New Jersey takes second semifinal at BRWS
New Jersey's Nick Gelegonya puts a celebratory hat on teammate Liam Higginbottom during the third inning of Friday's second semifinal of the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series against Wisconsin at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Matt Spielman
New Jersey's Nick Gelegonya celebrates after an RBI double during the second semifinal of the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series against Wisconsin on Friday at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Matt Spielman
New Jersey's RJ Scattone delivers to the plate during the second semifinal of the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series against Wisconsin on Friday at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Matt Spielman
New Jersey's Nick Gelegonya puts a celebratory hat on teammate Liam Higginbottom during the third inning of Friday's second semifinal of the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series against Wisconsin at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Matt Spielman
New Jersey's Nick Gelegonya celebrates after an RBI double during the second semifinal of the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series against Wisconsin on Friday at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Matt Spielman
New Jersey's RJ Scattone delivers to the plate during the second semifinal of the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series against Wisconsin on Friday at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Matt Spielman
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Atlantic Shore, New Jersey, made a statement by beating Tallahassee-Leon, Florida, 9-4 in pool play Wednesday to claim the National Division's No. 1 seed at the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series.
That victory earned them a bye through Thursday's quarterfinals.
In the third inning Friday, the Middle Atlantic Region champions put together an inning that propelled them into Saturday's title game.
New Jersey sent 12 batters to the plate and scored the first seven runs of the game en route to a 14-4 six-inning mercy-rule win over Janesville, Wisconsin, in the second semifinal at Diethrick Park.
The victory vaults New Jersey into Saturday's 10 a.m. championship game against Mililani, Hawaii, which beat Florida 4-1 in Friday's first semifinal.
Starter RJ Scattone tossed three scoreless innings to open the game before New Jersey gave him seven runs of support in the bottom of the third. Grayson Zacchi reached on an error to open the frame, ending up at second on the play. After a balk pushed him to third, Cole Leusner walked and a wild pitch plated Zacchi with the first run of the game. Before the inning was over, Ron Tellefsen Player of the Game Nick Gelegonya's RBI double, two more errors, Owen Perez's RBI grounder and another wild pitch allowed six more runs to score.
Armed with the 7-0 lead, New Jersey turned to Declan Bridgeman on the mound. The right-hander pitched around Eli Mosley's leadoff single in the fourth and got out of the inning with a double play.
New Jersey added a run in the fourth when Gavin Colon reached on a fielder's choice and later scored on Perez's RBI single.
Wisconsin made things interesting in the top of the fifth. Cade James, Ryan Trumpy and Ron Tellefsen Player of the Game Graham Miller all had RBI singles while Cam Demrow added an RBI fielder's choice.
But those positive vibes were short-lived. Bridgeman reached on a dropped third strike and Leusner was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the frame. Landon Gracia followed with an RBI single that got by the Wisconsin center fielder, allowing a second run to score on the play. Gracia then scored all the way from second on a wild pitch.
Liam Higginbottom pitched around a one-out double in the top of the sixth to set up New Jersey's winning bottom of the frame. Joey Gaynor and Phillip Zanes drew walks before Leo Shaffer's single scored a run. After Gracia's infield single, Zanes scored on a wild pitch, Gelegonya walked to load the bases and Shaffer scored on a passed ball to end the game.