Little League Insider: New Jersey

Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

East Greenwich Proves Best, Wins NJ State Title

Read about East Greenwich's previous games: NJ State Tournament Preview, East Greenwich Steals Victory, and Shocking Results in New Jersey

East Greenwich was not supposed to win the New Jersey state title if you believed... well me. Coming from South Jersey, the Section 4 champion is instantly the underdog once you get to the state final four. Nobody from Section 4 has won the state championship at the Little League majors level since South Vineland in 1991. That's a streak of 21 years.

The streak is over.

Even as the unbeaten team in the state championship game against Toms River East American, it felt like East Greenwich was an underdog. From the first inning, they didn't play like it. Five first-inning hits including RBI doubles from Hunter Kelly and Jonathon Burlingame pushed East Greenwich to a 4-2 victory. Josh Crowding added an RBI single in the decisive first inning as well. Before anyone at Wallingford Little League could get a Philly Cheesesteak from the concession stand, it was 4-0 East Greenwich.

Toms River was immediately forced into survival mode and went to its most effective starting pitcher in the last couple weeks, Dougie Pombo. The right-hander allowed just four more hits to East Greenwich and struck out six batters in 5 1/3 innings of relief, but the offense couldn't make the difference.

East Greenwich's defense helped its pitching-by-committee efforts with stellar defensive plays from the word go. Burlingame orchestrated two fantastic double plays and Miller and Shawn Dougherty took away sure-fire hits while roaming the outfield.

Toms River loaded the bases in the fourth but couldn't push a run across after a single by Maximus Rivas with two men on base. Finally in the fifth, TRE made its move. Pombo led off with a line drive home run to left field which sent the players and fans from the shore into frenzied chants of "Battle Sword," the nickname for Pombo's bat.

In the sixth inning, Jonny Munson led off with a double. He eventually scored on a Rivas grounder, but a Burlingame double play on the ball took a lot of wind out of Toms River's sails. TRE still didn't go away though. Nick Silvia and Pombo both singled with two outs. Danny Clemente ripped a line drive to right field, but it was caught and East Greenwich celebrated.

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Saturday, July 27, 2013

Shocking Results in New Jersey, East Greenwich Sitting Pretty

Written by Kyle Stackpole, contributing writer

East Greenwich 14, Toms River East American 4

In the first round of the NJ State Tournament, both East Greenwich and Toms River East American found themselves escaping from brutal situations late in their respective games. TREA had to score two runs in the sixth to force extra innings before winning 8-4 against Wayne National and if it weren’t for two errors by Nutley East, East Greenwich would have been playing for their lives today. Each team had their own reasons to be grateful of the opportunity presented to them. Only one team was able to take advantage of it.

When Shawn Dougherty stepped into the batter’s box in the top of the first, no one could have imagined the type of game he would have. He started it off with a solo bomb to put East Greenwich up 1-0.

East Greenwich extended their lead in the second. After an RBI single by Michael Mackley, Dougherty did some more damage with a two-run single up the middle. With four runs across in the first two innings, East Greenwich was sitting pretty.

Toms River East American responded in the bottom half though. With two outs and two men on, ninth-hitter Maximus Rivas ripped a double to cut the East Greenwich lead in half.

East Greenwich began to break it open soon after. RBI singles by Ryan Mihlebach, Austin Crothers, Jonathon Burlingame, and Sean Szesto gave East Greenwich an 8-2 lead. Already two-for-two on the day, Shawn Dougherty came back up to the plate. As usual, he delivered with a triple and two runs batted in. East Greenwich was in double digits and TREA was in a heap of trouble.

Going 3-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored would have been an outstanding day for any average ball player. For Shawn Dougherty, he felt that his performance needed to be enhanced even further. With the score 11-2 in the top of the fifth, Dougherty hit his second home run of the game, making the score an astonishing 14-2. He ended the day going 4-for-4 with eight RBI and three runs scored.

If Dougherty was the main reason for East Greenwich’s success, Sean Szesto could not have been far behind. Sean Szesto went four innings on the mound, allowing five hits and two runs to hold a devastating Toms River East offense at bay.

With the win, East Greenwich will play Sunday night in the state final. Toms River East American will play tomorrow against Nutley East. The winner will play in the final and the loser will go home.

Nutley East shocked Wayne National 14-1 in a mercy-rule shortened victory in the losers' bracket.

EDITOR'S NOTE: I expected two blowouts today. I did not expect either one to be in the direction it was. Wayne I can explain. They folded up shop and were finished. East Greenwich? Well maybe they just played to their potential on Friday, something they didn't do on Thursday. Toms River is the most talented team in the field still... we'll see if they can battle back with three straight wins.

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Friday, July 26, 2013

East Greenwich steals victory from Nutley East in the Sixth

Written by Kyle Stackpole, contributing writer

After a wild extra inning contest between Wayne National and Toms River East American in the first game, Nutley East and East Greenwich finished off the night. Going into the game, not many knew what to expect. What started as a boring game turned into a finish I have personally never seen before.

East Greenwich 4, Nutley East 3

As with any tournament, it is imperative to start on the right foot. With that being said, both squads had their aces on the mound. Josh O’Neill pitched for Nutley East and Josh Crowding took the mound for East Greenwich.

Through the first three innings, neither team could put a run across. East Greenwich flirted with one in the third, but Josh O’Neil was able to sneak out of a no-out bases loaded jam.

Nutley East finally struck first in the top of the fourth. Louis Conca drew a bases loaded walk to score Jeremy Kraft and give his team a 1-0 lead. Nutley added another run in the inning on an RBI single by leadoff hitter Peter Lopez.

With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth, Nutley East decided to pull Josh O’Neil after 66 pitches. Danny Caraballo came in to throw a scoreless inning and keep the Nutley East lead at 2-0.

Nutley East added an insurance run in the fifth when Louis Conca came up big again with a single and a run batted in. Instead of facing a two-run deficit, East Greenwich was now in a three-run hole.

However, East Greenwich was able to get that run back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single by starting pitcher Josh Crowding. Heading into the sixth, Nutley East still held a 3-1 lead.

After a scoreless top of the sixth, East Greenwich had their last licks. Facing Peter Lopez, East Greenwich received back-to-back singles by Michael Mackey and Ethan Gill. The edge shifted back to Nutley East after getting two quick outs via a fielder’s choice and a pop up to first. At this point, Nutley East brought in their fourth pitcher of the day: AJ Lotito.

Lotito walked his first two batters, the second of which forced a runner home. With the score now 3-2, Ryan Mihlebach came to the plate with the bases still loaded. After a fantastic battle, Mihlebach hit a hard ground ball to second base. The combination of a bad hop and a misjudge sent the ball past the second basemen and into right-center field tying the game 3-3.

Next to the plate came Josh Crowding. With a 1-2 count, Crowding popped one up to second base. The second basemen got under it but closed his glove too early, causing the ball to pop out and fall onto the grass. A run came home and in the blink of an eye, East Greenwich stole the game along with the hearts of the players from Nutley East.

East Greenwich now faces Toms River East American in the winners bracket final on Friday night. Nutley East must regroup to face a tough Wayne National side.

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

New Jersey State Tournament Preview

Written by Kyle Stackpole with contributions from John Malone

The New Jersey state tournament begins on Thursday in Wallington.

Coming into the tournament, the field seems to be wide open. Wayne National and Nutley East were 3-0 in their sectional tournaments but did not completely run away with their section titles. On the other hand, both Toms River East American and East Greenwich came through the losers’ bracket of their respective sections.

Section 1: Wayne National (District 2)
Recent History (2000-Current): District titles- 3, Section titles- 0

Wayne National went 3-0 during the Section 1 tournament, outscoring their opponents 28-11. Dominic Cancellieri was magnificent in the tournament, going 5-for-9 with three home runs. He is also the ace pitcher of the staff, tossing 4 2/3 innings of one run ball while striking out 10 in the championship game. On the offensive end, Wayne National can score. John Boscarino, Jarod Strus, Jack Feit and Ari Field all have home run potential every time they step to the plate. Pitching will determine how far this team can go.

Section 2: Nutley East (District 8)
Recent History (2000-Current): District titles- 1, Section titles- 0

Nutley East also went 3-0 during the Sectional Tournament and outscored their opponents 23-10. NELL is a well-rounded ball club without a true star. Seemingly everyone has come up in a big spot. A.J. Lotito, Aidan Okamoto-Wolf, and Danny Caraballo have all come through in the last few weeks and Peter Lopez has got it done on the mound.

Section 3: Toms River East American (District 18)

After winning the Little League World Series title in 1998 and losing in the United States championship game in 1999, Toms River East American has not advanced to the state tournament. After falling 12-8 to South Wall in the opener, TREA kept fighting. They put up 32 runs in their next two elimination games to reach the Section 3 final against Nottingham. After trailing 13-3 in the fourth inning, Toms River East American came all the way back to win the game 15-13, forcing the two teams to play again. In that game, TREA was finally kept in the ballpark, but came away with a hard-fought 5-4 victory. After scoring 79 runs in six games, Toms River East American is a serious threat to win the state crown. The first six hitters in the lineup all have legit home run power. Watch out if Nick Silvia gets hot at the top of the order.

Section 4: East Greenwich (District 15)

This is the first ever state tournament appearance for East Greenwich. After making it to the winner’s bracket final, East Greenwich fell to Haddonfield 13-6. From there, it was an uphill battle. After defeating Ocean City 12-2 in an elimination game, East Greenwich set up a rematch against Haddonfield in the sectional final. Two wins later, East Greenwich stole the crown and will be entering unchartered waters starting Wednesday in Wallington. East Greenwich has put up a ton of runs throughout the tournament so far. Shawn Dougherty was one of the big bats during the Section 4 final. He finished 4-for-5 with two home runs.

John Malone’s Prediction: Without knowing Nutley East and East Greenwich this is impossible, but history tells us that either Wayne National or Toms River East American is the favorite because they come from tougher sections. With that being said, TREA’s offense is really deep and has the potential to outhit anyone, but if Wayne National can maximize its pitching prowess then I give them the edge.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Little League Roundup (July 18, 2013)

Written by John Malone, editor

Note: This is the third of three blogs today, make sure you read them all
With a lot state tournaments starting around the country this weekend, sections are starting to wrap up in the East. Others are in the break between tournaments resting up. Here’s tonight’s edition of Little League Roundup.

New York

Five of the six sections are set now after Pearl River finished off one of the most amazing comebacks these eyes have ever seen. PRLL rallied for 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and knocked off a really really good New Rochelle Central team, 14-13. You can read a full game article HERE.

Pearl River changed their lineup today for the first time and moved its three hitter, Sean Flaherty, into the two-hole. The move ended up working perfectly for Pearl River. As good Little League minds know, you want your best hitter leading off or batting second at worst in Little League. There are not enough at-bats and you DO NOT want to be stuck with your “guy” on deck. Great move by Pearl River.

New York City wrapped up its first-ever double elimination section tournament today when South Shore American of Staten Island (one of the most storied programs in the country) rallied to beat Franklin Square 10-7. Thomas DiOrio homered and picked up the win in relief after SSA trailed 4-0 early. Hulking Nick Scala, South Shore’s pitching ace would’ve been available for the “if” game. He also homered.

New Jersey

Wayne National won the Section 1 championship behind six home runs including two from winning pitcher Dominic Cancellieri. You can read a full game story right HERE.

In Section 3, Toms River East American (three-time LLWS participants and one-time champion) put on another hitting display that could rival the 1927 Yankees. TREA beat South Wall 19-5 and has now scored 59 runs in the four games of the Section 3 tournament. Toms River East has hit 16 home runs in the sections. However, TREA has the toughest test of all now, knocking off state title favorite Nottingham…twice.

Connecticut

CT’s District 2 has been locked down by Fairfield American for a few years now. FALL has won three straight CT state championships in the 12-year old division and went to Williamsport twice. Their cross-town rival, Fairfield National, won the state title as 11-year olds last year, but Westport decided to break up the party.

Westport won the championship last week and is now primed as the state tournament favorite after beating Bristol Edgewood 8-0 in the Section 1 tournament. Edgewood scored 23 runs on Wednesday to open the tournament, but couldn’t muster a hit off of Westport pitcher Chad Knight who also struck out 13 batters. What’s the impressive thing about that feat? Harry Azadian had a no-hitter through 5+ innings in Westport’s last game.

Washington D.C.

While the District of Columbia has six teams in its tournament now, it’s truly a three-team race between perennial power Capitol City, recent champion Northwest Washington, and newcomer Capitol Hill. With just one game left in the round-robin pool play, Capitol City has restored order and is in the driver’s seat. Cap City didn’t allow a run to either Capitol Hill or Northwest Washington in its two victories against the other contenders. In fact, Cap City didn’t allow a runner to reach second base in either game. Against Northwest Washington, Robert Reynolds was perfect through 5 1/3 innings including 13 strikeouts. His relief didn’t allow a runner either to combine on the perfect game.

Arizona

The Arizona state tournament kicked off on Thursday and some of the tradional powers picked up big wins in the opening round. Chandler National South beat Casa Grande 18-8, Canyon del Oro beat West Flagstaff 16-6, and Arrowhead beat Mountain View 16-5.

NJ Section 1: Wayne National races to title

Written by Kyle Stackpole, contributing writer

Usually brand new 13-year olds receive presents on their birthday.

On Thursday night, Wayne National’s Dominic Cancellieri gave his team the biggest present of all.

A sectional championship.

Behind Cancellieri’s dominant pitching and incredible hitting, Wayne National defeated Par-Troy East 11-1 in five innings to win the Section 1 title. The game was shortened by the mercy rule.

On the mound, Cancellieri pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up just one run and two hits while striking out 10. With the bat, he was just as impressive. He hit two home runs and drove in three for a Wayne National team that hit six home runs in the game. Jack Feit added a pair of round-trippers and John Boscarino and Ari Field each hit a solo shot.

Even more amazing was that on a day dedicated to him, he pulled through for his team.

“It feels great,” Cancellieri said. “We thought we were meant to be in sectionals last year. This year, we hoped to make it past the districts. Now look at us; we’re onto states.”

Cancellieri is one of three returning players from last year’s squad. Boscarino and Jared Strus also played on last year’s sectional squad. Experience has obviously helped this team understand the amount of work it takes to be one of four teams left in New Jersey. The other major aspect is working hard every day.

When asked how they were so successful throughout the tournament, manager Paul Boscarino put it simply.

“Practice, Practice, Practice.”

“We work hard,” added an assistant coach. “Whenever we do not have a game, we practice for two to three hours a night.”

That hard work has sure paid off. Wayne National has outscored its opponents 28-11 during the three games at Dumont.

As satisfied as this team is at this point in the season, the road to Williamsport has just begun. They begin the state tournament on Wednesday in Wallington for a chance to represent the state of New Jersey in the Mid-Atlantic Tournament. According to Cancellieri, success for this team is centered on a few factors.

“We need to pitch well and not walk batters. Those extra batters are the ones that will kill us. We don’t have to worry about hitting. We’re going to hit.”

Wayne National sure hit the heck out of the ball tonight. They finished the game with 11 runs, 11 hits, and six home runs.

With an explosive lineup, pitching will determine how far this Wayne National team can go.

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Wayne National advances to New Jersey Section 1 Championship

Written by Kyle Stackpole, contributing writer

For the second game in a row, Washington Township played a thriller, although this one was of the high-scoring variety. To make matters worse, Township wasn’t able to pull off the late-game heroics.

Wayne National 10, Washington Township 8

Washington Township took a surprising 3-0 lead early in the game with Wayne National’s star pitcher Dominic Cancellieri on the mound. He exited the game early on with just 35 pitches keeping him available for the championship game.

Wayne National got on the board in the third, when Ari Field knocked in John Boscarino. After singles from Cancellieri and Field, things got even better for Wayne National. Steven DiPaolo hit a three-run bomb and Wayne National was on top 4-3. The kids from Wayne weren't done yet. Danny Murphy added a two-run shot of his own, giving Wayne National a 6-3 lead.

Washington Township stole one back in the bottom of the third to cut the lead to 6-4. In the top of the fourth, it was Cancellieri’s turn to join the home run parade. He hit a two-run shot that left the yard quicker than any I have seen in this tournament so far.

Washington Township was not going down without a fight. They mustered three hits and three runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the deficit to just 8-7.

After a scoreless fifth, Wayne National received some much needed insurance. Hits by Boscarino, Cancellieri, and Field gave Wayne National two more runs and a three-run lead heading into the last inning. Washington Township threatened in the bottom half, but could only put one across, giving Wayne National the huge win.

Boscarino, Cancellieri, and Field were incredible for Wayne National. They were 8-for-9 with four runs batted in and five runs scored. With the win, Wayne National advances to the Sectional title game on Thursday. Washington Township is now forced to play tomorrow against Par-Troy East, who eliminated Somerset Hills in the late game.

On a side note, this was one of the best little league games I have seen. It was back and forth and full of drama. In addition, Dominic Cancellieri is a name to look out for down the road if Wayne National continues to advance. He is a star in the making.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Wayne National played without its third and fourth hitters tonight. Unknown reasons. Very impressive victory.

Monday, July 15, 2013

New Jersey Section 1 Tournament Recaps

By Kyle Stackpole, contributing writer

Sunday marked the start of the Sectional Tournaments in New Jersey. University of Maryland-bound Kyle Stackpole went out to cover the Section 1 Tournament in Dumont today to see what New Jersey Little Leaguers had to offer. Here’s his first post as a contributing writer for Little League Insider.

Par Troy East 10, Somerset Hills 0 (F/5)

In the first game of the day, Par-Troy East was matched up against Somerset Hills. Par-Troy had Noah Lustig, their ace, on the mound while Somerset Hills went with Jeff Bailey.

The scoring started in the bottom of the second when Par-Troy’s Alex Angulo and Angelo Cascio walked to start off the innin. Will Kauffman came in to try and stop the early bleeding for Somerset Hill but PTE kept the pressure up. Par-Troy scored its first two runs on a passed ball and a double steal attempt. Then, Andrew Stulec drove in the third run with an RBI-single. By the time the inning had ended, Par Troy East had a 4-0 lead.

Par-Troy added another in the fourth to make it 5-0, but the game was still well within reach. However, Somserset Hills could not get their bats going. They mustered only two hits against a combination of Noah Lustig (35 pitches), Ollie Boch (35 pitches), and Danny Rodriguez (13 pitches).

Par-Troy made a statement in the fifth inning that showed how explosive this team could be. After DePietrio and Stulec brought home two more runs on back-to-back hits, power-hitter Tyler Grieco came to the plate. Grieco was potentially fooled on the pitch, but, because of his strength, the ball carried all the way over the right field fence for a two-run home run, giving Par-Troy a 9-0 lead. Next to the plate was clean-up hitter Danny Rodriguez. He ended the game early by scolding a line-drive home run over the right center field fence. The 10-run mercy rule came into effect and the game was over.

With the win, Par-Troy will play Washington Township in the winners’ bracket on Monday at 6 p.m. Somerset Hills falls into the losers bracket and will play Monday at 8:15 p.m. against Lackawanna.

Wayne National 7, Lackawanna 2

With Lackawanna’s top two pitchers unavailable for the opening game of the Sectional, it was hard seeing them pulling this one out.

They began the game with Ryan Kaiser, who pitched a solid two innings. The only run he surrendered came on a double play ball that was overthrown.

Wayne National did most of its damage in the fourth inning with. After scoring their first run on a bases loaded walk, Jack Feit singled home two and Wayne National had a 4-0 lead. The game was broken open later in the inning with a huge three-run blast by Ari Field. The inning had finally ended, but not before Wayne National had a comfortable 7-0 cushion.

Lackawanna managed to put two across in the top of the fifth, but never seriously threatened to make it a game. Wayne National’s combination of Dominic Cancellieri and Jared Strus shut out Lackawanna while only giving up six hits, three of those coming from Chase Cramer.

The middle of Wayne National’s order definitely got the job done on Sunday. The 3-4-5 hitters (Jared Strus, Jack Feit, and Ari Field) were 3-for-4 with six runs batted in. Look for these hitters to carry Wayne National through the tournament.

With the win, Wayne National moves on to the winners’ bracket final. Lackawanna will play an elimination game against Somerset Hills tomorrow.

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