By: centraljersey.com
To borrow a page from Allen Iverson’s book, we talkin’ about champions!
Hopewell Valley’s travel baseball teams have amassed four so far this summer, and it probably won’t stop here.
The 8U squad won the 32-team Suburban (PA) travel league on the road by defeating previously undefeated Warwick 5-2.
It marked the 8’s second championship of the year, as they also won the Bridgewater Blast Memorial Day Tournament.
In the finals, the Bulldogs (13-1) scored four sixth-inning runs for the lead against Warwick (13-1). Lawrence Mahle fanned six in three innings and Aiden Discordia allowed four hits and struck out three in three frames. Tony St. John had a single and two RBI, Michael Randazzo had an RBI single that provided a 3-2 lead and Kenny Tagliareni hit a two-out, two-run single for some key insurance.
Hopewell won three games in three days to get to the finals, starting with an 8-4 win over Northampton. Matt Geiger pitched two strong innings and had two hits, while Ricky Eng had a double, single and two RBI. Discordia and Mahle were also effective on the mound.
In the quarterfinals, Hopewell defeated Doylestown, 13-7, dropping the Pennsylvanians to 9-3. Hunter Oshman (2 hits, 2 runs) and Tagliareni (3-for-3, 2 innings pitched) paced HoVal, while Will Canata had a hit and walk, Jason Greenzang had two hits and an RBI and Dylan Galgano had a single and double.
In the semifinals, Hopewell gave Morrisville its second loss in 14 games with a 12-2 victory. The Bulldogs’ defense recorded 17 outs with its gloves, while Mahle, Geiger and Discordia combined for an impressive performance on the mound. Galgano had a triple, while Greenzang had a double and a triple. Canata and Greenzang both made incredible diving catches in left field to keep Morrisville at bay.In the Bridgewater Tournament, HoVal swept through pool play by a combined scored of 44-7 and beat Somerset Hills 9-8 in the championship game.
The 10U squad defeated South Plainfield, 8-0, to claim the Central Jersey Baseball League travel season championship.
Hopewell’s first hit did not come until the fifth inning, when Dominick Gambino singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on Robby Wiley’s single. Hopewell exploded with seven straight hits in the sixth, getting a triple from Jack Kandell, singles from Cole Hare, Sean O’Brien and Adam Wijaya, a double by Michael Savas and singles from Drew Reynhout and Sam Margulis.
Jake Tobia and Wiley each pitched three solid innings with Max Brass handling the catching. Andy Blake led the defense in helping Hopewell to its third shutout.
The 10s advanced to the title game with 6-1 win over North Edison, getting RBI singles from Kandell, O’Brien and Gambino. Tobia, Wiley and Gambino combined on a two-hitter while Brass was tough behind the plate.
Was it the 1969 Mets or the 13U team that captured Dave Gallagher’s Frogbridge playoff title? After going 1-7-1 in the regular season (playing without several players due to other commitments), Hopewell won three straight in the playoffs to win the championship.
HoVal topped third-seeded Langdan Baseball Academy, 3-2, as a one-out double in the sixth by Joe Jenkins and an RBI single from Jason Chrusz snapped a 2-2 tie. Mike Gies and Ben Schragger combined on a four-hitter.
