Village Bison Baseball Club

08/31/2026

Sunday Aug 30th results;

Tampa Thunder 2
Village Bison 3

Sharks 7
Latin Americans 12

Tampa Stars 5
Crusaders 6

Sunday Sept 6 schedule;
OFF for Labor Day weekend

Sunday Sept 13 game;

Village Bison at Tampa Sharks
Noon-Land O’Lakes —Field #4

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

08/30/2026

VILLAGE BISON WIN ANOTHER THRILLER AT THE PAT!
For the second week in a row, the Village Bison rallied late to pull out another thrilling Tampa Senior Baseball League victory, defeating the tenacious Tampa Thunder 3-2 at Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg before their largest home crowd of the season.
The visiting Thunder, led by their excellent head coach Victor Martinez, entered the game 1-0, while the Bison were looking to keep their perfect start alive and capture their third straight league win without a loss.
The Bison struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Carlos Padilla drew a walk and stole second before Vinny Zarrella delivered an RBI single to give the Bison an early 1-0 lead.
The Thunder answered in the second, scoring twice to take a 2-1 advantage. That score held all the way until the bottom of the seventh.
With one out, Joe Kasper singled and stole second base. With two outs and the Bison down to their final opportunity of the inning, Vin Mavaro came through with a clutch RBI single to left. Kasper raced home from second and scored on a perfect head-first slide, tying the game at 2-2.
After the Thunder went scoreless in the top of the eighth, the Bison came to the plate looking for some late-inning magic for the second week in a row.
They found it.
With one out and nobody on, pitcher Willie Castro came off the bench to pinch hit and crushed a double over the left fielder’s head. Speedster Tom Leugers entered the game to pinch run for Castro. After the next Bison batter grounded out, Robb Herron stepped to the plate with two outs and the
go-ahead run at second.
Herron delivered.
He ripped a line-drive single into right-center field, bringing Leugers home and giving the Bison a 3-2 lead.
The Thunder stopped the rally there and came to bat in the ninth with the top of their order due up. But Bison ace right-hander Willie Castro slammed the door, setting The Thunder down 1-2-3 to seal another dramatic victory.
For the third week in a row, the Village Bison celebrated a TSBL win at Pat Thomas Stadium!
Both teams finished with eight hits, but the difference was the Bison’s ability to deliver when it mattered most. Two huge two-out RBI singles—the first by Mavaro to tie the game in the seventh and the second by Herron to put the Bison ahead in the eighth—proved to be the difference.
Robb Herron and Vin Mavaro led the Bison offense with two hits apiece. Gary Rima, Joe Kasper and Vinny Zarrella each added a hit, while Willie Castro’s clutch double helped set up the winning run.
The Bison defense was flawless, playing error-free baseball, while winning pitcher Castro went all nine innings on the mound to earn the victory. Castro scattered 8 hits, would strike out 8 Thunder hitters and pitched a 1-2-3 inning in 5 of the 9 innings. Another amazing pitching stat from Castro was the top 5 hitters in the Thunder order went 1-18 vs the Bison ace right hander.
The Village Bison improve to a perfect 3-0 to start the season, while the Tampa Thunder fall to 1-1.
After taking Labor Day weekend off, the Village Bison will hit the road on Sunday, September 13, traveling to Land O’ Lakes for a noon matchup against the Tampa Sharks.

R. H. E.
Tampa Thunder 2 8 2
Village Bison 3 8 0

Another late rally. Another one-run thriller. And another Village Bison victory! 💙⚾️❤️🦬

08/28/2026

The Village Bison Senior baseball team plays at home this Sunday August 30 at 10am at Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg. The Bison will host the Tampa Thunder in what should be another very entertaining and competitive Tampa Senior Baseball League matchup. Both teams enter the game undefeated on the early part of this season. The Village Bison are 2-0 and the Thunder enter the game 1-0. There is no admission charge to the game so come out and cheer on the hometown team this Sunday!

08/26/2026

Sunday August 23 results;

Village Bison 4
Latin Americans 2

Sharks vs Crusaders—rained out

Stars vs Thunder —Rained out

THIS SUNDAYS GAMES;
Thunder at Bison
10am Pat Thomas stadium Leesburg

Sharks at Latin Americans
Stars vs Crusaders

08/23/2026

VILLAGE BISON SENIOR BASEBALL TEAM WINS A THRILLER

The Village Bison Senior Men’s Baseball team pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind victory Sunday, defeating the Latin American 60’s team, 4-2, at Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg.

The matchup was a rematch of last spring’s Tampa Senior Baseball League championship game, which the Bison won 14-3. This time around, however, the Latin Americans made sure it would be a much different type game.

The Latin Americans jumped out to a 2-0 lead with two runs in the top of the first inning. From there, LA’s outstanding left-handed pitcher Jesus Cruz kept the Bison bats quiet, throwing six shutout innings as the visitors carried their 2-0 advantage into the seventh.

The Bison finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh. Vin Mavaro singled, and Fred Millar followed with a towering drive over the left fielder’s head. Mavaro raced all the way around from first to score the Bison first run of the game on Millar’s double, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Millar was stranded at second, leaving the Bison still trailing by one.

Village Bison starting pitcher Willie Castro responded with a 1-2-3 eighth inning, setting the stage for a dramatic Bison rally.

Rick Skutak opened the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff single. Robb Herron then executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Skutak to second. Castro was intentionally walked, and a Carlos Padilla ground ball forced Skutak out at third.

With two outs and the Bison still trailing 2-1, the rally came alive.

Gary Rima drew a walk to load the bases, and Vinny Zarrella followed with another walk, forcing home Tom Leugers who was running for the pitcher Castro, with the tying run.

Then came the biggest hit of the game.

With two outs, the bases loaded and the score tied 2-2, Joe Kasper delivered a clutch single, driving home Padilla and Rima and giving the Bison their first lead of the day, 4-2. The Bison were unable to extend the lead and would need three outs to preserve the win.

The Latin Americans weren’t finished, though.

After the first two hitters in the ninth grounded out to Mavaro at first base, the visitors reached on a Bison error. A long single by their No. 3 hitter, Bobe, put runners at first and third with two outs with the tying runs on base and the go ahead run to the plate.

But Castro finished what he started. The Latin Americans’ cleanup hitter popped out to Millar at second base, ending the threat and setting off a Bison celebration in front of the hometown faithful at Pat Thomas Stadium.

Castro was sensational on the mound for the Village Bison. After allowing two runs in the first inning, he shut out the Latin Americans over the final eight innings. Castro went the distance, pitching all nine innings and allowing just two runs while scattering eight hits to earn the victory.

Mavaro and Millar led the Bison’s 12-hit attack with three hits apiece, including Millar’s RBI double. Kasper added two hits, highlighted by his huge two-out, bases-loaded, two RBI single in the eighth.

Padilla, Rima, Skutak and Carmine D’Agostino each added a hit.

The Bison also played solid defense throughout the game, highlighted by shortstop Rick Skutak turning a key double play in the fifth inning to end a potential Latin Americans rally.

With the exciting 4-2 victory, the Village Bison improve to 2-0 to start the fall TSBL season.

The Bison return home next Sunday for another big matchup when they host the Tampa Thunder at 10:00 a.m. at “The Pat.” The Thunder are 1-0 in the young season after their game this Sunday was rained out.

Next up: Village Bison vs. Tampa Thunder — Sunday, 10:00 a.m. at Pat Thomas Stadium in Leesburg.