Resilient National 13s second in District 18
BY WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Staff Writer

Brick National's 13-year-old All-Stars earned the admiration of manager Bill McDonnell after they rebounded from an opening-game loss and got within one game and one run of the District 18 championship game.

"We had to win four in a row and it was a big accomplishment," said McDonnell of the team that had most of its players off the District 18 championship 10-year-old All-Star team from three years ago. "We played a lot of baseball in a short period of time. I couldn't ask more from the kids."

With the help of assistant coaches Dominick Pisopi and Nick Rucci, the Nationals trailed most of the game and rallied for two runs in the seventh inning to tie it before Beechwood pulled out a season-ending 4-3 victory at Manchester on Friday night.

Scott Gordy, batting seventh in the lineup, arose from a quiet tournament and drove in two runs while Dylan McDonnell hurled four strong innings and Sean Henry fired two solid innings of relief.

"We had plenty of opportunities," said McDonnell, who pointed to his team leaving the bases loaded in one inning and stranding runners at second and third base in two other innings. "That was our downfall. That's something we haven't done in the tournament. When we got guys in scoring position, we didn't get the big hit. And every inning, we had the leadoff batter on."

Along with strong pitching, the Nationals also got solid defense, led by left fielder Brandon Chapman, who made two diving catches in foul territory. "Consistently throughout the tournament, our defense was outstanding," said McDonnell.

Earlier in the week, Brick National stayed alive when it pulled out a 5-3 victory over Toms River American in eight innings. Tim Carney scattered seven hits over the distance with a knuckleball and some curveballs. Tom Tressito batted in the winning runs when he lined a two-run double with two out that delivered Nick Vitale and Henry, who had hits.

Toms River American took an early 2-0 lead before Carney tied it with a two-run single, one of his two hits in the game. Brick National took a 3-2 lead before Toms River American tied it to force the extra inning. Brick National also had a thrilling ending when it walked a batter to intentionally load the bases and the next batter got a full count before grounding out to second base.

Being one of the last All-Star teams playing, along with Brick National's Minor League All-Stars in a Toms River tournament, after the later opening date for this tournament made for an interesting situation for the players.

"The kids know that and we're getting a lot of support from other players and coaches, which is really great," said McDonnell.

But no one knew for sure that Brick National would still be playing in the final days of July after it lost its opening game of the double-elimination tournament to Berkeley, 11-6, with many walks and some sloppy play figuring in the outcome.

The team roared back with a vengeance against Lacey, 17-0, as young McDonnell pitched a four-hitter with eight strikeouts and went 4-for-4 at the plate. Henry chipped in three hits while Rich Zonin, Jon Pett and Brendan Chapman each clubbed two hits while all three drove in runs.

The team continued along its rampage with a 5-1 victory over Manchester as Tressito and Carney shared in the pitching. Chapman slapped a two-run single in the second inning to spot Brick National a 2-1 lead. Chapman, Tressito and Henry each clubbed two hits. Brick National cushioned its 2-1 lead with three runs in the fifth inning as Henry knocked in two with a single and Tressito batted in another.

Then came a rematch with Berkeley as Brick National got sweet revenge with a 6-5 victory over eight innings. Henry, who bats second in the order, again got the timely hit as he knocked in Zonin with the game-winning run. Zonin reached on a base hit and got to second when Nick Viale was hit by a pitch.

Henry scattered 11 hits over the first six innings before McDonnell came on for two innings of one-hit relief, striking out a pair of batters in the seventh inning. McDonnell also drove in a run and slugged two hits. Carney collected three hits and batted in two runs while Henry and Chapman pounded three and two hits, respectively.

"We have a very athletic team from top to bottom," said the elder McDonnell proudly after the game. "We have 12 kids and there's no step down playing any one of them. It's a solid team with six or seven kids who can pitch. They've shown that if they play to their ability, they can compete with anybody."

That showed in the following victory over Toms River American before the showdown with Beechwood. And it showed in the field with a solid infield of catcher Zonin, first baseman Gordy, second baseman Pett, shortstop McDonnell and third baseman Carney. Henry backed up McDonnell and Pett. Vitale anchored the outfield in center field and was flanked by Chapman in left and Tressito in right. The rest of the team included outfielders James Gibbons and John Brennan and Matt Lennon, who played third base when Carney pitched.