By Sean Reilly
Zoe Diaz had a simple goal on Sunday at Diamond Nation.
Her Empire State Huskies-Petrillo team began the day as the No. 8 seed in the 12U Aces Spring Invitational playoffs, so there were no guarantees of anything beyond the opening game in the single-elimination bracket.
“I was expecting to just go in, try to win as much as we could and see what happens,” she said.
By the end of the four-game day, the Huskies were tournament champions, and Diaz departed Flemington with not only a first-place medal, but the 12U tournament’s MVP award.
The Huskies ended the two-day event 6-1, with a 40-14 run differential.
The day began with an 8-0 win over ninth-seeded Ascent Athlete. Next up was a 5-1 triumph over the top-seeded Shoreline Sting.
The semifinals resulted in an 11-1 decision over the Rhody Waverunners, which was significant, since it avenged the team’s only loss of the tournament, a 7-2 pool-play defeat on Saturday.
The championship matchup was against the sixth-seeded Lehigh Valley Unity, a team that had also entered the final with five wins in six prior games, also with 11 runs allowed, but with 24 more runs scored than the Huskies.
The Huskies were up to the task, sparked by a four-run third inning that broke open a tie game and led to a 7-3 championship victory in Flemington.
Diaz was 2-for-3 in the final, with the go-ahead RBI while catching her fourth game of the day (covering 19 innings).
“Today we battled,” she said.
In the championship game, the Huskies took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Summer Mangan, who was also the winning pitcher, led off with an infield single and Sam Zuckerman followed with a walk. Maggie Medaglia was up next, and hit an RBI single to center. Medaglia later scored on Caity Daudi’s single to left field with one out.
LV Unity tied the game with two runs in the bottom of the second.
Olivia Schmittel led off, and reached on a two-base error. Frani Componoro hit an RBI single to center, and advanced to second on the throw to the plate. She moved to third on a groundout, and scored when Makenna Houston lined a single beyond first base and into right field.
Zoe Diaz of the Empire State Huskies was named 12U Finch’s Aces Spring Invitational MVP.
The game turned when Empire State struck for four runs in the top of the third.
Stella Ormiston led off by hitting a double over the head of the center fielder. Diaz then hit an RBI single to left field, took second on a throw and moved to third when the play ended with an error.
After an out, Ella Metzger hit a ground out to third which scored Diaz for a 4-2 advantage.
Kate Murphy then reached on an error, Sophia Kehoe singled to left field, and both scored when Samantha Ulrich singled to left field.
LV Unity closed to 6-3 in the fourth. Sammi Wodtke led off with a single, advanced on a wild pitch, moved to third on a groundout and scored on a groundout to second from Payetin Young.
The Huskies added their final run in a fifth inning that began with singles by Metzger and Murphy. Kehoe then reached on an error which scored Metzger.
Mangan’s pitching win was her second of the tournament. Taylor Stankowitz went 3-0 over the weekend, including the revenge victory over the Waverunners in the semifinal.