By Wayne witkowski
Staff Writer
VERONICA YANKOWSKI Brick American’s Michael Spinelli takes a healthy cut during a recent game against Toms River North.
Brick American’s 12-year-old Little League District 18 championship baseball team saw a valiant run to glory end when it was eliminated from the Section 1 tournament at Wall on Friday.
After an opening 7-2 victory over South Wall on Wednesday, the Americans saw two of their great strengths desert them the next two games. The team that hit 10 home runs in the first five games of the district tournament was held to one hit in a 2-0 loss to Woodbridge on Thursday — a single by Mike Spinelli in the third inning. Spinelli stole second and got to third on a passed ball before Brian Staub missed a base hit by inches when the shortstop made a terrific play to end the inning. Woodbridge got its runs in the first and third innings.
Then, the Americans’ defense that has been consistently solid struggled in a rematch with South Wall, an 8-7 loss in which Brick American left the bases loaded in the last inning. A strange play decided the game. With runners on first and second, the next batter hit a fly ball and both runners tagged up. The ball was thrown to second base to get the back runner going from first, while the lead runner continued around third and scored.
"When you play three days in a row, that’s very difficult; it’s asking a lot to play three days in a row," said Brick American manager Jon Denley. "When you play these teams, every player is an all-star and they all have stellar pitching. But I’m extremely proud of the team. Our goal was to win the districts, and everything after that was gravy."
In fact, Denley said he was proud of the entire Brick American program that claimed two other District 18 titles as well — in the 14- and 16-year-old age groups.
"I’m very proud. The whole league did a remarkable job," said Denley. "It’s good coaching in the entire program, and having an indoor training facility was a big help."
That’s true especially for this year’s rain-soaked spring.
South Wall jumped out on Friday with five runs in the first inning, helped by three hits, two walks, a hit batsman and a passed ball.
Brick American came back with a run in the bottom of the first inning when Steve Zrowka singled in Spinelli, who walked and stole second. Spinelli then belted a two-run homer after Jose Ramos walked to pull Brick American to 5-3.
Brick American eventually took a 7-6 lead in the third inning when Ramos hit his first-ever Little League home run — a three-run shot — after Mike Kiley walked and Spinelli singled.Anthony Piezzo started the inning with a solo homer. South Wall tied it in the fifth before the fateful sixth inning.
Brick American loaded the bases in the sixth on singles by Andrew Stillwagon and Brendan Melody and a walk by Staub before the next batter struck out.
"We played errorless ball in the districts but we made some errors that hurt us in this one," said Denley.
Kiley, who was held in check at the plate in the section tournament, pitched a masterful two-hitter in the 7-2 victory on Wednesday over South Wall, an effort marred only by two bases-loaded walks in the fourth inning.
By then, Brick American had a 3-0 lead helped by a run-scoring double by Zrowka, who then scored on an error, in the third inning. Staub knocked in a run in the first inning with one of his two doubles.
Ramos, who had the big home run in the Friday game, had the big hit on Wednesday as well — a two-run double in the sixth inning that gave his mates a cozy 7-2 cushion. Zrowka, Spinelli and Piezzo had two hits each.
— Wayne Witkowski