By Sean Reilly
Johnny Bean had a goal in mind at the plate over the weekend for the NJ Pride Donuts 14U.
“I was looking to hunt fastballs early,” he said.
Bean, the South Jersey team’s cleanup hitter, was successful in that strategy, and so was his team. The end result was an unbeaten five-game showing and the championship of the 14U Mother’s Day Classic at Diamond Nation.
Bean hit safely in every game, going 7-for-15 with six runs and eight RBI. He was also the winning pitcher in the tournament final, an 8-5 victory over the Morris County Cubs 14U Navy, to earn tournament MVP honors.
The NJ Pride Donuts scored 63 runs in the event. They scored in the first inning in every game, totaling 28 in all.
In the championship, the Donuts scored three times in the top of the first.
Johan Covington led off by reaching on a two-base error. Mikey Connelly and Beckett Weller walked to load the bases. Bean hit a one-run single to right, and Marco Fifis hit a one-run single to center. After a pop out to third, Luke Lockhart reached on a fielder’s choice that forced Fifis at second and scored Weller from third.
Bean pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning before the Donuts extended the lead to 6-0 with a three-run second.
John Bean of NJ Pride Donuts 14U was named MVP of the 14U Mother’s Day Classic.
Colby Martin led off with a walk, Alex Seamon singled to left, and a sacrifice bunt from Brandon Ziegler moved the runners to second and third. After a strikeout, Connelly walked to load the bases. Weller then cleared the bases with a double to right field.
The Cubs got on the board when Zach Dionyssiou led off the bottom of the second with a home run to left field.
Dionyssiou showcased his power again in the third inning. Brady Hood drew a leadoff walk for the Cubs, and after the next two batters were retired on fly outs, John Pallino walked. Dionyssiou then hit his second home run, also to left field, to draw the Cubs within 6-4.
The Donuts extended their lead to 8-4 in the fifth. Bean had an RBI groundout to shortstop with one out, and Fifis hit a run-scoring single to center.
The pace of the slow-moving game caused the 1:50 play clock to ultimately run out during the bottom of the fifth.
Nothing better than a photo with Mom on Mother’s Day after winning a championship.
Pallino drew a one-out walk for the Cubs, and Dionyssiou hit another extra-base hit to left field, this one a double that sent courtesy runner Cameron Lamoureaux to third. After a strikeout, and with time running short, Marley Norin hit an RBI single past the second base bag.
With runners on first and third, the clock hit 0:00 before a pop up to shallow right field was caught by Donuts second baseman Covington to end the game.
Dionyssiou had a spectacular weekend for the Cubs, going 6-for-11 with three home runs, two doubles, four runs and 11 RBI.