Riley Marriott steals third base for the Cheshire Reds against the Westchester Knights.
By Sean Reilly
Jax Dupont had quite a day on Saturday afternoon at Diamond Nation, and so did everyone else wearing a blue and orange Westchester Knights uniform.
DuPont was the winning pitcher and hit an RBI double when his team defeated the Cheshire Reds, 9-1, in a five-inning opening game at the 11U Home Run Classic, Powered By Victus.
He then hit a three-run double to fuel a 10-run first inning as the Knights gained a 14-0, three-inning win over the FB Braves 11U to complete a first day sweep in Flemington.
The performance allowed Westchester to clinch a first-place pool finish and accompanying playoff berth, even with one more pool game to play on Sunday morning.
Dupont pitched the first four innings against the Connecticut-based Reds. He allowed an unearned run on two hits, with 11 strikeouts and two walks.
“I was just trying to do my job,” Dupont said. “Which is to throw strikes and help my team win. I was also trying to make contact and get an RBI for my team.”
The Knights, based in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first against the Reds. Mikey Perrone walked with one out, and his courtesy runner Ryan Campbell scored from second when Mike Rufo singled to left field with two out.
The Reds tied it in the third inning, after J.J. Ruddy doubled to right field with one out and scored as Andrew Lentini reached on a two-out error.
After that, the game belonged to the Knights.
In the bottom of the third, Forte was hit by a pitch with one out, and Jase Sealey socked a grounds rule double to right field. That sent up the top of the order, and the next two batters – Liam Rozon and Perrone – hit RBI singles for a 3-1 lead.
Two more runs came in the fourth. After Nick Scocozza reached on an error and stole two bases, Dupont worked the count full before hitting a ball that the center fielder tried to catch in shoestring fashion. Instead it skipped beyond him for an RBI double. Dupont scored the fifth run on a balk.
Westchester ended the game by scoring four more runs in the fifth. Campbell hit a two-run double to center with one out, Rufo supplied an RBI single to left and Luca Ciavardini walked with the bases loaded.
Rufo finished 2-for-3 for the Knights, making him the only Westchester player with multiple hits in either of Saturday’s games.
Cheshire bounced back with a 5-4 victory over the Bucks County Generals 11U Black, as Scott Calhoun singled in the winning run with two out in the bottom of the sixth.