12U Villagers Capture Central Jersey Tournament

The 12U Villagers team won the Central Jersey Baseball League Tournament on Saturday, July 30, by defeating Westfield Blue, 5-3.  The win capped a remarkable turnaround for the 12U team, which started the season 1-10, but then won 18 of its last 20 games to finish with 19 wins against just 12 losses.  The Villagers had an impressive 17-2 record in the Central Jersey Baseball League, which included teams from Westfield, Berkeley Heights, Branchburg, Union, Florham Park, Summit, Chatham, Mountainside, and Long Hill.

Right fielder Michael Burke started the scoring for the Villagers in the
championship game with a two-run homer over the left field wall in the
top of the second inning.  This was the second year in a row that Burke hit a home run in a championship game.

The Villagers added two more runs in the third inning when catcher
Marcellus Livingston led off with a single, followed by a double by
center fielder/first baseman, Hunter Reynolds.  With two on and one out, Jack Niggli drove a ball into right field to score Livingston and
Reynolds.

Livingston's single continued his torrid end of the season hitting
streak, but his main contributions came from behind the plate, where
Marcellus threw out many base runners attempting to steal or taking big leads.  The fact that Reynolds doubled and scored was no surprise, as he led the team in on-base percentage and scoring this season.  Niggli's run scoring shot was part of a terrific season that saw Jack lead the Villagers in base hits, RBIs, and batting average.

The Villagers added a fifth run in the top of the fourth when Phil Major
walked, stole second and third, and scored when Livingston reached on an error.

As it turned out, five runs was more than enough for the Villagers
pitching staff and stellar fielders.  Starter Quinn Krais pitched the
first three innings, allowing just one earned run and two hits.  During
the season, Quinn led the Villagers' pitching staff with a 7-1 record,
3.50 ERA, and 39 strikeouts.  Krais was replaced by Niggli, who pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one run.  But with bases loaded, including the tying run on first, and one out in the bottom of the last, the Villagers turned to Phil Major, the team's closer.  Phil shut the door
on Westfield in dramatic fashion, notching his team leading 5th save of
the season.

This year's Villagers received contributions from the entire team.  Some of the more notable accomplishments included the late-season pitching of Chase Bradley.  Chase pitched 5 2/3 shut out innings in the Bergen County Baseball Blast Tournament on July 23, against Little Falls, and then followed that performance with a victory over Berkeley Heights in the Central Jersey Baseball League Tournament semi-finals.

Thomas Fetner, the team's regular second baseman, hit five home runs, including a walk-off homer against Union American.  In addition,
Fetner's array of pitches were on display in the Berkeley Heights
semi-final game, as he retired the last eight batters he faced.

Thomas O'Connor challenged Fetner for the team's home run lead all
season, hitting four of his own, including a playoff grand slam against
Union.  Thomas also demonstrated his leadership behind the plate and a first base.

Owen Gall, along with Chase Bradley, carried the team early in the
season with timely hitting.  More importantly, however, Owen locked down left field all season long, making dazzling catches and strong throws each game.

The 12U Villagers are comprised of players from South Orange and
Maplewood who turned 12 before April 30, 2011.  They were one of three 12U summer travel teams that were part of the successful South
Orange/Maplewood Summer Travel Baseball Program.  The Villagers were coached by Gerry O'Connor, Phil Major, Cornelius Bradley, and head coach, Bill Krais.

Congratulations, Villagers!