Shrewsbury legion baseball program back on the map
By Ken Powers Contributing Writer

Shrewsbury - Back on the map - that's what the Shrewsbury American Legion Post 397's baseball program is after this summer.

Post 397 rallied late, winning several games down the stretch to finish the regular season, 11-11, grabbing the final Zone 4 playoff spot on the last day of the season.

"I think we've really turned the corner," Post 397 Manager Frank Vaccaro said. "I'm really proud of the kids and how hard they worked."

It was Shrewsbury's first trip to the American Legion playoff s in 30 years.

"I think this is a major step in really bringing Legion baseball back to Shrewsbury," Vaccaro said. "I think now kids will again want to play Legion ball, want to be a part of it. That used to be the feeling in town, but years ago interest died down, kids started doing other things, playing other sports, playing baseball in other places. After this year, I think the interest will be back."

The late-season magic that got Shrewsbury into the playoff s wasn't able to keep them there, however, as Post 397 came out on the wrong end of a hard-fought, three-game, first-round series with Grafton Hill.

Shrewsbury sandwiched a 6-5 win between 4-2 and 8-1 victories by Grafton Hill. That 6-5 win, however, forced a series-deciding third game.

While the 8-1 loss is what eliminated Post 397, it will be the 4-2 loss in the first game that stays with Vaccaro.

"We had them 2-0 and lost 4-2," Vaccaro said. "We needed to be just a little bit sharper. You have to win playoff games when you're ahead by two runs like we were. You have to put the team away, not let them come back. We're getting better at doing those things, but were not quite there yet."

Pitcher Cruz Rosado helped Shrewsbury force a third game by tossing a complete-game victory in Game 2. After allowing two runs in the first inning, Rosado settled down and shut out Grafton Hill until the ninth when he tired and allowed three more runs to score.

"Cruz kept them off balance all game," Vaccaro said. "After the first, when he settled down, until the seventh, when he started to get tired, he completely shut them down. They couldn't touch him."

Dean Diamantopoulos paced the off ense in the win, with three hits. Jeff Comeau added two doubles out of the No. 9 spot in the batting order, and Eddie Shea also recorded two hits.

Despite the early exit from the playoff s, the future looks bright for Post 397, as 14 players on this year's roster are eligible to return and Vaccaro thinks most of them - if not all of them - will.

"They got a taste this year of how great it can be," Vaccaro said, "and I really believe next year they're going to want a bigger taste."