Sports Shorts

The Mets were second best in a season-long chase of the Diamondbacks in the Brick National Little League but came away with the championship spoils on Sunday night.

The Mets rallied for three runs in the sixth inning to pull out a 6-3 victory and sweep the best-of-three championship series. Alex Coeyman smacked a run-scoring single for the Mets as Sean Henry got the mound win over Anthony Berg, who drove in one of the Diamondbacks’ runs.

"I knew they were the team that could do it," said Diamondbacks coach Joe Bernie, whose team went 18-2 during the regular season but split two games with the Mets, winning 5-2, and losing 8-6. "I’m happy for their manager, Jeff O’Neill, who has coached in the league for 18 years without any [of his] kids in the league and was looking to win his first championship."

The Mets won the opening game, 12-4, as Justin Kaman lined two doubles and batted in four runs and winning pitcher Nolan Smith also batted well. Joe Bernie (the manager’s son) took the mound loss. He and Brandon Chapman hit well for the Diamondbacks, who committed six errors.

Mike Mann again will coach the All-Star team in the District 6 tournament when play begins next week.

Summer is no relaxing time for the boys basketball players at Brick Memorial and coach Ron Gerulfsen.

They’re playing in the league called Rebounds, which operates in Neptune. It previously was the Belmar Summer League but was moved to Neptune’s indoor facilities.

Brick Memorial players also are participating in team camps at the Eastern Invitational at The College of New Jersey, Ewing, July 11-13 and at the St. Joseph’s University camp in Philadelphia Aug. 6-8.

They’ll also help Gerulfsen and his staff at the Brick Memorial camp, which has two sessions for boys and girls in fourth through 10th grades: June 28 through July 1 and July 26 through July 29. The fee is $90 per session; to register, call the high school athletic office.

Tom Webber’s Brick Dragons Baseball Camp will have two sessions on July 12-16 and July 19-23 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. for boys ages 9-14. Jim Osmond and Jay Groschel, assistant coaches for Webber at Brick Township High this past spring, will conduct the clinic, which will stress fundamentals, teamwork and the fun of playing the game.

Sessions will be conducted at the Brick Township varsity and junior varsity fields on the school campus as well as the two softball fields there. Log on to brickdragonsbaseballcamp.com or call Osmond at (732) 773-2725.

Brick Memorial girls soccer will hold its first summer camp for first- through eighth-graders — Mustang Soccer Camp — July 12-16 from 9 a.m. to noon at the school. "Come and learn the Mustang way" is the theme of the camp, which will be conducted by Brick Memorial Coach Bill Caruso, his staff and players from his NJSIAA Group IV repeat champions and graduated players, including goalie Lauren Acosta and midfielder Tierney Brady, who just finished their first year at Rutgers University.

To register or get details over the Internet, click on stangbc@aol.com.

The Lightning Storm, a U14 traveling team, will hold soccer tryouts June 28 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. and June 29 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Windward Beach in Brick. To be eligible for U14, you must be born between Aug. 1, 1990, and July 31, 1991. For further information, contact Coach Ann Andersen at (732) 300-3462 or Coach Dan Coviello at (732) 267-6136.

The Brick Recreation office has tennis lessons available to any Brick resident age 5 and older. Lessons begin the week of June 28 and will be held at the tennis courts at the Brick Municipal Complex. The cost is $60, payable by check only. All sign-ups take place at the Brick Recreation office, 270 Chambers Bridge Road. Lessons are held once a week for six consecutive weeks. There is a choice of weekday while classes remain open. Times are either 8, 9 or 10 a.m. There is also an instructional clinic available, held on the four Saturdays in July. This clinic is generally open to boys or girls at the high school-age level. Call Brick Recreation for more information at (732) 262-1073.

The Brick Recreation office has a summer basketball camp available to any Brick resident going into the third through eighth grades this fall. The camp begins the week of June 28 and will be held at the Brick Township High School west gym. The cost is $50, payable by check only. All sign-ups take place at the Brick Recreation office, 270 Chambers Bridge Road. The camp runs twice a week for six weeks. Each class is an hour and 15 minutes. The girls’ camp is held on Monday and Wednesday nights, and the boys’ camp is held on Tuesday and Thursday nights. For more information call the recreation office at (732) 262-1165.