm, John Roche
was on the mound for the second straight game and earned
his first win of the season. The Bisons, as they have
done so often in the past at the Common, used the long
ball to overcome hard-hitting FHWA. Vin Digilio crushed
three homers while Adam Landry and Mike Norian also went
deep for the Renegades.
Maintenance gave the
Bisons another tough game but the Renegades improved to
5-2 with a 12-8 win at the Common on July 18th.
Al Miller was back on the mound and pitched well
allowing just 8 runs to pick up his 4th win
of the year. John Megan and Brian Fallon each had 4 hits
and John Roche smacked his 2nd homer of the
season. The regular season ended a week later with the
Bisons crushing DCAM 28-15 at Magazine Field. Chuck
Kostro hit three homers, John Roche went deep twice
while Brian Fallon and Brett Loosian also homered as the
Bison bats prepared for another championship run.
The Renegades lost a
coin toss with FHWA and were seeded second as the
playoffs began on Friday August 22nd nearly a
full month after the regular season ended. The Bisons
would once again face playoff nemesis Highway
Structures, marking the 5th time the two
teams had met in the playoffs since the ’98 season.
Highways had won all four previous meetings but this
year would be different, however, as the Boys of Bison
were determined to rid themselves of the Structures
jinx. Game one of the semis was at Magazine and the
Renegades jumped out to a 12-3 lead after 3 innings
before heavy rain, thunder and lightning descended upon
Magazine Field. After much discussion and negotiation
that would have made a Philadelphia lawyer proud, the
two teams agreed to suspend the game and resume it four
nights later at the Common before the regularly
scheduled game two. The Bisons made sure there would be
no Structure comeback as they continued to batter Tom
Highland, scoring 10 more runs while “The Nat” held
Highways to just 5 runs as the Renegades took the series
opener with a convincing 22-5 win. Miller helped his
cause at the plate with 2 homers while Brian Fallon,
Chuck Kostro and Jamie Jackson all went yard as well.
Looking to finally hit
Structures with a knockout punch, Loosian’s Boys of
Summer kept the heat on Highland and the rest of
Structures after scoring three runs in the top of the
first inning of game two and led 8-1 after 3 innings.
They extended their lead to 10-1 with two more in the
fifth and after Highways scored two in the sixth to cut
the lead to 10-3 the Bisons sent Highways to the mat for
good with 5 runs in the top of the seventh to take an
insurmountable 15-3 lead. John Roche hit the only Bison
homer in game two while “The Nat” pitched another post
season gem holding Highways to just 8 runs in the two
games.
After finally
conquering Highway Structures, the Bisons were now just
2 wins away from their second straight title. The ’03
finals like the finals of a year before, were a
mismatch. The Renegades swept FHWA again, outscoring
them in the two games by a combined margin of 45-14. The
Renegades crushed FHWA 28-5 in game one at the Common on
Tuesday September 9th behind homers from John
Megan, Chris White, Brian Fallon and Andy Schlenker. The
Bisons clobbered FHWA for 35 hits and were led by John
Megan, John Roche and Andy Schlenker who all had 5 hits
apiece. Game two took place 3 nights later back at the
Common. A confident Al Miller skipped batting practice
in order to make sure Sweetwater was stocked with enough
champagne. The Bisons didn’t get off to a good start as
FHWA opened the game with 5 runs in the top of the
first. The Renegades closed within 5-4 with a 3-run
second inning rally and took their first lead of the
night at 8-5 with a 4 runs in the third. FHWA tried to
make it a series as they tied the game at 8-8 with 3
runs in the top of the fourth but the relentless
Renegades took the lead for good with 4 runs in the
bottom of the fourth inning for a 12-8 lead. FHWA closed
within 12-9 with a run in the top of the 5th
but the Bisons clinched the series and their second
straight title with 5 runs in the bottom of the 6th
extending their lead to 17-9. John Roche, Chuck Kostro
and Vin Digilio all homered while Brian Fallon led the
Bison 25-hit attack with 4 hits.
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Norian stepping into the box during season opener
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Whitey and Jackson trying to stay warm
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"The Nat" greets Norian at Magazine
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Bison bench all smiles after blowout of Bridges
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Clemmie out at first vs. Hwy Structures
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Starting a rally vs. FHWA
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Wet night at the Common
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Rochie ready to score another Renegade run
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Megan and Norian keeping an eye on Jackson
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"The Nat" on deck
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Celebrating another Bison bomb
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Fallon on first at Magazine
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Game 1 of semis suspended
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Fallon aiming for the Common's right field porch
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Highland would finally taste defeat against Renegades
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Game one of the finals
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Jackson with the double
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Whitey planning Renegade victory parade
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Bisons savoring GM 1 victory
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Finishing off the cooler
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One win for Back to Back
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Miller with the hardware
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Another celebration at the Common
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Megan, Loosian and Kostro in the Alleyway
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Al being Al
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Digilio and Miller champs again
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Miller won't let go of trophy as Fallon looks on
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Rochie and Norian
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A triumphant Miller heads home
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Motor Pool Renegades; 2003 MSESL Champs
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