Max Drzymalski drives an RBI single in the first inning for the Delaware Fury.
By Rich Bevensee
One more win, one step closer to earning a spot in that championship bracket with a national tournament berth on the line.
Winning can bring an unmatched level of confidence to a team of 12-year olds, something that Tucci Elite 12U fully understands as it moves forward in the Ripken National Qualifier at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Ethan Hermosura broke the game open with a huge two-run double and offered steady relief pitching, Xander Evans drove in three runs, and the ballclub from Stamford, Connecticut, roared from behind with an 11-run rally to remain unbeaten in pool play after a 15-6 victory over the Delaware Fury on Saturday at ‘The Nation.’
“This is great for all the players and coaches. It makes us more confident,” Evans said after his team improved to 2-0 in pool play. On Friday night, Tucci rolled past the West Essex Junior Knights, 17-3.
“It gives them great confidence and a nice boost of energy,” said Tucci coach Anthony Torres, whose team improved to 5-1 this spring. “Whenever I ask them what’s fun, they say winning. That’s what we came here to do, to hopefully win the next game and move on to the championship bracket.”
Tucci will complete pool play against the Central Penn Renegades, with a third win bringing the Connecticut team a berth in the five-team playoff on Sunday.
The No. 4 and 5 seeds will meet in a quarterfinal game scheduled for 10 a.m. The semifinals are at 12:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m., and the championship game is slated for 4:30 p.m.
The winner of the Ripken National Qualifier will earn a free trip to the Ripken Nationals, June 29 – July 4 at Cooperstown’s All-Star Village.
Ethan Hermosura, left, and Xander Evans combined to drive in five runs for Tucci Elite.
Tucci scored 11 runs in the bottom of the third inning on five hits, five walks and three errors to take a 13-5 lead. Hermosura’s two-run double was what broke things open for Tucci.
“That inning was really fun,” Hermosura said. “It built confidence for us when we kept scoring.”
Four walks immediately preceded Hermosura’s at bat, with the latter three forcing in runs to tie the game at 5-5. Hermosura roped a two-run shot to center field and Tucci owned its first lead of the game.
“I was sitting fastball, waiting for my pitch and he threw it right down the middle,” Hermosura said.
“We tell them, even if a kid is walking a bunch of guys, you may be the one who gets that pitch to hit, so we’re always ready for that pitch,” Torres said. “Ethan has come through in a lot of big spots, and he was hyper-focused on staying ready to hit the baseball.”
Nine Tucci batters came to the plate before the Fury recorded an out. Also fueling the Tucci rally, Xander Evans had an RBI groundout, and Alex Abelson and Nolan Coughlin belted back-to-back RBI doubles for a 13-5 lead.
“We really started pouring it on and you could see it in their faces,” Evans said. “It felt good to put barrels on the ball and drive in runs.”
“Those big innings, it takes a lot of energy away,” Torres said. “It gives our guys a boost and puts those guys under pressure. A lot of good at bats there. It gave us the big inning that we needed.”
James Earls pitched the first 2⅓ innings for Tucci, allowing four runs on two hits and four walks with three strikeouts. Hermosura pitched 1⅔ innings of relief, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Nicholas Fusaro worked a scoreless fifth inning.
For the Fury, Chase Linus and Reece Keller walloped solo home runs. Keller went 2-for-2 with three RBI and was the only Fury batter to chalk up multiple hits.
A three-run first inning propelled the guests from Bear, Delaware in front. Max Drzymalski had an RBI single and Reece Keller later singled home two runs.
Jack Beard (two innings), J.J. Crew, Zac Tynan, Matt Eckbold and Keller handled the pitching for Delaware, 6-3 this spring.