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So Close, Yet So Far

Jamestown Seventh-Inning Rally Falls Just Short, Loses To Cranford, N.J., 4-3

SOMERS POINT, N.J. — The Jamestown All-Stars proved they could play with anyone in the Babe Ruth 13-year-old Mid-Atlantic Regional this week.

With any luck they might have stayed through the weekend.

Cranford, New Jersey scored four unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth inning Friday morning and withstood a furious Jamestown rally in the top of the seventh to hold on for a 4-3 victory in the single-elimination portion of the tournament.

The loss — their third by one run — ended an incredible postseason for the teenagers from the Jamestown Babe Ruth League. Losers of both of their District 5/7 games, the all-stars claimed the Western New York State championship earlier this month and came within a couple favorable bounces of keeping alive an improbable dream.

“We showed we belonged,” Jamestown coach Tommy Tantillo said. “Jamestown belongs with some of the better baseball (programs) in the northeast.”

Scoreless until the bottom of the fifth, Cranford parlayed two hits and a couple Jamestown errors into four runs, all unearned, to take a 4-0 lead.

“We threw the ball around a little that inning,” Tantillo said. “We did get a little sloppy, but we fought back, they didn’t bury their heads and they learned to play through their mistakes.”

Jamestown scored a run in the sixth when Riley Piazza reached first on a single to center. After a walk to Isaac Cintron and a fielder’s choice that sent Piazza to third, Owen Maggio delivered an RBI single for Jamestown’s first run.

The score remained 4-1 heading into the seventh when the WNY state champs staged a rally. With one out, Ayden Bonta singled to left and moved to second on a single by Jayden Yanik. After Chris Navarro’s fielder’s choice forced Bonta out at third, Kyle Dean produced a clutch single that plated Yanik. After Piazza walked to load the bases, Cintron was also issued a walk to force in another run, which cut the deficit to 4-3.

That brought to the plate Kameron Melendez, who ripped a hard line drive that the Cranford left fielder made a nice play on to end the game.

“I thought it had a chance (to fall),” Tantillo said. “I looked at the left fielder and he closed on it pretty quickly. Teams out here don’t give you more than 21 outs to play with.”

Tantillo added: “We had great at-bats in the seventh. We didn’t go down without a fight. We went to the plate with the mentality to fight it out to the end.”

Maggio led Jamestown’s offense with three hits and Piazza was Jamestown’s player of the game for his strong effort on the mound. All told, he struck out six and walked six before being relieved with two outs in the fifth by Dean because of pitch-count rules.

“Riley had another amazing performance on the mound,” Tantillo said. “He did everything he needed to do as a pitcher. He just competed out there. He may not be the most imposing guy out on the mound, but his mentality is bigger than anyone we’ve seen right now. He puts the ball over the plate and works off-speed.”

The team was planning to leave this morning for the return trip to Jamestown. Tantillo admitted that losing three games by one run was “frustrating,” but added, “I’m really proud of my kids right now.”

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