Bryce Blair of United dives into the first base to beat out ground ball to shortstop.
By Sean Reilly
The 12U All-Ripken Games at Diamond Nation meant more to Sean Kochenour than the chance to take part in a special competition alongside other talented players.
The four-day event in Flemington also represented his farewell to 12U baseball. That means beginning with the upcoming fall season, the remainder of his career will be played on the big field, with the accompanying full-size dimensions.
He ended his small-field career on a great note during the All-Ripken Games, as his play was instrumental in his third-seeded United team going unbeaten to win the 12U championship.
The capper to the experience was a 6-4 win over the top-seeded Commanders in the final, in which Kochenour hit an RBI double and also walked and scored in a decisive three-run fifth inning which extended a 3-2 lead.
“It was good to win, and we had fun playing baseball,” said Kochenour, a resident of Millstone who has past experience playing at Diamond Nation. “Now it will be fun moving up.”
At the All-Ripken Games, he also gained memories playing with a team full of players that he had never met until Monday, something you might never know by watching the way the United players cheered and supported each other in their dugout.
“It was a good experience,” Kochenour said. “I didn’t know any of them until this week, but we came together by playing good baseball.”
The Commanders took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Leadoff man Charles Moore (2-for-2, walk, three runs and four steals) reached on a base-on-balls, stole second and then scored after stealing third and scoring on an overthrow.
The United tied it in the second. Bryce Blair beat out an infield single to shortstop with a head-first dive into first. After a strikeout, Kochenour hit an RBI double to center.
The Commanders, who ended the tournament 4-1, went ahead in the third. Moore led off with a single to left and stole second and moved to third as Cooper Hill reached on an error. A caught-stealing at second allowed Moore to score.
United established a 3-2 lead with a two-run fourth.
Leo Reiser follow through on pitch for the Commanders.
Gavin Bernard was hit by a pitch and advanced on a wild pitch and stolen base before scoring on a sacrifice fly to right from Landon Damazo.
Andrew Rowens then singled on a ball hit hard back to the pitcher. He moved to third after a passed ball and wild pitch, and scored as Jack Walters singled to center.
United then extended the lead to 6-2 with a three-run fifth.
Blair led off with a walk, and he scored on three wild pitches with Colton Touchard at the plate. Touchard and Kochenour walked. After a ground out, Lucas Phillips supplied an RBI ground out to third and Matthew Tsiampas hit a run-scoring double to right-center.
The Commanders scored twice after two were out in the fifth to shave the deficit to 6-4.
Moore led off with a single and stole second. Leo Reiser hit a single to shortstop which moved Moore to third, and Reiser took second on indifference. Both scored on Cooper’s two-run hit to right.