Freehold Twp. Juniors became a family during title runs

Freehold Twp. Juniors became a family during title runs

All-Stars’ season ends

at Eastern Regional

By tim morris

Staff Writer

When asked how they spent their summer vacations, the Freehold Township Little League’s Junior League all-stars will have quite an answer.

The youngsters spent the summer bonding as teammates, both on and off the field, learning as much about themselves as baseball. They experienced life on the road traveling from one location to another. They discovered what 11 players with one frame of mind and a coaching staff equally dedicated can accomplish.

All together, the 11 all-stars created memories that will last a lifetime as they captured the state championship and advanced to the Junior League Eastern Regional tournament held in Tinton Falls last week.

Freehold Township’s impressive run ended on Aug. 5 when North East, the champions of Maryland, defeated them 6-3, to eliminate the New Jersey state champions from the double-elimination tournament. It was a sudden ending for a team that had become so close.

Jason Nardi, one of the pitching stars of the Freehold Township all-stars, pointed out that the six weeks of baseball had brought the players together.

"It was pretty amazing," he said. "We all had a lot of fun. We became a family."

Family is also how the team’s standout Ryan Cuneo described the all-stars.

"We were like a family," he said. "Everyone worked real hard. It was a great experience. We never expected to be here."

But having gotten to the highest level of Little League ball, the ending came all too quickly.

"It was a little shocking," said Cuneo. "We didn’t think that it would end."

After routing the opposition at the state championships held at Howell Central Little League, Freehold Township’s all-stars began play in the Eastern Regional on a winning note with a 4-1 triumph over Pennsylvania state champion, Hatboro. It was the 14th consecutive win by the all-stars.

The next day, Aug. 3, Township lost its first game, 6-5, in nine innings to Rhode Island champion, Edgewood-South Elmwood. They uncharacteristically let a 5-2 lead slip away and they surrendered the first home run of the post-season. When Cuneo had smacked a home run (he had 12 this summer), the team had never lost as well. But both of those trends were snapped by Rhode Island, which turned the table on the state champions. The loss put Freehold Township in the loser’s bracket, where they faced North East in an elimination game.

It was not vintage Freehold Township as the team committed seven errors, and more disturbingly, continued the habit first displayed against Hatboro — leaving runners on base.

"We hit a flat spot," said manager Charles Wilmot. "Everyone hits a flat spot along the way and we had ours. We threw the ball away today and you can’t do that against teams like this."

In North East, Township faced a tall, lanky hard-throwing righty in Brett Foskey. He painted the corners while changing speeds. He didn’t give them many good pitchers to hit.

Still, Township had its chances, stranding three runners in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

A three-run second inning aided by three Township errors produced three runs for North East and put them in charge, 4-1. A double by Justin Mayse (who was 4-for-4 on the day with three RBIs), scoring two runs was the big blow.

Freehold Township struck back, however, for a pair in the top of the third.Dominick Hayes started things off with a lead-off single and stole second. He advanced to third on a ground out and scored on A.J. Rusbarsky’s sacrifice fly. Cuneo bounced one off the left-centerfield fence for a double and his pinch runner, Brian Cooney, scored on Jason Baggitt’s RBI single.

Down just 4-3, Township would not get any closer. Maryland stretched the lead to 6-3 with two big runs in the fourth inning, courtesy of a lead-off walk and pair of singles by Dustin Ferguson and Mayse.

Freehold Township, though, kept coming back, but Foskey would come up with the big pitch and get the big out when he needed it. He left the bases loaded in the fifth and got out of a two-on and no outs jam in the sixth.

Nardi, who replaced the struggling Cuneo with two outs and the bases loaded in the fifth, kept the deficit at three to give his team a chance. With two outs in the top of the seventh, the skies opened up and there was a downpour that delayed the game for almost four hours. It turned out not to be an omen for Freehold Township as Foskey came back and got the final out to seal the win for North East. Wilmot, making the run to a state championship and the Eastern Regionals for the first time, was highly impressed by what his team had done this summer

"It’s a long grind," he said. "There are a lot of emotional ups and downs for the kids. It’s a marathon. This was our 16th tournament game.

"It’s a testament to the players, their dedication and commitment," he added. "It takes talent, mental stamina and perseverance. I never knew how consuming it was. I’m proud of the kids. They accomplished a lot."

Baggitt represented the commitment that everyone made to the team. The outfielder, to say the least, had only minimal experience at best as a catcher, yet volunteered to go behind the plate and became one of the team’s strengths.

"We needed someone to catch and I’ll do anything to help the team," he said. "I enjoyed catching. You get a lot more involved, and I like being in control of the game."

Despite his lack of catching experience, Baggitt was calling the pitches.

"You try not to pitch what they (the hitters) expect," he said.

Cuneo, who made up the rotation with Nardi, Hayes and Kinsella, said that Bag­gitt ‘did an excellent job.’

The 2003 Freehold Township Junior League all-stars were: Jason Baggitt, Brian Cooney, Ryan Cuneo, Dominick Hayes, Mike Kinsella, Chase Majewski, Steve Murphy, Jason Nardi, Steve Panarese, A.J. Rusbarsky and Rodger Wilmot.

On manager Charles Wilmot’s coaching staff were Fred Hayes, J.D. Rusbarsky and Bob Kinsella.