Diamond Jacks Super 16U outscored five opponents 35-6 en route to the 16U Blue Chip Prospects title.
By Rich Bevensee
Canes Tri-State had a three-run lead, all the momentum and a rowdy dugout to prove it.
It was only the first inning, but the Canes knew Diamond Jacks Super 16U had given up only two runs in its last four games, and wanted their opponents to know their run of superiority was over.
Except it wasn’t over, because two Diamond Jacks stepped forward to knock the volume down in the Canes dugout.
First, right-hander Liam Goyette, pitching on one day’s rest, entered in relief and quieted the Canes with three shutout innings. Then Joey DiMeo hit a towering three-run home run to vault the Diamond Jacks into the lead and silence the Canes for good.
The heroics of Goyette and DiMeo allowed the top-seeded Diamond Jacks to seize an 8-4 victory and the 16U Blue Chips Prospects tournament championship on Friday afternoon at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
“After they scored they were making a lot of noise,” said Diamond Jacks pitcher Chris Jerla, who with Ryan Wetmore were named tournament co-MVPs. Jerla is a rising junior at Don Bosco Prep. “Liam goes out there and shuts them down and shuts them up, and then Joey hits the home run, and it’s completely dead over there. All the energy just transfers to us.”
The Diamond Jacks finished the week a perfect 5-0, outscoring the opposition 35-6.
The third-seeded Canes closed out a strong week at 5-1, going 4-0 in pool play and beating the second-seeded NJ Tigers, 5-2, in the semifinals.
The Canes scored 37 runs in five games leading into the championship, and putting three runs on the board in the top of the first inning against the Diamond Jacks was cause for raucous celebration.
But Goyette, who started an 8-0 pool win over Next Level 2 on Wednesday with two scoreless innings, took great pride in getting the ball in relief and tuning down the Canes chatter.
Only one Canes baserunner reached scoring position against Goyette, who allowed one hit and no walks and struck out three mostly using his fastball but mixing in sliders, curveballs and changeups.
“I only threw 20 pitches Wednesday so my arm was not sore and I was ready,” said Goyette, a rising junior at Hunterdon Central. “I knew I had to come out here and shove, and those kids were being annoying so I had to shut them up.”
Chris Jerla, left, and Ryan Wetmore of Diamond Jacks Super 16U were named co-MVPs of the 16U Blue Chip Prospects tournament.
The Diamond Jacks entered the fourth trailing 3-1, having picked up a run in the third thanks to a Nick Do RBI single. He hit a chopper that bounced high over third base, enough time for the runner to score from third and the speedy Do to race to first safely with two out.
That was the only run the Diamond Jacks managed to scrounge off Canes starter Ryan McAuley, who allowed three hits and no walks and struck out two in three innings. McAuley is a rising junior at Somers High in Lincolndale, N.Y.
Facing Canes reliever John Mangeri in the bottom of the fourth, Wetmore reached on a dropped third strike and Jackson Staples walked before DiMeo launched his first and only homer of the summer, a three-run bomb which landed just beyond the fence in left field and very nearly hit the foul pole for a 4-3 Diamond Jacks lead.
“I think I needed that to get more confidence back in me,” said DiMeo, a rising junior at Toms River East. “That hyped me up, too, to get back at them and quiet them down.”
Jacob Greenberg came on to replace Mangeri and issued a walk to Jacob Lilienthal before Jerla slapped a double down the left field line for what seemed at the time a critical insurance run.
Diamond Jacks reliever Chase Woodring entered in the top of the fifth and immediately found himself in a precarious situation. Maximos DeMaras and Luke DeFelice both singled to bring up Albert Maldonado with one out.
Maldonado, a 6-4 Rutgers commit and a rising senior at Elizabeth High, homered earlier in the day in his team’s semifinal victory over the NJ Tigers. But Woodring kept him guessing and got a strikeout swinging, then got Quenton Ruffin to fly out to end the inning.
The Diamond Jacks added three more runs in the fifth to build an 8-3 lead. Staples had an RBI triple, DiMeo had his third hit of the game, an RBI double, and he later scored on a wild pitch.
The Canes may have been quieted, but they weren’t dead. In the top of the seventh against Woodring, the Canes loaded the bases when Nasir Stevenson singled, Luke Senatore was hit by a pitch and Freddie Crowhurst singled.
Diamond Jacks coach Walt Cleary came out to have a chat with Woodring, who would not allow another Canes batter to reach safely. Rafael Rodriguez knocked in a run with a sacrifice fly, and Woodring got a strikeout and a flyout to end the game.
“With our team’s pitching, everybody just competes in the now,” said co-MVP Wetmore, who had six hits in five games including a home run. Wetmore is a rising junior at Christian Brothers Academy. “Even if they’re not on that day, they’re just all out there working, trying to do their best, and their best was good enough this week.”