By Rich Bevensee
The Diamond Jacks Super 13U squad is off to an unbeaten start across the first three weeks of the season thanks to an embarrassing load of talent.
Lately the team has been leaning on Tyler LaGanga, who has been on a tear the last couple weeks with his pitching arm and his bat.
This weekend at the Williams Harley Davidson Tournament at Diamond Nation in Flemington, LaGanga chalked up another brilliant pitching performance which helped propel the Diamond Jacks to the 13U Pool B/C title on Sunday afternoon.
For his effort, LaGanga was named the team’s Most Valuable Player of the tournament for the second week in a row. He earned MVP honors last week after the Super 13U squad won the April Fools event at ‘The Nation.’
“I can be better. I’m still not perfect,” LaGanga said. “I try to do the best I can but I gotta’ work harder. The MVP shows my work is paying off.”
In the Harley-Davidson championship game, Diamond Jacks Super 13U improved to 15-0 on the season after beating some familiar faces in Diamond Jacks Gold, 6-2. Logan Koziupa allowed one run on three hits over five innings for Super 13U, Nate McGann and Aaron Erb singled twice and Ryan Nigro had a two-run triple.
The Super 13U team built a 3-0 lead through two innings, then added two more on the Nigro triple in the third.
“I liked our first three innings,” Super 13U coach Josh Ake said. “Our new motto is ‘Win Each Inning,’ so when they scored in the third, we bounced back with two. We just gotta’ work on when we get too comfortable.”
Koziupa cruised through the first two innings before escaping a two-out, bases-loaded jam in the third with a groundout and a nifty backhand play by shortstop Alan Pena. Koziupa retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings.
“I felt good going into the game, and even though I got in a jam, I was able to come through,” said Koziupa, who utilized a four-seam and two-seam fastball, changeup and slider. “Sometimes I get in my own head but the best part about me is that I can come back and work my way out of it.”
Koziupa allowed one run over five innings on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts.
“That was Logan’s most inconsistent game but one of my favorites because he got himself out of situations,” Ake said. “He showed he can compete and he showed toughness. He came back to the dugout and said something feels a little off, and he found a way to work through it. That’s the sign of a great pitcher.”
LaGanga, 0-for-2 with a walk in the final, finished 3-for-7 at the plate over three games. His biggest contribution to the championship weekend was the five scoreless innings he threw against the Mid-Atlantic Warriors in a 3-0 pool play victory on Saturday. He struck out nine and allowed one hit and three walks.
Tyler LaGanga of the Diamond Jacks Super 13U was named Williams Harley Davidson MVP.
“He had a great weekend at the plate and a great day on the mound,” Ake said. “Great game against a great team. He went out there and competed. That team is probably the best team we’ve played. He’s been playing really, really well.
“Each week there are so many guys who can get it (the MVP), so it’s hard to pick sometimes, but with his pitching and his bat it was a no-brainer this weekend.”
Last weekend in the April Fools Tournament, LaGanga was the Diamond Jacks’ hands-down choice for MVP after going 4-for-8 at the plate with three RBI. He also pitched five scoreless innings against Baseball U Jersey White in an 8-0 win. He struck out seven and allowed two hits and three walks.
For the season, LaGanga is batting .424 and has struck out 30 batters in 17 innings.
In the title game, Diamond Jacks Gold made a pair of sparkling defensive plays early to stay within striking distance. Andrew Vasil scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the first to give Super 13U a 1-0 lead. Gold first baseman Josh Labrador helped curb the damage with an unassisted double play.
In the bottom of the second, Gold third baseman Max Siemers threw a dart to catcher Nick Ur to nail Aaron Erb trying to score from third on an infield grounder. Two batters later Super 13U took a 3-0 lead when Joe Lopresti had an RBI groundout and Pena scored on a wild pitch.
Gold scored its first run in the third on Jake Tiger’s opposite-field RBI single to right. In the bottom of the inning, another Gold glove shined when center fielder Nino Sivio charged in to make a diving catch of Ryan Sharma’s sinking liner.
Super 13U responded to that single Gold run in the bottom of the inning when Nigro turned a misplayed fly ball into a two-run triple for a 5-1 advantage. Super 13U right fielder Oliver Stokes got his name into the highlight reel with his diving grab of a Miles Dawes liner.
In the sixth, Sharma scored on an infield throwing error for a 6-1 Super 13U lead.
Tiger added one more run for Gold 13U with an RBI groundout.
For Super 13U, Sharma pitched the final two innings and allowed one run on no hits and three walks with one strikeout.
For Gold 13U, Michael Milia allowed three runs on three hits and five walks over two innings. Tripp Fabiano allowed three runs on three hits and four walks. Cameron Dorr pitched a scoreless sixth with one hit and one strikeout.