ROSL World Series Matchups Set in Blazing Heat

With Thursday’s temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, players in the Royal Oak Sandlot League baseball playoffs took the field at to determine which teams would advance to the league’s World Series.

Due to concerns over the excessive heat, the start times of games involving the ROSL’s Kaline Division were pushed back a half-hour, to 7:30 p.m. The softball and control pitch games scheduled for earlier in the day were postponed.

Thursday’s action was the conclusion of a round-robin playoff that saw the Kaline field cut to its final four teams – two each from its National League and American League divisions. The Kaline Division consists of players from the 12-13 year-old age group.

The Freehan Division, made up of players aged 9-11, determined its World Series matchup Wednesday night. In that division, Norm’s Field of Dreams (14-1) will face  (11-4) in a three-game series that will begin 7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Park.

The ROSL’s Harwell Division and softball leagues will hold their championships next week.

Kaline Division series

Back in Kaline, in the National League Final, Avery Printing defeated , 9-3, to earn a berth in the World Series. Avery Printing ended the regular season in third place with a record of just 8-7, but it had defeated first-place Frentz & Sons (14-3) on June 15.

Avery Printing manager Aaron Allison said the win meant a lot to his team and the coaches. “We’ve worked so hard for this,” Allison said. “These kids have put in extra practices when most people aren’t practicing. It just paid off for them, it really has.”

In the American League Final, the first-place Royal Oak Firefighters continued their strong play, defeating the Royal Oak Lions Club, 12-2. The Firefighters finished the regular season with a 13-3 record.

Royal Oak Firefighters co-manager Steve Agnello said he was confident his team would reach the World Series. “For a team that had six wins last year, we had some nice draft picks and we thought we would do good,” Agnello said. “It’s no surprise that we’re here.”

Agnello’s co-manager, Mike Geboski, said the team is already looking forward to its next game. “They already know what their job is and they showed it again tonight,” Geboski said. “We’ve had a good team since Day One – good players and great coaches; it’s all one unit. Hopefully we can continue for two more of the next three – that’s all that counts.”

Avery Printing and Royal Oak Firefighters will begin their best 2-out-of-3 World Series matchup Saturday at Memorial Park with the first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m. Royal Oak Firefighters won both of its regular season matchups with Avery Printing.

For more information on the ROSL, including standings and a schedule, visit the league’s website at www.eteamz.com/royaloaksandlotleague.