Township Little League
stars win league title
Second-straight crown for Freehold Township team
Freehold Township Little League’s 15-, 16-year-old all-stars have had quite a summer.
First they won the Junior League District 19 championship, advancing to the Section III tournament, where their run ended one game short of the state tournament with a 3-2 loss to Brick National. That final, won by Brick with a run in the last of the seventh, provided the Juniors with the opportunity to play on a professional field. The title game was played at GPU Energy Park, home of the Lakewood BlueClaws, the Single A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies.
The loss in the Section III tournament did not end the summer for the Freehold Township stars. They played in the Central Jersey League 15-, 16-year-old Division as Freehold Township 1 (Township also fielded a younger team made up entirely of 15-year-olds, which was Freehold Township 2), where they won the playoff championship for a second consecutive season.
Township 1 had a spotty regular season, qualifying as the No. 4 seed behind regular-season champion Freehold Township 2, Cheesequake and the Lincroft Seawolves (who owned two regular-season wins over them). But as has been proved time and again in postseason sports, all that really matters is getting into the playoffs.
"Anything can happen in a one-game playoff, and things went our way," said manager Mike DiMaggio.
Freehold Township 1 took full advantage of the second season and in its first-round game won the Battle of Freehold at Liberty Oak Park, defeating Freehold Township 2, 6-3. Mike Gerstein and Evan Mann teamed up to hold Township 2 to three runs, with the starter Gerstein getting the win and Mann getting the save.
The fine pitching performances by Gerstein and Mann were backed up by clutch run-producing hits from David Lorber, Matt DiMaggio and Mike Cuellari.
With the Battle of Freehold win, Township 1 moved on to the Central Jersey League championship game, where the Seawolves, victors over Cheesequake, were waiting.
Because the Seawolves’ home field doesn’t have lights, the final was played at Liberty Oak Park, with Lincroft the home team because of its higher seed (courtesy of its 2-1 and 6-1 wins during the regular season). Having the last at-bat didn’t matter as Township avenged its two regular-season losses with a convincing 9-1 win in the final that gave them back-to-back crowns. David Lorber and Gerstein were superb on the mound, keeping the Seawolves in check.
They received tremendous help from Carmelo Quentel and Adam Brossoti, who made marvelous defensive plays from the outfield. Quentel made a diving catch in right field that he turned into a double play, and Brossoti’s shoestring catch in left field further frustrated and discouraged the Seawolves.
Both plays came in the early innings, while the Seawolves were in a position to lift themselves back into the game, if they could make some plays on offense. Instead, Quentel and Brossoti dashed their attempted rallies.
Offensively, Freehold Township scored early and often. Lorber had a big day with two doubles and a triple. Matt DiMaggio, Cuellari and Mike Corlis added to the Freehold Township hit parade.
Manager DiMaggio credited his team’s ability to play well under the pressure of one-game elimination play to his players’ experience of playing with one another over time.
"Most of the team has played together for years, and it shows," he said. "They have performed real well in crucial games throughout."
Playing for Freehold Township 1 were: Matt DiMaggio, Evan Mann, Matthew Miller, Mike Gerstein, Mike Corlis, Adam Brossoti, David Lorber, Mike Cuellari, Sean Rhodes, Carmelo Quentel, John Raisley and Chris Junta.
Mike DiMaggio is the manager, and Roy Mann is the coach.

