Youngsters named contest winners


FARRAH MAFFAI Maribeth Guarino, 6, of Freehold Township, gets set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Aug. 15 Lakewood BlueClaws game. Maribeth was a winner in a Greater Media Newspapers contest.FARRAH MAFFAI Maribeth Guarino, 6, of Freehold Township, gets set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch at the Aug. 15 Lakewood BlueClaws game. Maribeth was a winner in a Greater Media Newspapers contest.

A back-to-school baseball promotion turned out to be a hit for a pair of youngsters who were the winners of a contest sponsored by Greater Media Newspapers.

Aug. 15 was Greater Media News-papers Night at GPU Energy Stadium in Lakewood, the home of the Lakewood BlueClaws baseball team.

A record crowd of 8,869 fans turned out on a warm summer evening to see the hometown BlueClaws, a Single A South Atlantic League affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, battle the Columbus, Ga., RedStixx, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

The RedStixx jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in winning 6-3.


FARRAH MAFFAI Shawn Reu, 12, of Oakhurst, announces the Lakewood BlueClaws starting lineup on Aug. 15 with a little help from Captain Jack. Shawn was one of the winners in a contest sponsored by Greater Media Newspapers.FARRAH MAFFAI Shawn Reu, 12, of Oakhurst, announces the Lakewood BlueClaws starting lineup on Aug. 15 with a little help from Captain Jack. Shawn was one of the winners in a contest sponsored by Greater Media Newspapers.

The contest for children sponsored by Greater Media Newspapers was conducted in all of the group’s weekly publications in Monmouth, Ocean and Middlesex counties. The winners selected at random were Shawn Reu, 12, of the Oakhurst section of Ocean Township, and Maribeth Guarino, 6, of Freehold Township.

Both youngsters were guests of Greater Media Newspapers at the Aug. 15 game. Maribeth threw out the ceremonial first pitch, and Shawn announced the batting order for the RedStixx and the BlueClaws on the stadium’s public address system.

The event marked Greater Media Newspapers’ first promotions effort with the BlueClaws, who are putting the wraps on their inaugural season.

"We wanted to get our name out into the Ocean County community that we entered when we purchased the Tri-Town News earlier this year," said Josef Ornegri, advertising director. "We are proud to have been a part of the BlueClaws’ largest crowd this season."

Greater Media Newspapers publishes the News Transcript, the Independent, The Hub and the Atlanticville in Monmouth County; the Tri-Town News in Ocean County; and the East Brunswick Sentinel, the North Brunswick-South Brunswick Sentinel, the Suburban and Monroe Living in Middlesex County.