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2002 ELKLAND "OPEN" LABOR DAY TOURNAMENT - Ricola goes 1-2.
2002 NAFA WORLD SERIES - RICOLA goes 1-3.

Ricola Men's Fastpitch Softball Club went 3-2 this past weekend in the NSA World Series in Salem Va. As usual, the Cough Drops got a tough draw and lost to Jacksonville, Florida 2-0 in their opener Friday night. Florida imported highly touted chucker Dan Wakefield from Iowa for the game and he had 13K's. Craig Hollingsworth relieved Chuck Smith in the 2nd inning for Ricola and threw extremely well but did not get any offensive support. Following this loss, the Cough Drops battled back through the losers bracket on Saturday with three wins against Roanoke, Va., Smokey Mtn. North Carolina, and Boston Massachusetts and their fine veteran pitcher Mike Joseph. Sunday morning, Ricola lost 6-3 to Quakertown, Pa. to get eliminated.

Recap as follows:
Florida 2 Ricola 0 LP: Chuck Smith
Notes: Cough Drops failed to adjust to a hard thrower.....too many big swings, not enough short-compact swings, little choking up and no attempt to play the small game. Pick up pitcher Craig Hollingsworth shines but has a fine effort get wasted.....Wakefield was good but shouldn't have overpowered Ricola the way he did.

Ricola 6 Va. 1 WP: Barry Van Hooser
Notes: 13 K's for Van Hooser.....Karn and Williams lead the offense.

Ricola 5- NC 0 WP: Chuck Smith
Notes: Ricola should have blown this team right off of the field and didn't in a lackluster performance. Chuck Smith gutted his way to the win without his best stuff.

Ricola 5 Boston 0 WP: Craig Hollingsworth
Notes: The Cough Drops win the right way....sound fundamental offense...bunting, going with the pitch , abandoned swinging for the fences and committed to scoring one run at a time which is the only way to win in a game like this against a fine opponent. Craig Hollingsworth pitches a fine game for Ricola....13 ground ball outs as the drop was falling off of the table. Ricola can play with anyone when they do what they did in this game.

Quaker 6 Ricola 3 LP: Barry Van Hooser
Notes: Ricola got behind early and never recovered....Quaker had the momentum early, Ricola battled it and got the flow going their way on Paul Furlong's home run but couldn't put the Pa. Quakers away. Late Saturday night game may have taken it's toll but Ricola did not warm up with conviction and they got caught by a more ready to play Pa. team.

Final Notes:
Pluses: Lead off hitter Roger Karn..7 hits and over .500 on base percentage. Judd Williams and Paul Furlong had good series and Chris Mendell is hitting line drives. Catcher Matt Foster is tireless. Van Hooser is craftty on the mound and Hollingsworth was a pleasure in every way. As a team, there is no quit, ever.
Concerns: Team defense was adequate but not stellar as is usual....there were periodic breakdowns in communication and play that simply wasn't heads-up. ...which you can get away with against the poor teams but not against the good teams. Too many ground balls and fly balls that weren't run out. Too many hitters that still at this stage of the season do not have discipline at the plate...any zone appears at times to be their zone. With only a few exceptions Ricola does not look to bunt for the base hit and with a few more exceptions Ricola cannot consistently sacrifice bunt. Hitting behind the runner is rarely evident. Chuck Smith is still hurting and not himself.

Ricola leaves for Salem Oregon on Saturday, August 17th for the NAFA World Series.

Ricola went 4-1 for the weekend. Foster batted close to .400, had two critical home runs (one off of highly touted Canadian pitcher Jason Smith in the "if game"), 5 RBI's, 6 runs scored, and he did a masterful job behind the dish with the Cough Drop pitching staff. Van Hooser got all four Ricola wins answering the call all weekend long in both starting and relieving roles.

The Cough Drops once again displayed their "never say die" attitude with 3 come from behind wins.....one against the fundamentally superior and veteran Prospect team and also against Central and their ace pitcher Sam Moore.

After dropping the first game to Jason Smith in the finals, Ricola beat Jason Smith in the "If Game" to win the tournament. It was Foster's tape measure home run off of Smith in the 3rd inning that was the key moment in what turned out to be a Ricola blowout.

Recap as follows:
Saturday (July 6th)
Ricola receives first round "Bye"
Ricola 3 - Prospect 2 WP: Barry Van Hooser LP: Mark Fallon - Foster game winning RBI
Ricola 10 - Victory Promotions 1 WP: Barry Van Hooser LP: Justin Pect - HR: Matt Foster, Judd Williams
Sunday (July 7th)
Ricola 8 - Central 6 WP: Barry Van Hooser LP: Sam Moore
D&D Powersports 4 - Ricola 0 WP: Jason Smith LP: Chuck Smith
Ricola 13 - D&D Powersports 1 WP: Barry Van Hooser LP: Jason Smith - HR: Matt Foster

Ricola travels to Cortland , NY, the last weekend of July.

Olean, NY - Double Elimination Tournament - June 22-23, 2002.
No Breaks/No Excuses - Ricola goes "Two and 'Que" in Olean
The Cough Drops, riding the crest of a 3 tournament winning streak, had one of those weekends in Olean, NY dropping two straight games to make a hasty departure from the tournament.
They lost 2-0 to an inspired METS team from Lackawanna, NY early Saturday morning.....it was one of those games where everything the METS hit had eyes and everything Ricola hit found leather wasting a fairly good outing by pitcher, Chuck Smith.
Later that afternoon, Big Johns of Buffalo, NY outplayed Ricola to a final score of 6-3 to eliminate the Cough Drops from the tournament. Losing pitcher was Barry Van Hooser.
The team reconvened at the home of Jen and Paul Furlong that evening to barbecue.
Ricola travels to Croghan, NY in two weeks for a double elimination tournament.

Dexter, NY - Round Robin Tournament - June 8-9, 2002.
Ricola pitchers dominant, win tournament with a 5-1 record.
The Cough Drops journeyed to Cape Vincent, NY, a beautiful, quaint resort town on the shores of Lake Ontario this past weekend and won the annual Dexter Round Robin Tournament with a record of 5-1. This was Ricola's 3rd consecutive tournament victory.

Ricola allowed only 3 runs in 6 games as outstanding pitching and a stingy Ricola defense proved to be too much for the competition in this strong field of teams. Barry Van Hooser (2 wins/28K's), Eric Fogel (2 wins) and Chuck Smith (1 win) lead the way for the Cough Drops. David Rennie made the defensive play of the tournament in game 5 against the Northern Merchants....Rennie, playing left field, caught a screaming line drive hit over his head at the fence to save three runs. Rennie's catch was the turning point in the tournament as it totally deflated the Northern Merchants as they attempted a late game rally. Roger Karn's defensive play in center field in the finals was also noteworthy....Karn threw a runner out at the plate in the 2nd inning and then in the third inning ran down a ball hit to the fence, relayed it to Judd Williams who threw the ball to the catcher, Matt Foster..Foster blocked the plate to make the putout on an exciting play at the plate to preserve the shutout in an exciting, well played finals.

Recap of games.
Sat: June 8 (Pool Play)
Ricola 7 - East Coast Ravens 0 WP: Fogel - HR: Carr
Ricola 4 - Northern Merchants 0 WP: Van Hooser/13 K's
Knoxville-Ontario 3 - Ricola 1 LP: C. Smith
Sunday: June 9 (Single Elimination)
Ricola 8 - Jack's 0 WP: C. Smith
Ricola 6 - Northern Merchants 0 WP: Fogel
Ricola 2 - Oswego NY 0 WP: Van Hooser/11 K's

Ricola 5-1 for weekend and Champions in Dexter/Cape Vincent Round Robin Tournament.

Jersey Shore, PA - Double Elimination Tournament - June 1-2, 2002.
Ricola wins 7 in a row, defends Jersey Shore title.
Pictures from Jersey Shore, PA tournament.
Ricola traveled to Jersey Shore, Pa. this weekend to Participate in the Jersey Shore Invitational Fastpitch Tournament. For the second year in a row Ricola won the tournament the hard way.....they came up short in the first game losing 4-2 to a very tough Bedford, Pa. team comprised of many of the old Apple Auto players (long time Ricola nemesis) and then went on to win 7 games in a row battling their way back through the Losers Bracket to take the championship from Oswego, NY, the 2000 Class "C" National Champions. It was a great display of grit and determination by the Cough Drops.

Ricola was led offensively by catcher Matt Foster's 3 home runs. Dingers were also hit by Paul Furlong, Yale Hughes, Jeff Carr, Derrick Zechman (2), Dave Rennie and Judd Williams (2). Rob Loglisci was often the offensive catalyst from the leadoff spot. Ricola got solid pitching from all 3 pitchers. Eric Fogel had 3 wins, Chuck Smith, and Barry Van Hooser had two wins a piece. Van Hooser was brilliant in relief of Fogel late in the "If Game" to thwart an Oswego rally. Defense played a big part in Ricola capturing this tournament. Shortstop Judd Williams, and Second Baseman Derrick Zechman were outstanding up the middle. Jeff Carr filling in at 3rd base for Paul Furlong made a few "highlight film" plays in the finals and Matt Foster catching 7 games was a rock behind the plate. Carr also played 6 positions during the week (1B, 2B, 3B, LF, CF and C) Roger Karn along with Dave Rennie did a fine job in the outfield and 16 year Ricola veteran Jim Fraser contributed offensively and defensively when called upon.

Recap of games.
Sat: June 1
Bedford 4 - Ricola 2 LP: Van Hooser - HR: Foster (2)
Ricola 6 - Specialty Products 0 WP: C Smith/14K's
Ricola 16 - Wasson Bros 3 WP: Fogel - HR: Carr & Williams
Sunday: June 2
Ricola 5 - East Coast Ravens 1 WP: Van Hooser - HR: Furlong
Ricola 6 - Bedford 4 WP: C. Smith - HR: Foster & Zechman
Ricola 6 - Butorffs 1 (Finals/ Loser's Bracket) WP: Fogel HR: Williams & Rennie
Ricola 6 - Oswego NY 4 (Game 1/Finals) WP: Van Hooser - HR: Hughes & Zechman
Ricola 3 - Oswego NY 2 ( If Game/ Finals) WP: Fogel

Ricola 7-1 for weekend and Champions in Jersey Shore Pa. Invitational Tournament

Elkland one day Round-Robin - May 11, 2002.
Ricola goes 4-0, wins 1st annual Elkland round-robin tournament.

Cortland Tournament - May 4-5, 2002.
Bats remain silent - One win, Three losses.

Ricola Fastpitch finished 1 and 3 in the 5th annual Cortland Early Bird tournament. Ricola lost to McKie's from Oswego 1-0, wasting a fine pitching performance from Eric Fogel. The Coughdrops were defeated by Keatings Fastpitch 7-1 in our second game of the day. Chuck Smith tossed a shutout in game number 3, a 2-0 defeat of Knoxville, Ontario.
On Sunday, Ricola was eliminated by Elkland (ESA) 1-0.

Tournament Morgantown, PA April 20-21.
Two wins - One loss, One rainout.
Pictures from Morgantown, PA tournament.
Ricola Fastpitch finished 2 and 1 in the April 20th annual Morgantown tournament. The rains came as Ricola was about to take on Keatings Fitness Center for a berth in the tournament final.
Ricola opened with a 3 to 1 loss against Conklins Copy Center, a game which the Ricola bats were unusually dormant. Eric Fogel tossed a three hit, twelve strikeout shutout in game two against Iverson - a local team from Morgantown. Chris Mendel was 3 for 3 with a homer and four RBI's in Ricola's 8 to 4 win against Bob Hoffman's from Reading, PA. Paul Furlong got the win allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings of work. The Coughdrops return to action in two weeks in the Cortland, NY round robin tournament.

Doubleheader vs. Elkland Fastpitch - April 14 12:00 p.m.
Two Games - Two Ties.

The Ricola Coughdrops played to a 1-1 and a 4-4 tie against Elkland Fastpitch on Sunday April 14. The Elkland Softball Association did a great job getting their field in playing condition after heavy rains on Saturday night. Both teams showed some rust after a long winter off but the games were generally played error-free. We thank the ESA for hosting this event and look forward to seeing them on the field as the season progresses.

Practice April 7 - Cortland NY.

The Ricola Men's Fastpitch Softball team began its 13th season on Sunday April 7th in Cortland, NY. Under the guidance of manager Doug Smith, Ricola participated in a drills oriented practice from 11am to 2pm. The weather was a brisk 40 degrees under sunny skies. Perfect way to begin another season.

Long time Ricola Centerfielder Larry Wilson has announced his retirement from the Ricola Fastpitch team. After playing over 10 years for the Coughdrops, Larry decided that it was time to call it a career. Larry will be missed, his number 24 is retired.