That good old feeling

Montgomery 11s win second straight Ripken state title

By: Bob Nuse
   MOUNT LAUREL — Most members of the Montgomery 11-year-old Cal Ripken all-star baseball team already knew the feeling of winning a Southern New Jersey state championship.
   They also knew that winning a second straight championship wasn’t going to be easy.
   But whether the team repeated or not, the players and coaches knew one thing — they were going to have a lot of fun trying.
   "They’re 11 years old and it should be fun for them and I think it is fun for them," said Montgomery manager Tom Verducci, whose team captured a second straight Cal Ripken state title when it topped Cherry Hill, 6-4, on Wednesday night in Mount Laurel. "When we have practices, and we had a practice yesterday, the kids stick around after practice and play running bases. They really enjoy playing with each other. Not just in the games, but being around one another. That’s just one of the reasons it’s a special team.
   "Their expectations are high, which is a good thing. But I don’t think they associate that with pressure. They know they’re a good team so they expect something out of themselves, which is good. But it’s never at the loss of any fun."
   Just as it did last year, Montgomery won the SNJ title by winning four straight games. After opening with relatively easy wins it its first two games, Montgomery topped Gibbsboro-Voorhees, 3-1, on Monday before eliminating Cherry Hill on Wednesday for the title.
   With the win, Montgomery advances to the Mid-Atlantic Regional, which begins Aug. 3 at Gibbsboro-Voorhees.
   "It’s the same feeling, maybe even a little better because a lot of people say it’s tougher to win it twice in row," catcher Robert Johnson said after helping Montgomery to the championship. "People know more about us because we won last year. We knew it would not be easy because we saw the last two teams play and they looked really good.
   "The next round will be tough. Last year we made it there and we know it will be hard."
   In Wednesday night’s win, Montgomery scored all six of its runs in the second inning. Trailing 1-0, Cameron Hoos led off the inning with a walk. With two outs, Larry Davanzo walked to put two runners on. Andrew Link then singled to drive in the first run. Adam Verducci followed with a two-run double that made it 3-1. Luke Bonfield singled to drive in a run, and D.J. Nozza followed with a two-run home run to make it a 6-1 lead.
   Cherry Hill made a late run, scoring thee runs in the top of the sixth. But Link was in control on the mound most of the night, giving up eight hits and striking out six in a complete-game performance.
   "It feels different even though we’ve already experienced this," said shortstop Verducci, who had two hits in the win. "It still feels great. (Cherry Hill’s) hitting was great, so it put a little more pressure on us, especially on defense."
   But like last year’s team, this team was able to win with contributions from the whole roster. Every batter reached base at least once on Wednesday, the defense was solid, and the pitching came though the whole tournament.
   "My dad says our team isn’t built up of a few players," the younger Verducci said. "Our whole lineup can hit. Not just one player has to do it."
   This year, Montgomery had the added burden of coming into the tournament with a target on its back. Every team knew this group had been to the Cal Ripken World Series last year. And every team was geared up for the challenge of facing Montgomery.
   "It’s very different from last year when nobody knew us," said the elder Verducci. "It was kind of a different team because our team last year was a combination of three teams and it was the first time they played together.
   "But being a World Series team from last year, we knew that everyone knew us and we’d see everyone’s best pitcher and everyone’s ‘A’ game. And I think our guys understood that challenge and knew it was a different landscape that last year. I don’t think it really bothered them."
   Nothing really ever seems to bother this team, whose main goal always seems to be having fun. Starting with the pre-game and going right through the post-game, this is a group that just enjoys playing together. And even when Cherry Hill started to make a run in the sixth inning with three straight hits, Montgomery never looked to be feeling any pressure.
   "I hope that’s the way they felt," Verducci said. "Andrew still pitched very well and I think he understood some of those balls found holes and they were not hit very hard. Before they went out in the field I reminded them we had a lead and were playing for outs."
   And beginning next week they’ll be playing for a second straight Mid-Atlantic championship. Last year that meant a week in Albany, N.Y. This year, it’s a couple of extra exits south on Route 295 at Gibbsboro-Voorhees.
   But no matter where this team plays, the No. 1 priority is still the same — have fun playing baseball.