(Editor’s note: Diamond Dust is a weekly synopsis of happenings in the Rome Men’s Softball Association compiled by board member Mike Kohli. It will feature spotlight games and standout players from that week’s games.)

By Mike Kohli

Saturday was elimination day in the 2007 Rome Men’s Softball Association’s season-ending tournament. Only six of the tournament’s 16 teams would remain standing after Saturday play. Losers’ bracket games kicked off the action early and saw many teams packing up to think about what may have been. Many familiar faces and one surprising team survived Saturday to advance to Sunday.

The Cinderella team of the tournament, the Wal-Mart Mets from the Sunday Tavern League, made a charge through the losers’ bracket on Saturday after losing their first game on Thursday night. Keith McCormick’s squad picked up the pace early on Saturday, defeating a stunned Oriskany Falls Legion team in dramatic fashion. Brian Raehm hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to begin Cinderella’s dance. Mike Magnanti smashed two home runs and Lou Amberg went 5-for-5 for Wal-Mart in the victory. Josh Gagnon, Mike Lee and Dennis Doyle had two hits apiece for Oriskany Falls.

Other Saturday action saw PBA/Palisades continue its long-standing tradition of fighting through the losers’ bracket in the City Tournament. PBA won three straight games on Saturday, knocking off Casey’s Tavern, McKie’s Sports and Aquino’s in quick succession to advance to Sunday play.

Other teams to survive Saturday and play on in the chase for the city crown included perennial playoff contenders Midnight Mike’s, DeMatteo’s/Advanced Auto, Fazio’s and Don’s Auto. Mike’s and Don’s were relegated to fighting out of the losers’ bracket after suffering lopsided defeats late Saturday to Fazio’s and DeMatteo’s respectively.

Mike’s then made an early exit from the tournament on Sunday, losing to PBA/Palisades in the opener on field one. Meanwhile Don’s ended the Cinderella story for Wal-Mart in the other early game on Sunday, winning handily 15-4. Don’s top four (Mike Tomassi, Brendan Ryan, Tommy Meiss and Mike Dominic) combined for 16 hits to lead the Don’s offensive attack.

Fazio’s defeated DeMatteo’s in the first of three Sunday matchups between the two rivals, knocking DeMatteo’s into the losers’ bracket where they convincingly ended PBA/Palisades marathon run in the tournament 20-7. PBA/Palisades finished third in the tournament, while Don’s placed fourth. DeMatteo’s/Advanced Auto’s defeat of PBA/Palisades led to a rematch of an earlier Sunday game against the winners’ bracket champion Fazio’s. DeMatteo’s would have to knock off Fazio’s twice to reclaim its crown as city champ.

DeMatteo’s took an early lead, scoring five times in the top of the first inning to set the tone. Fazio’s answered with five runs of its own over the first two innings. Dave Leonbruno and Monty Dibble had key RBI singles for Fazio’s to keep pace. The game went back and forth for the next few innings before DeMatteo’s exploded for four runs in the top of the seventh to take a commanding 11-7 lead. Dave Jecko and Andy Miller each had big hits in the seventh to pad the lead for DeMatteo’s, which allowed just one run in the bottom of the inning to force the deciding game.

The final game ended in a forfeit after the third inning for Fazio’s as one of its players was ejected for arguing a call with the home plate umpire. League rules dictate that you must finish the game with 10 players if you start with 10, unless there is an injury. The early ending in the final did little to dampen the enthusiasm displayed by DeMatteo’s/Advanced Auto in defending its city tourney crown. Its team motto is "One team, one family" and DeMatteo’s once again proved to be one champion in the 2007 Rome Men’s Softball Association City Tournament.