District 12 champs fall in Section 3 final
By: Bob Nuse
TINTON FALLS For nearly a week, the West Windsor 12-year-old all-star baseball team went back and forth to Tinton Falls.
For six straight days, players, coaches and parents made the trip to Monmouth County. All involved would gladly have made a seventh trip.
West Windsor’s marvelous post-season run came to end on Sunday with a 4-1 loss to South Wall, which claimed the Section 3 championship with the win. If West Windsor, which earlier in the day had completed a 6-5 win over Brick that allowed it to capture the losers’ bracket, had topped South Wall on Sunday, it would have set up a Monday night championship game in Tinton Falls.
"I’m real proud of the boys," said West Windsor manager Dave Campbell, whose team out-hit South Wall, 6-3 but came up a little short. I give (South Wall) all the credit in the world, but they’ve had a real sweet route to get to this game. We’ve played eight of the last 10 days going back and forth with the rain. I think that threw a little monkey wrench into things. But I give them credit, their kid was a nice thrower."
After winning the District 12 championship a week ago Sunday, West Windsor opened the Section 3 tournament with wins Tuesday and Wednesday before falling into the losers bracket with a 5-0 loss to South Wall on Thursday. West Windsor then played what amounted to a three-day game with Brick to capture the losers’ bracket.
The game started on Friday, but was halted by rain before the first inning could be finished. The teams started again on Saturday, with West Windsor taking a 6-5 lead in the top of the seventh before the rains came in the bottom of the inning and forced the game to be concluded on Sunday.
West Windsor, behind the clutch pitching of Joe Jensen, held on to beat Brick, setting up a game with South Wall less than an hour later.
"The first game was sweet. Joe just shut them down," Campbell said of Jensen, who after a walk needed just 10 pitches to retire the next three batters. "He has a tendency to get the ball up, but we just told Aaron to give him a low target. The first pitch was up, but then he just mowed them down. Joe was terrific."
West Windsor was nearly terrific against South Wall, just not quite terrific enough. They faced a pitcher Keith Adamkiewicz who had not allowed a run in District 19 or Section 3 play. But even with that tall task, West Windsor hit the ball, putting runners on in all but two innings.
"It was a well-played game," Campbell said. "We had the one little fielding blunder with the throw from right to third and then home again. But that was it and we made that up. I thought Chris (Campbell) pitched a good game. They only had three hits. He walked a few guys on some close calls."
The younger Campbell worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first and the game was scoreless until the bottom of the third, when South Wall scored on a walk, single and throwing error. In the fourth, South Wall loaded the bases with no outs before Campbell retired two batters. But a two-run double just inside the third base bag made it 3-0, with a wild pitch adding a run to make it 4-0.
"It’s so hard with kids," Dave Campbell said. "They get bases loaded and no outs and they battle and get two outs, but there has to be a little bit of letup because they think they’ve done something. The kid hit his pitch. He throws that curve-change and the kid just pulled it down the line. I knew it would be tough after that."
West Windsor got to Adamkiewicz in the fifth when Jensen doubled with two outs and scored on a base hit by Ben Ruta. But that was all the offense they would muster as a great post-season run finally came to an end.
"They said this kid had not allowed a run the whole post-season," Campbell said. "They must think this kid is really lights out because the outfielders were playing so shallow. That’s where you play hitters when the pitcher is throwing real hard. I thought we had some good cuts.
Ben Ruta was right on him. (Aaron) Sherman was on him. I think Adam (Charnin-Aker) had a couple of hits. Ryan (Siegler) had the one nice hit."
As it turned out, six different players had hits for West Windsor. Jensen and Tim Crew each doubled, while Ruta, Brendan O’Leary, Siegler and Charnin-Aker had singles.
For Campbell, even though the run finally came to an end, it was one he and his players won’t soon forget.
"The parents, the kids, the league, the town, have all been terrific," he said. "It was great getting emails from everybody reaching out and telling us they’ve been following us. It makes you feel good and think all the hard work you’re doing has some significance. I have no regrets about anything. I like the way the team gelled.
"We had zero problems from start to finish. We had some great comebacks that I’m sure the kids will remember as they get older. The 4-3 Nottingham game. The 1-0 game here with Brick. The 6-5 game with Brick we just had earlier today. They were great games."