CARDINALS AND GLORY DAYS COP SPRING LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Cardinals won their first 18AAA championship, dethroning two time defending champion Chamos 7-4, and Glory Days scored seven runs in the top of the 9th inning to beat the Cubs 11-4 for the 18AA title on Sunday, Ausut 30, 2009. Both Spring 2009 league championship games were played at the Santaluces Complex in Lantana.

GHIANDA, JOHNSON LEAD CARDINALS PAST CHAMOS

n the 18AAA game, the Cardinals scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the first, added single runs in the second and third and held off rallies by Chamos in the sixth, seventh and ninth iinnings. Chamos never led in the game, although they closed the gap to one run at 4-3 and 5-4 before the Redbirds finally put it on ice with two more in the ninth. Ryan Ghianda led the way, pitching six innings for the win and contributing two hits, including a first inning two run double that gave his club a lead they were never to give up. Brian Holden pitched the last three innings to earn a save. For his pitching and timely hitting, Ghianda was chosen as the game's Most Valuable Player.

Cardinals' center fielder Max Johnson was the offensive star for the Cardinals, smashing two doubles and a mammoth 420-foot home run to dead center. Rob Wiley contributed a run scoring double, and Billy Brescia and Ryan McDonald chipped in with RBI singles. Another run scored on a throwing error in the 9th inning. For Chamos, Ralph Velez smacked an RBI double, Harving Lejarazo a run scoring single, with Victor Prieto driving in a run on a fielder's choice and Gustavo Castillo plating the final run with a sacrifice fly. However, Chamos left thirteen men on base, including the bases loaded twice. Chamos pulled to within a run at 5-4 with a run in the 7th on Gustavo Castillo's sacrifice fly, scoring Geraldo Vasquez. However, on the same play, Prieto was doubled off first base to end the inning.

Brescia and Emilio Vargas each had two hits for the Cardinals, who won the regular season title with a 16-4 record, including three wins in four meetings with Chamos. Although many of the Cardinals' players have played on championship teams in the past, including the Rockets, Indians, and Los Tigres, this was the first title for them as a Cardinals squad, managed by Rick Brescia.

GLORY DAYS BRINGS BACK THE GLORY WITH A PATENTED BIG INNING

The oldest franchise in the Palm Beach League, Glory Days, which joined the league in 1993, had not been to a league championship game since they lost a 6-5 heartbreaker to the perennial champion Caribbean Stars (Los Tigres) in the spring 1999 season. This time, though, Joe DeSantis' team was not to be denied, using a typical big ining to knock off the top seeded Cubs 11-4. Long noted for high scoring innings, Glory Days posted seven runs in the top of the 9th inning to send the regular season National Division champions down to a resounding defeat.

With the score tied at 4-4, Glory Days loaded the bases on a single by Brian Barnes, a long double by Jerry Matarazzo and a walk to manager DeSantis. Troy Glover followed with a bullet to left, scoring both Barnes and Matarazzo to make it 6-4. Glory Days followed with five more on a two run single by Jeff Bishop, an RBI hit by Marc Provencher and another two run single by Steve Arnold.

There were other stars for Glory Days, including leadoff hitter Troy Dean who opened the game with a home run to right field, plus another hit and a sacrifice fly. Matarazzo and Bishop had three hits apiece as Days pounded out sixteen hits. Arnold wound up with two hits, including a double, but it was Glover's clutch two run two bagger in the 9th that earned Glover the game's MVP award. Mike Alfinez almost stole the show for the Cubs as he had a single, double and four stolen bases, including a daring steal of home with two strikes on the batter in the 7th inning to create a 4-4 tie. Mario Perez had a triple and a single for the Cubs, but also took the loss in relief of starter Ruddy Garcia, who pitched six innings.

The Cubs were forced to play without their star pitcher and hitter, Matt Weihs, who spent three days in the hospital with an inflamed pancreas. Weihs was released from JFK hospital Sunday morning, but could only sit helplessly in the stands as his teammates saw their dream of winning a league championship in their first year go by the boards. Althougfh it had been more than a decade between championships, the title was actually the third for Glory Days. They won 18AA championships in the spring 1997 season and the 1998 Fall campaign, when the 18AA division was the league's top division. The Spring '97 title game was the last game ever played in historic West Palm Beach Municipal Stadium, the former spring training home of the Atlanta Braves and now defunct Montreal Expos.