Three Cranston natives help Cozy Grill to Tournament of Champions title

Posted 3/19/15

Three Cranston natives helped Cozy Grill, a 70-plus Rhode Island-based men’s softball team, to a second consecutive championship at the Tournament of Champions in Lakeland, Fla.

Cranston’s Ted …

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Three Cranston natives help Cozy Grill to Tournament of Champions title

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Three Cranston natives helped Cozy Grill, a 70-plus Rhode Island-based men’s softball team, to a second consecutive championship at the Tournament of Champions in Lakeland, Fla.

Cranston’s Ted Weller, Norm O’Brien and Lou Capirchio all contributed to the tournament title, with O’Brien earning an All-Tournament Team nod.

Cozy Grill executed a perfect relay to take a one-run victory over Syracuse in the winner’s bracket final. With the game tying run on first, a Syracuse hitter sent a towering drive into left-centerfield. Cozy Grill outfielder Dexter Patterson raced to retrieve the ball, and threw a perfect throw to shortstop Fred LaFazia, who relayed another perfect strike to home plate, where catcher Weller got the game’s final out. The victory propelled Rhode Island’s 70-75 representative at the Tournament of Champions into the finals, where they defeated an outstanding team from Texas.

More than 1700 softball players, representing 115 teams from 30 states participated in the event. Only teams that had won SSUSA softball tournaments in the previous year were eligible to compete. Cozy Grill finished the tournament with five wins in six games, eliminating the Syracuse Cyclones, 14-13, in the winner’s bracket final, and defeating Hill Construction from Austin, Texas, 13-9, for the 70-plus AA Division Tournament of Champions title.

Assistant coach Lou Capirchio summed up the tournament, “When you are playing in a major tournament, and the Tournament of Champions is considered senior softball’s most prestigious tournament, all 17 of our guys had to contribute.” Assistant coach George St. Vincent added: “We won because we refused to lose. When we were behind, we came up with key hits in key situations. We also made big defensive plays at big moments.”

Five of the Cozy Grill players were named to the All-Tournament Team for their offensive and defensive contributions. The list included: Fred LaFazia (.722); Peter Castriotta (.722); Felix DeCesare (.700); O’Brien (.722); and Gerry DeMello (.556). LaFazia, who starred both at bat and in the field, was named the tournament MVP.

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