RUTHERFORD – Two of Rutherford Little League’s tournament teams for 2016 have won District 5 championships and are participating in state sectional tournaments this week.
The 12-year-old team went through the district bracket undefeated, capping off their title with back-to-back defeats of Saddle Brook to advance to the sectional in Livingston.
In the final game within their pool prior to the district-elimination rounds, Rutherford knocked off Kearny, 12-2. After allowing back-to-back homers in the first inning, Cal Chase knotted the score with his own two-run blast. Doug Russell and Gabe Francisco each added three-run homers.
North Arlington was the first-round opponent in the elimination round played at Kearny, and Rutherford scored seven runs in the second inning to take command. Winning pitcher Sonny Ragusa, Russell and Danny Espinal all doubled, and then Francisco capped the inning with a grand slam. Chase matched Francisco’s achievement in the third inning for the 11-0 win.
The next night, Rutherford took on previously unbeaten Saddle Brook and rode Chase’s arm to an 8-1 victory. He allowed just one run on five hits in working into the fifth inning, while Dan Sanchez and Russell knocked in third-inning runs with doubles. Francisco made it 8-0 with his three-run bomb in the fourth.
Saddle Brook eliminated North Arlington the next day, setting up a rematch. Again, Chase tied the score with a first-inning homer, and after Sebastian Smith relieved Gabe Francisco and surrendered a tying homerun to Frankie Harris in the fourth, Rutherford rallied again. They loaded the bases in their half of the inning on an Evan Ward double and walks to Smith and Chase, bringing up Francisco, who walloped a grand slam over the right-field wall. Sanchez followed with a solo shot, and Smith closed out the 9-4 championship victory.
The squad, managed by Mike Finan, also includes P.J. Airey, Mike Anastasio, Connor Finan, Alex Hui and Shane Kelly.
The 10-year-old team rolled through their pool undefeated, capping off that run with a 13-1 defeat of North Arlington. Luke Cerulli belted a grand slam to highlight a seven-run, second inning.
Entering elimination play, the team suffered an uncharacteristic power outage. They collected just two hits in a 2-1 defeat of Hasbrouck Heights, scoring without benefit of a hit. Van Weber walked and scored on Cerulli’s sacrifice fly in the first, and Cole Goumas reached first on an error, stole second base and scored on two errors in the second. Matthew Corwin struck out ten to earn the victory.
The next day they lost to Lyndhurst, 4-2, managing just one hit, a fourth-inning Corwin single. Rutherford took the lead in that inning, but Lyndhurst went in front to stay in the fifth on singles by Anthony Pizzuti and Bobby Czarniewy and a double by Billy Mareski.
After that weekend setback, the bats returned. Rutherford scored two runs in each of the first four innings and eliminated Hasbrouck Heights, 9-3. Luke Gaccione had a brilliant bunt single in the first inning to give Rutherford a 2-0 lead, and Bobby Else brought in a third-inning run with a squeeze bunt. Matt Scheibe also doubled in a fifth-inning run.
That set up a rematch with Lyndhurst, with Rutherford needing to win twice to advance. They captured the first contest, 11-4, scoring five runs in the third inning. Arthur Costan doubled, Ryan Ward, Paul Clossey and Van Weber all singled, and Cerulli doubled in succession.
Weber homered in the fourth, and Tyrone Waddell added a fifth-inning solo shot.
In the winner-take-all game, Corwin singled to plate Cerulli with the first run, and then Cerulli broke the game open by hitting the first pitch off reliever Jake Mayer for a three-run homer in the fourth.
Cerulli added a two-run single in the fifth to pad the margin in a game that finished 8-3.
This week, the 10s are playing in the section tournament at Overpeck County Park in Palisades Park. The team, managed by Pat Cerulli, also features Jack Daly, Thomas Fedarick and Ryan LaRossa.
Rutherford’s 11-year-old team finished pool play 4-1, losing only to Wood-Ridge/Moonachie. They advanced to the elimination round, where they rallied for five runs in the sixth inning to defeat Kearny, 9-6.
Anthony Bonagura led off with a bunt single, and Alex DiMaulo, Patrick Cerulli and Patrick Rogers all followed with hits. Chris D’Ambrosio then singled, and Danny Carr stole home to cap the rally.
The 9-year-olds won five games and lost just two in the round-robin of the George Spero Memorial Tournament, taking one-run losses to Hoboken and Lyndhurst. That tournament is in elimination play in Lodi this week.
At the Lyndhurst Junior League Tournament, the 8-year-olds finished fourth in a 10-team field. They avenged an opening-game loss to Washington Township, 18-15, but then lost to Teaneck in the semifinal and to Wood-Ridge in the consolation game.
The league website at http://www.rutherford-ll.info/ features the most up-to-date information about tournament results, schedules, and so forth. You may also follow @RutherfordLL on Twitter or “like” Rutherford (N.J.) Little League on Facebook.
This story was contributed by Charles O’Reilly for NorthJersey.com
