Bordentown 8’s advance to Washington title game

   In front of a great crowd, the Bordentown 8-year-old boys’ Little League All-star team beat arch-rival HTRBA, 5-2, on Tuesday night to set up yesterday’s (Wednesday, August 8) scheduled championship game in the Washington Tournament.
By:Sean Moylan
   If Bordentown had lost Tuesday’s contest, then HTRBA would have been declared the tournament champion. But Bordentown was able to stay alive in the tourney because of its 4-run bottom of the fourth.
   Tommy Potts, Ryan Walsh, Mike Constantini and Scott Gorish put together a string of 4 consecutive singles in the innings. Walsh’s knock plated Potts, who had moved to second on a passed ball, while Gorish drove in 2 runs with his base hit.
   Scott Gorish hurled the first three frames and left with the score knotted at 1-1. With three innings of solid relief, Michael Constantini received the win.
   "It was another good game," said Tom Potts, Bordentown’s manager. Tommy Potts was 3-for-3 while Beau Marchetti went 2-for-2. Michael Carroll and Gunnar Decker both made outstanding catches in the outfield to snuff out HTRBA rallies.
   On Monday night, Bordentown had earlier topped Sunnybrae, 15-9, behind Tommy Potts’ incredible 3-for-4, 2-homer, 6-RBI game. Potts launched a grand slammer to right in the sixth to give Bordentown some breathing room. It needed it because Sunnybrae scored 5 runs in the bottom of the inning to give Bordentown a scare. With Robert Foster hurt and Bordentown playing every night because it fell into the Losers’ Bracket with Sunday night’s 12-11 loss to HTRBA, Bordentown was in desperate need of a complete game.
   Ryan Walsh delivered one.
   "He (Walsh) was throwing really nice," said Potts.
   Bordentown was actually down a run (4-3) at one point but scoring runs was not its problem – because everyone was hitting. Ryan Walsh (3-for-4. including a triple to the fence), Scott Gorish (2-for-3), Matt Bauer (2-for-3), Beau Marchetti (a 2-run hit in the sixth) and Michael Carroll (an RBI single in the fifth) all delivered crucial blows.
   Unfortunately, HTRBA proved Bordentown could be beaten with its 12-11, 8-inning win on Sunday. The game see-sawed back-and-forth most of the way, with Bordentown’s starter, Scott Gorish, leaving after pitching three innings with the score leveled at 3-3. Michael Constantini hurled the next three and Tommy Potts entered the tied game in the seventh and provided some instant heroics.
   "In the 7th inning they had bases loaded and no one out and we got out of it," noted Potts, whose squad gave up the wining run in the eighth. As usual, Bordentown knocked the stuffing out of the ball. Tommy Potts (3-for-4), Michael Constantini (3-for-4), Dominic Ricasoli (2-for-3), Michael Carroll (a double) and Beau Marchetti (2-for-3) all hit the ball hard.
   "We played for 2 hours and 50 minutes," added Potts, whose team never surrendered.
   HTRBA is the only team to give Bordentown headaches in either of its tournaments. Moreover, a six-foot trophy was at stake in yesterday’s contest.