Gavin Houlis delivers pitch for Jersey Boyz Baseball in 13U Spring Fever tournament.
By Sean Reilly
When Lenny Josue Ruiz Ocampo gets on base for Jersey Boyz Baseball 13U, his mind focuses on one thing, advancing to the next one.
The third hitter in the Jersey Boyz lineup, he reached base in all three at-bats on Friday night when the Jersey Boyz met TCS Blackhawks 13U in the pool play opener for both at the Diamond Nation 13U Spring Fever tournament, Powered by Pure Rush, in Flemington.
Josue Ruiz Ocampo walked and was safe on errors his other two trips. More notably, he stole five bases and scored twice in a 6-4 victory.
“I’m trying to make things happen,” he said. “Anything to help my team.”
The Jersey Boyz never trailed after scoring three runs in the top of the first.
Reece Hartdorn of TCS Blackhawks dives back to first base ahead of pickoff throw from home plate.
The Blackhawks made the game interesting by scoring twice in the bottom of the fifth inning, with the play clock having hit 0:00. There were also runners on first and second, but Jersey Boyz pitcher Wes Gaynor struck out the cleanup man to end the game.
“It was cool,” Gaynor said. “I kind of got scared there at the end. It felt really good to get that strikeout.”
The three-run top of the first was fueled by five walks. Eyron Ventura scored the first run on a wild pitch, Jackson Fagan had an RBI base on balls, and Fabrizio Rodriguez added a run-scoring fielder’s choice groundout.
The Jersey Boyz began the second inning with two more walks, but the inning came to a sudden end when the runners took off on a pitch that resulted in a line drive out to second base, which led to a throw to first base and then another to second for a Blackhawks triple play.
The Blackhawks scored once in the bottom of the inning after Reece Hartdorn led off with a walk and scored on a two-out bases loaded walk to Donovan Ciccarone.
The Blackhawks closed to 3-2 in the third inning after Brody Beatrice led off with a walk, and after two more walks followed by a pitching change, scored on a two-out wild pitch.
Eyron Ventura scores on first-inning wild pitch for Jersey Boyz baseball.
The Jersey Boyz scored their other three runs in the top of the fifth.
Ventura led off with a single to center, stole two bases and scored as Josue Ruiz Ocampo reached on a two-base outfield error. His fifth stolen base followed, and he beat a throw to the plate as Tatum Kuo hit a fielder’s choice grounder to second. Kuo accounted for the final run when Fagan was safe on a dropped pop up.
The Blackhawks, who were hitless through four innings, got a one-out single to center from Lucas Gonnella with the clock expired in the bottom of the fifth.
The next batter struck out, but Carson Gieda doubled to left field. Eric Vastola hit a two-run single to center, and Blake Sumba walked, before the strikeout ended the game.