DeLango takes home softball league trophy

AMENIA — In a three-game series that produced a total of 88 runs, DeLango Automotive took home the championship during the first year of the Amenia Softball League.

The league consists of six teams formed from area players and sponsored by local businesses and organizations. The teams are B.W.’s Carpentry, DeLango Automotive, Jack’s Auto, the Amenia Fire Company, the Dover Fire Department and Harlem Valley Materials.

“We just sort of got together,� said Doug Pelkey, captain of the DeLango team and de facto league secretary. Ryan Killmer is the league president.

The league started in late April, Pelkey said, and for the first few months had to work around the schedule of the Little League teams. Teams practiced when they could, and the majority of games were played on Sundays.

Each team played 10 games throughout the season, playing each team twice. Following the regular season there were playoffs that concluded with the best of three championships, held the week of Aug. 9. DeLango’s beat the Amenia Fire Company in three games, 18-21, 12-9 and 20-8.

“I’ve been playing softball for the past 15 years,� said Mike DeLango, owner of DeLango Automotive. “And when I moved into the area, I used to play down in Pawling and Brewster, but it got to be too much of a travel. When I was approached by Doug Pelkey asking if I was willing to sponsor [a team] I said, ‘Definitely.’�

There were about 120 players in the league this year, and Pelkey said that there were plans to move up to eight teams next year.

“It’s looking good,� Pelkey said. “There’s definitely a lot of interest, and this is a good league, well behaved and no fighting or arguing or anything like that.�

Pelkey also pointed out that the town of Amenia was a big help in giving the league the use of its fields, and he thanked Joel Pelkey and Shawn Howard for all the volunteer work they did in maintaining the fields.

“It’s good for the people and good for the town,� DeLango added. “It was a fun thing. For me it was worth it just to see people having fun. The competition is definitely there, but the main thing is to have a good time.�