By Rich Bevensee
Marley Norin played six different positions this weekend heading into the championship game of the 13U April Fool’s Tournament. His seventh and final assignment is where he sees himself spending the most of his career.
Norin, a slender right-handed pitcher for Morris County Cubs Navy, has good reason to believe his future as a ballplayer is on the mound. He was simply terrific in his four innings of work on Sunday evening, throwing a two-hit, complete game shutout with no walks and four strikeouts on his 13th birthday to lead the Cubs to a 11-0 victory over the Diamond Jacks 13U Gold at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Norin, who also played catcher, first base, second base, third base, left field and right field during the Cubs’ 4-0 run through the tournament, was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
“It’s good being versatile because I can help out,” Norin said. “I like playing all the positions because if they need me I can play anywhere.”
Cubs coach Rich Ronchetta said Norin is just one shining example of a team brimming with versatility, including 10 players who can pitch.
“A lot of these kids play multiple positions because they’re athletes,” Ronchetta said. “If you don’t know all the positions, by playing them, your baseball IQ is not going to be very high. Now that these guys can play multiple positions, they understand how the game is played.”
Norin, employing a fastball, slider, curveball and changeup, permitted just two Diamond Jacks to reach base. Josh Labrador had an infield single in the second inning, and Miles Dawes singled in the fourth.
“I knew I was on when I got the first three guys out,” Norin said. “If I had a choice of one position, it would be pitcher. I like striking guys out.”
The versatile Marley Norin of Morris County Cubs 13U Navy was named April Fools MVP.
“He’s just crafty,” Ronchetta said. “He’s got an effective breaking ball, slider, and changeup. He keeps the ball down, works quick, fields his position and throws a ton of strikes.”
The Cubs, powered by Norin’s championship game masterpiece, finished the weekend undefeated. In pool play they knocked off the Diamond Jacks Gold, 3-0, the North Jersey Heat, 10-0, and Locked In Expos Blue, 9-5.
The Diamond Jacks finished the April Fool’s weekend 3-2, obviously with both losses coming against the Cubs. The Diamond Jacks beat Morris County Cubs Grey, 6-0, Bucks County Generals Red, 10-4, and Jersey Boyz Baseball, 3-1.
Chase Van Gorder, who Ronchetta said is one of the Cubs top aces besides Norin, had the honor of providing the walk-off, two-run single in the bottom of the fourth to meet the 10-run mercy rule criteria.
The Cubs offense began working in earnest in the first inning, as Zach Dionyssiou drove in Matthew Bode with a single to right.
In the second, the Cubs victimized the Diamond Jacks for seven runs on just one hit. Brady Hood blooped a single into shallow center to bring home the team’s second run. Then with the bases loaded, Bode earned a walk, Mateo Parelta was hit by a pitch and Van Gorder earned another walk for a 5-0 lead.
Dionyssiou earned a fielder’s choice RBI when, with the bases still loaded, Parelta beat the third baseman to the bag on an attempted force. And two more runs came home on an outfield error on Chase Dougherty’s fly ball to give the Cubs an 8-0 bulge.
For the game, nine of 12 Cubs reached base safely and five had at least one RBI.
“These guys have been playing together since they were 10, so there’s continuity among the group,” Ronchetta said. “They’re comfortable playing with each other, they’re supporting each other, they all play multiple positions, and we’re very deep with pitching.”
Ronchetta said he didn’t believe his club would be in danger of assuming multiple championships for the rest of the summer because of this early season success.
“Because they’re tight, they know it’s over already,” Ronchetta said. “The championship is over. The moment is here, we won, now it’s time to go back to practice on Monday.”