Ex-Tigers help O’Charley’s to division crown

JOLIET – O’Charley’s Pub served notice Friday it might be a team to be reckoned with in the future after capturing the Men’s “E” Recreational division title over Traditions in the Joliet Park District City Softball Tournament at the Inwood Complex.

“It feels amazing. I don’t know what to say,” said Riley Charley, the 19-year-old manager who helped put the team together. “This is our first year of playing softball together. I’ve played baseball with these guys all my life. They’re all St. Joe’s baseball players and Joliet West guys.”

O’Charley’s entered Friday with a 4-0 record in tournament play, while Traditions was 3-1. Traditions defeated O’Charley’s, 13-10, in the first game thanks to an eight-run barrage in the fourth inning. That set up a winner-take-all in Game 2.

O’Charley’s won the coin toss and hit first. By the time the first inning ended, O’Charley’s held a 10-1 lead; and for all practical purposes, the game – and the title – was theirs. They went on to a 13-3 victory.

“Losing that first game was definitely motivation,” Charley said. “We knew they’d be tired. We just came out and had to rally.”

The second game ended in the sixth inning when O’Charley’s Anthony Panateri drove in Matt Ramirez to make it 13-3, sparking the 10-run rule.

“We took a Joliet West team and put it together here. Anthony DiNardo, Matt Ramirez, Anthony Panateri and Mark Zelinski all played there,” Charley said of the four who were varsity regulars for the Tigers in the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

DiNardo had four hits in the opener and drove in two runs. Ramirez had six hits and two RBIs in the two games. Panateri had six hits and an RBI in the two games, while Zelinski finished with two hits in the two games.

Jared Gerencher, a former West football player, had seven hits and two RBIs in the two games.

“Jared’s a speedy person,” Charley said. “He’s aggressive. He’s always trying to take the extra base. He really gives the team life.”

The other O’Charley’s contributors included Brett Cates, Frank Turk, Carter Slachetka, Dan Timlin, Tyler Kenney, Christian Cottrell and Jimmy Hibner.