Bucks County Generals Black marched through a 4-0 weekend to claim the 12U Mother’s Day Classic.
By Rich Bevensee
Two of the smallest players in the Bucks County Generals 12U Black lineup loomed large when the box score was finalized Sunday.
There was shortstop and leadoff man Kyle Hunt, who has a howitzer for an arm and a penchant for getting on base. There was also center fielder Leo Ronca, always just waiting for the opposition to take him lightly because he bats near the bottom of the order.
The Generals are fortunate to have several players with the ability to shine at any given time, but it was time for Hunt and Ronca to step into the spotlight in the Mother’s Day Classic championship game.
Hunt played impeccable defense in the final and led the team with eight hits during the four-game weekend. Ronca was the only General to have two hits in the championship game. These young men led the top-seeded Generals’ charge to their second tournament title this spring after a 9-4 victory over third-seeded Central Jersey Rebels Black on Sunday at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
“I think the reason we’re winning is our team bonding and our energy is just so high and our bats are really hot,” Hunt said.
Hunt was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament after going 8-for-12 with two doubles and eight runs scored in four games. His hit total is that much more impressive when considering that the Generals steamrolled all four of their opponents and played only 16 innings.
In the final he went 1-for-3 with an RBI and run scored, and he was flawless in three chances at short.
“I can’t remember too many times when he got out,” Generals coach Pat Devlin said. “I think we ended up playing only 16 innings of baseball and he had eight hits. He locks down shortstop, makes every play, keeps everybody under control. I tell him as you go, we go. He’s our sparkplug at the top of the lineup.”
Bucks County (11-1-1) went 4-0 for the weekend and outscored the opposition 56-9 to claim its second title of the spring. Three weeks ago the Generals grabbed their first tournament title at the Nation’s Around The Horn event.
Ronca, batting 10th in an 11-man lineup, went 2-for-2 in the final with an RBI double. For the weekend he finished 6-for-8 with three RBI and four runs scored.
“I’m trying to get a hit so I can move up in the lineup,” Ronca said. “I don’t care where I hit. I think with our team, in every inning we can go through the whole lineup. All the way down to me, we can hit. Some people only bat nine and we bat 12 and everyone hits. It’s a lot of fun.”
The Generals have traditionally shown they can hit at ‘The Nation’ but on Sunday it was their defense which shone the brightest.
The Generals carried a five-run lead into the third inning, but the Rebels’ Luca Camuto had an RBI single and Gary Leonardo blasted a two-run home run to get his team back into the ballgame at 6-4.
Bucks County Generals Black pay homage to their moms after winning the 12U Mother’s Day Classic.
That clout was followed by two defense gems. With one out, Generals second baseman Bryce Andruczyk dove to his left to field a Kolten Devine grounder and threw him out from the seat of his pants, preventing a base hit and a run from scoring.
The next batter, Nick D’Angelo, singled to left and Generals left fielder Shane Grosso threw home to nail Jonathan Wheeler trying to make it a one-run game.
“Defense means a lot to us,” Devlin said. “You look at the size of the field and may think offense is everything, but me being a coach not only at 12U but also at 17U, I understand what it takes, and I’m trying to get these guys to be well-rounded ballplayers.”
Also excelling in the field was third baseman Tucker Chapman, who snared a Connor Kelleher line drive and threw to first to double up courtesy runner Nick D’Angelo in the second inning.
The Generals not only held the Rebels at bay with defense, they created some breathing room in the bottom of the third with a two-run spurt, as Ryan Shin belted his third homer of the weekend and Sebastian Calpas scored on a wild pitch for an 8-4 bulge.
Kyle Hunt of the Bucks County Generals Black 12U was named the Mother’s Day Classic MVP.
Here’s how the Generals built their 6-1 lead. Trailing 1-0 in the first, Mason Barlow swatted his third homer of the weekend, a three-run blast to dead center.
In the second, Weston Misterman had an RBI single, Ronca pushed another run across with a double to center, and he later scored on a wild pitch.
Hunt provided the final nail in the coffin with an RBI sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Southpaw Larry Scheetz pitched five innings for the Generals, allowing four runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out one. Harrison Carter struck out the side in the sixth.
For the weekend, Barlow (4-for-10) and Shin (4-for-9) led the team with three homers, seven RBI and 14 total bases each. Bryce Andruczyk homered twice and Calpas, Chapman and Carter each hit one homer.