BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer
CLAYTON – The Jackson Little League 12-year-old all stars entered Tuesday night’s action one win away from advancing to the Mid-Atlantic regional tournament.
Facing elimination, Jackson posted a resounding 9-1 win over Randolph Monday night in the New Jersey Little League state tournament to keep their hopes alive. Jackson lost to Randolph earlier in the state tournament and needed to post one more win in order to be the first team in Jackson history ever to earn a berth in regional action.
A one-game winner take all playoff was scheduled for Tuesday night.
“We’ve been in this situation (coming out of the consolation bracket) before,” Jackson coach Ed Guippone said. “Our guys know what we have to do. We’re playing with a lot of confidence. Randolph is a very good team and it should be an interesting championship game.”
Jackson got a fine pitching performance from both Keith Jennings and Ed Guippone Jr. Both guys combined to allow just one run against a potent Randolph lineup. Jennings started and tossed 3 1/3 innings, while Guippone was brilliant in relief, allowing no hits the rest of the way.
“Our pitching has been very good since we started back in district play,” Guippone said. “We have a bunch of guys on this team who are very confident in. Pitching and defense has been the foundation of this squad.”
Jackson took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on a solo home run by Jennings. It was in the third, however, where Jackson blew the game open.
Guippone Jr. and Tommy Abarno each poked two-run doubles to stake Jackson to what appeared to be an insurmountable 5-0 cushion. Jackson added three more in the sixth. Spencer Young cracked a two-run homer, followed by a solo shot by Taylor Reynolds.
In a 12-1 win over Rutherford, Jackson exploded for five runs in the first inning. Brandon Holup hit a three-run homer, while Jennings hit a two-run shot. Ryan Kanner and Matt Thaiss also homered in the win as Jackson pounded out a total of 15 hits.
“We struck the ball very well in this game,” Guippone said. “Up and down the lineup everybody made a contribution. That is the great thing about this team. It has been a total team effort.”
Holup started and got the win. He gave up one walk and struck out four.
In the opening game of the state tournament, Jackson squared off against highly touted South Vineland. Jackson manufactured a tidy 1-0 win on a solo homer by Thaiss for the win.
Jake Harlinski started and got the win. Harlinski got the better of the pitching duel with South Vineland ace Tovine Potts. Both guys pitched brilliantly, but it was Harlinski who managed to get the win. He struck out seven and walked just one.
“That was a classic pitchers’ duel,” Guippone said. “Both guys were bringing it. We were fortunate to get out of there with the win.”
That set up the first meeting with Randolph, which posted a 1-0 win. Jackson’s offense was limited to just two hits. Randolph pitcher Kevin Delaney did a nice job of keeping Jackson’s lineup off balance. For Jackson, Spencer Young did a fine job in relief of Jennings in relief.
“That was another great game,” Guippone said. “The pitching in this tournament has been outstanding.”