The Brick National 10-year-old all-star team saw its impressive summer run come to an end last week in the sectional tournament.
The youngsters from Brick National simply ran out of steam against a pair of solid teams from South Wall and Hamilton, dropping their first two games in the tournament, 4-0 and 4-2.
The team’s manager, John Marsch, said the losses came as a surprise to his team, which had played so well leading up to the sectionals.
"We were more shocked than disappointed," he said. "The bats just went silent on us. The two teams we saw in the sectionals were not half as good as the teams we beat in the district tournament. I can’t explain it."
PHOTOS BY FARRAH MAFFAI Above, Brick National’s Sean Henry works the mound during his squad’s rain-shortened contest on July 22 at the Holbrook Little League Fields in Jackson, while at left, Kyle “Speedy” Butkovsky lays down a bunt before beating out the throw for an infield hit.
However, Marsch added that he couldn’t be prouder of his team’s effort throughout the summer.
"These are great kids," he said. "Up and down the line-up, they all contributed. They’re well-behaved and they played hard. We just had a lot of fun."
The squad’s run through the district tournament gave them reason to be confident heading into the sectional tournament.
Brick National won six straight games to reach the finals for the district championship last week at the Holbrook Little League fields in Jackson, including wins over Toms River East (TRE) American, 10-5; Jackson, 12-4; Lakewood, 9-3; Berkeley, 6-3, Brick American, 10-6; and TRE National, 3-1.
In the final, Brick knocked off TRE National once again, 13-4.
"The best thing about this team is their positive attitudes and the way they support each other in each game," Marsch said. "From one end of the bench to the other, they play as one."
The members of the team are Nick Vitale, John Guilino, Kevin Brennan, Brandon Chapman, Thomas Tressito, Scott Gordy, Timothy Carney, Kyle Butkovsky, Sean Henry, Richie Zonin, Andrew Casten and Dillon McDonnell. The coaching staff is John Vitale and John Brower.
— Doug McKenzie