Controversial Call Sends CHYAA to First-Round Loss at States

A controversial call ended CHYAA's hope of a first-round win in the Southern New Jersey Cal Ripken 11-year-old state tournament Friday, as the Gibbsboro-Voorhees Vikings walked off with a 6-5 win when a run scored on a balk in the bottom of the ninth.

After reliever Nick Senior got the first out of the inning, the Vikings' Anthony Fabiano drew a walk, then stole second on a pickoff attempt and stole third on the next pitch.

With Fabiano leading off from third, Senior went to deliver to Shane Stauffer, only to have the infield umpire call the balk—he said afterward Senior had done it twice in a row—allowing Fabiano to trot home with the game-winner untouched.

The balk, which immediately prompted challenges by CHYAA's coaches, was the only contested call in the entire game, which had been back-and-forth through stifling heat in the late afternoon, and leaves CHYAA with the unenviable task of trying to come out of the elimination bracket for a shot at the title.

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Check out photos from the game here.

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Things started well enough for the Panthers, who jumped out to an early lead and looked like they might continue putting up gaudy numbers—after Scott Shaw, the second batter of the game, was hit by a pitch, Senior singled to put men at first and third with just one out in the top of the first.

Then came Nick Heubel, who lofted a two-strike pitch to right-center, clearing the fence by 10 feet for a three-run bomb and an early 3-0 lead for CHYAA.

Gibbsboro-Voorhees chipped back, though, getting a run back in the bottom of the first before holding CHYAA scoreless in the second, despite the Panthers loading the bases with only one out.

The Vikings would tie it up in the bottom of the third, scoring on four straight singles and a passed ball, while getting a bit of help from the outfield fence, which kept what could've been a home run by Ryan West and a second Heubel homer inside the park, liming both players to singles.

But the Panthers took back the lead in the fifth, when Danny Berckman doubled in a run down the left-field line and West scored on a wild pitch.

Gibbsboro-Voorhees answered right back again, scoring two in the bottom of the inning, and got caught in an aggressive attempt to take the lead, when TJ Franden was tagged out trying to steal home.

The loss puts CHYAA into a long road to the title, starting with a late-afternoon rematch against Mount Laurel, who beat the Panthers for the district title, in the start of the elimination round Saturday.

If the Panthers get through that game, they could potentially play every day next week, should they continue to win.

CHYAA plays Mount Laurel at 5:30 p.m. Saturday at Gibbsboro-Voorhees.