Thrills, chills and a crown

WW-P captures Mercer Legion playoff with one-run wins

By: Bob Nuse
   EWING — The West Windsor-Plainsboro American Legion baseball team provided its fans with plenty of excitement during the Mercer County American Legion League playoffs.
   For those on the field and in the dugout, it might have been a little too much excitement.
   WW-P played five games in the tournament, winning four of them. Each game was decided by one run — and two of those went extra innings. In the end, Wednesday’s 3-2 win over Ewing gave WW-P the tournament title and a berth in the American Legion State Tournament.
   "They were all low-scoring and they were all one-run games," said WW-P manager Don Hutchinson, whose team will begin state tournament play on Saturday at 10 a.m. in West Deptford. "I’m sure it was great for the fans to watch, but as players and coaches it’s a little nerve-racking.
   "It’s probably indicative of the season that the teams in the league were so balanced. That probably took it to another level. It wasn’t just our game, but every game you could have won or lost every one of them."
   After opening the four-team, double-elimination tournament with a win over Broad Street Park, WW-P fell into the losers bracket with a 2-1 loss to Ewing on Sunday. On Tuesday, WW-P topped Broad Street Park, 3-2 in extra innings, and then topped Ewing, 3-2, by scoring two runs in the bottom of the seventh.
   That set up Wednesday’s final with Ewing. After falling behind, 2-0, WW-P took the lead on the three-run double by Kevin Maselli in the bottom of the third. The lead held up thanks to four innings of no-hit shutout relief pitching by Dan Margiotti and a diving catch in right field by Taylor Titsch to end the game.
   Maselli had missed the first two games of the tournament while attending to college preparation in North Carolina. He returned in time to deliver the winning hit Tuesday night and the big blow on Wednesday.
   "I knew if they won one game it was going to take us to another day," Maselli said. "I got home Sunday night and had to work on Tuesday. I got here just a little after game time on Tuesday."
   Maselli had faith that even with so many close games, WW-P had what it takes to come away with the playoff championship and a spot in the state tournament.
   "Our pitching is very good," he said "They’re consistent day in and day out. Greyson started and threw the ball well. They got those two runs, but then we got three runs right back to get the lead. Danny came in and pitched a consistent game after that and kept us in it.
   "Looking at the two high school teams during the regular season, I knew our North team was a very good hitting team and the South team was a very good hitting team. And we had good pitchers. When you put that together, what could go wrong? And I think we can keep going with the pitching we have."
   Margiotti came on in relief of Greyson Van Dyke and got the job done with four solid innings of relief. In his prior appearance in the tournament, Margiotti had struggled. But this time he came through.
   "I came in earlier in the tournament and it was a pretty bad outing," he said. "I walked the first three batters and I hit the fourth and was taken out. That was horrible. I have been sitting here the past couple games hoping to get another chance."
   He got that chance and helped WW-P pull out a fourth-straight one-run win.
   "I could tell earlier in the year that this team had character and the heart to put up a fight like this," Margiotti said. "We had so many late wins."
   Now WW-P gets to see what it can do at the state level. The pitching should be somewhat rested and hopefully the offense, with Maselli back in the middle of the lineup, can take some of the pressure off a staff that has been magnificent.
   "We’re a different team when we have his bat in the middle of the lineup," Hutchinson said. "Overall, we’re still not hitting as a team. But the one constant has been the pitching. We’ve found that when you pitch well you have a chance to win games like this.
   "They believe in themselves and they’re confident. And in baseball, sometimes you get a couple breaks and get a little lucky. The pitchers kept us in position where things like that can change the outcome. That’s where I really give the credit to our whole staff."