Rich Bevensee
After allowing 12 runs in the first inning and playing shabby baseball while falling into that hole, there weren’t many people around Field 6 at Diamond Nation who thought the Blue Sox 11U ballclub stood any chance of making a comeback.
Except for the people in the Blue Sox dugout. It’s part of their culture to never give in.
“It’s belief – that’s what we pride ourselves on. It’s effort and attitude and belief,” said Blue Sox coach Chfris Fandl. “We come to these tournaments to compete. If it doesn’t go your way in the first inning, we have the rest of the game to compete. That’s how we prep them.”
In one of the most remarkable Diamond Nation comebacks of this young season, the Blue Sox rallied for nine runs in their final at bat to take the lead, then escaped a bases-loaded jam with the winning run on base to secure a wild 18-16 victory over Colossal Baseball Academy. The wild win secured the 11U Gold Bracket title at the Father’s Day Classic Powered by Pure Rush on Sunday at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Blue Sox shortstop Matthew Parco, named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, hit a bases-clearing, three-run double in the top of the fifth with two out to vault the Blue Sox into the lead.
“I think we can do anything because our mentality is to stay up,” Parco said. “I think we’re a great team because of that.”
The Blue Sox, based in Orange County, N.Y., trailed 12-3 after that dreadful first inning but chipped away at their deficit and began the fifth inning trailing 16-9.
Wth two out, the Blue Sox had crept within 16-14 and loaded the bases for Parco, the team’s cleanup hitter. On a two-out, 0-1 pitch, Parco lofted a ball to deep center field which at first looked destined for the other side of the fence.
Colossal center fielder Colton Cufaro gave chase and nearly made a diving catch at the fence, but the ball glanced off the top of his glove and onto the warning track. Parco’s blast gave his team a 17-16 lead.
“I was a little nervous but I kept it together because I knew I had to do a job and I did it,” Parco said. “I like being in that spot because you get to be the hero and show your team they can count on you.”
“He’s come up big-time all weekend, and especially clearing the bases in that spot,” Fandl said. “Kids step in that spot and don’t want to be in that spot. I think he wanted to be in that spot, and he was the right man, right time, right spot.”
In the bottom of the fifth, Colossal staged a rally of its own by loading the bases and putting the potential winning run on first base. Blue Sox reliever Jaxson Coamey coaxed a grounder and a forceout at third to end the drama and set off a wild Blue Sox celebration, where even the coaches were shaking their heads in disbelief.
Matthew Parco of Blue Sox Baseball was named 11U Gold Father’s Day Classic Most Valuable Player.
“I am super proud of them. It’s an exciting win for these guys,” Fandl said. “We played a sloppy first inning but it was self-inflicted. We did it to ourselves, so it wasn’t that they were beating us, we were beating ourselves. We had the rest of the game to catch up and they did it.
“I don’t know if they believed after that first inning but once we started coming back they started believing.”
Another key figure for the Blue Sox was Ian Fogarty, who was making his first pitching appearance in a playoff game. Fogarty, who entered in the bottom of the first with his team trailing 11-3, limited Colossal to four runs over his 3⅓ innings pitched.
“I was pretty scared actually. Really nervous, like 9 out of 10,” Fogarty said. “I just felt like I had to throw strikes and get outs. After I threw a lot of strikes in a row I felt like I was pumping and I got some outs and the nerves went away.”
The Blue Sox commemorated Father’s Day by having each player wear socks adorned with the face of each boy’s father. The fathers were welcomed onto the field after the trophy presentation to pose for pictures with their boys.
“To win today is very special,” Fandl said. “We put a lot of work in, and a lot of the dads sacrifice so much time. Bonnie Nadolny (mother of Blue Sox Matthew Nadolny) came up with the socks idea. This is such a tight knit group. We’ve been together for a while. This is an ode to the dads but also an ode to the moms.”
For the Blue Sox, Nadolny, Blake Vargas and Kyle Herrmann each went 3-for-3 with two RBI. Fogarty and Tanner Fandl each had two hits.
For Colossal, Dom Veneziale went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Nicky Peoples singled, doubled and drove in two runs.