Page 52 - CBA 1980 YEARBOOK

BASEBALL
Front: T. Keegan, D. Speach, F. Manara, M. Burns, D. Konarski, T, Rouen, P. Carr, M. Donahue, J. Zabinski. Back: K. Calahan, ).
Yudin, L. Penizotto, B. Vinceguerra, J, Barnello. T. Myers, J. Merola
The 1979 CBA Varsity Baseball team won the CNYCL championship once again under the guidance of
coach Pete Birmingham.
The Brothers compiled a league record of twelve wins and two losses in holding off Corcoran and
Watertown, Overall, they were 19-6, including a big win over Solvay (considered to be one of the best
teams in the country) and a tough defeat in the sectionals at the hands of Liverpool.
Birmingham's sharges faced many key games, often concentrated in a period of a few days, a condition
which placed the team under a great deal of stress. The highlight of the season was a nineteen inning
ordeal against Watertown, After playing for five hours, the deadlocked battle was postponed until a later
date. When play resumed, both teams failed to score for the first six innings and traded runs in the
seventh, before Bob Vinceguerra hit a dramatic eighth inning home run to win the game, just as a deluge
of rain threatened to postpone the contest for the second time. It should also be mentioned that the
Cyclones had numerous scoring opportunities of their own snuffed out, the key defensive play coming
when Leon Penizotto threw out the potential go ahead run at the plate.
The line up was dominated by Seniors, including pitcher Mike Burns (won seven games), catcher Tim
Clisson, Shortstop Bob Vinceguerra, (The top power hitter, .400, six home runs), first baseman Kevin
Calahan, clutch pitcher Mike Clark (big wins against Henniger, Watertown), and Mike Downs, who
pitched the first seven innings of the Cyclone-Brothers marathon, despite the fact that he had not seen
previous duty in the rotation all season. Burns, Calahan, Vinceguerra, Clisson, made the All-City squad,
while those four plus Downs, Clark, and Fred Mannara played in the City-County All-Stars Game, which
was won for the first time ever by City players, behind the pitching of Burns and two RBI's of
Vinceguerra. Among the underclassmen on the team. Junior John Yudin won two games and started at
designated hitter in cleanup for the last two-thirds of the season.
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