Southern New Jersey run ends in final
By: Bob Nuse
They played what amounted to a Major League schedule in what seemed like a Major League setting. And in the end, the Montgomery 9-year-old all-star baseball team nearly pulled off a major surprise in the Southern New Jersey Cal Ripken State Tournament.
Montgomery advanced to the state tournament in Bellmawr by winning the Cal Ripken District One tournament. Once it got to the state tournament, Montgomery opened with a 9-3 win over Galloway Township before a 4-2 loss to Mount Laurel dropped it into the losers’ bracket.
That is where the schedule got even more challenging.
"That game against Mount Laurel was a sensational game," Montgomery manager John Colombero said. "There were no errors on either side. For a game played by 9-year-olds, it was great. But once we lost we knew we were going to have to come back through the losers’ bracket."
And Montgomery did just that. The team and its entourage made the more than one hour trip to Bellmawr four straight days, winning the first three to capture the losers’ bracket and set up a rematch with Mount Laurel. Montgomery topped Washington Township, 8-3, Medford, 14-1, and Egg Harbor, 10-9, to set up Friday’s showdown with Mount Laurel.
In the final, Montgomery was tied, 8-8, in the fourth inning before running out of gas and dropping a 16-8 decision.
"We were real proud of the kids for coming back out of the losers’ bracket and remaining focused enough to play six games in seven days," Colombero said. "Mount Laurel only had to play Wednesday and Friday after the first weekend, so they were able to save their arms.
"The kids played well the whole tournament. We just played an inning in that last game like we hadn’t played in the whole tournament. As 9-year-olds, that can happen in a game, especially when you’re playing for the sixth time in seven days."
While Montgomery was forced to play an almost daily schedule, it did so in an atmosphere that made it much easier. The hosts in Bellmawr did their best to make sure everyone enjoyed their time at the tournament.
"They had an announcer there who was great and I think he took a lot of the nervousness away for the kids," Colombero said. "They had the music going between innings and they had the keyboard noises between pitches and batters. It was really a great environment for the kids to play in. I think they had a great time all week, even though we didn’t win the whole thing."
Montgomery fell just short of qualifying for the Mid-Atlantic Regional. Now the players and coaches can go back to whatever else the summer might hold for them, including family vacations. After a season in which the team won 32 of its 37 games, most of the players and coaches are probably ready for some time off.
"Even though it was a lot of baseball, the kids are pretty close and they had a good time together," Colombero said. "That was a big thing with this team. There were no individuals that thought they were better than everyone else. Every kid contributed and that was a big part of our success.
"The defense we played was at a high level. Overall, the kids were sensational. They had a lot of fun. It was a great and I think everyone was truly satisfied."
And for a whole week, it was a group that put forth a Major League effort in a Major League setting.