The managers of championship baseball teams will always point to their pitching as being the difference-maker for their winning team.
That adage was never more true than it was for the Manalapan Blue 8-year-old Cal Ripken All-Star team. With pitchers limited to two inning of work per game, depth is more important than ever.
Manalapan Blue rode the arms of six quality hurlers to a district championship, beating Holmdel in the championship game, 14-4.
“We had an abundance of pitching, so even if we were in trouble, we had depth,” Coach Dan Michaels said.
Sal Ceravolo, Edwin Melendez, Ryan Crehan, Hunter Michaels, Matt Mazza and Jack Schweitzer were Manalapan’s rotation, with Crehan, a lefty, providing a different look. All of the pitchers had one thing in common, according to Michaels.
“Everyone throws hard with good velocity,” he said.
Manalapan Blue went 5-1 in the tournament and won four games by 10 or more runs. That, according to Michaels, was due to the aggressive approach the hitters took.
“We didn’t look for walks,” he said.
Four teams went through pool play with 3-1 records. On a run-differential basis, Holmdel was the top seed for the playoffs, with Manalapan Blue and Hazlet the second and third seeds.
Manalapan and Hazlet would play in the semifinals, with the winner advancing to the championship game. The semifinal went into extra innings. The teams were tied 3-3 after six, but Manalapan broke the game open with six runs in the seventh inning to win, 9 -3.
Manalapan Blue did not need extra innings to nail down the District 11 championship, routing Holmdel, 14-4. Mazza was the hitting star, going 2-3 with seven RBIs.
Any championship is sweet, but this one was extra special for the Cal Ripken all-stars because it was their first time together as a team.
The Manalapan Blue all-stars are Robert Belovin, Sal Ceravolo, Giovanni Ciaccio, Ryan Crehan, Christopher Fiscor, Vinnie Lanza, Matt Mazza, Edwin Melendez, Anthony Rizzo, Jack Schweitzer, Logan Wald and Billy Watters.
Darrin Wald is the manager and Dan Michaels, Vinnie Lanza and Bill Watters are the coaches.
Manalapan Blue advanced to the Cal Ripken state tournament, where pool play concluded on July 28, after press time. The top four teams will play in the semifinals tonight with the final scheduled for July 30. The state tournament is being played in Keansburg.
— Tim Morris

