By Sean Reilly
Nick Scudilla has accomplished plenty at Diamond Nation, right from his start two years ago as an 8-year old playing on the 9U level for the Morris County Cubs.
He’s currently a mainstay with the 10U Cubs Navy, while sometimes playing up with the Cubs 11U team.
There’s not much he hasn’t achieved at ‘The Nation,’ although Sunday brought a new experience during the championship of the 10U Around The Horn tournament.
Scudilla ended the game with a two-run home run in the bottom of the fourth inning to give the Cubs a game-ending and title-clinching 13-2 triumph over the Wolfpack 10U from Ocean County.
Scudilla sent the first pitch of his at-bat well over the fence in left field to score Tyler Drown, who led off the inning with a four-pitch walk, and give the Cubs the mercy-rule victory.
Scudilla delivered a walk-off hit to win a championship before, as an 8-year old in a seventh-inning tiebreaker to win the Battle At The Turf in 2024.
He was selected tournament MVP after that performance, just as he was when his pitching and hitting led the Cubs to the April Fools tournament championship in 2025.
While Nick has had other impressive moments playing at Diamond Nation, he’d never before ended a game with a home run. As a bonus, he also went home with a souvenir, courtesy of his proud younger sister McKenzie, who tracked down the ball once it stopped rolling.
“It felt really good to end the game like that,” he said. “I was looking for something middle and a bit up, and I got it.”
Scudilla was 1-for-3 in the game, while also throwing three hitless innings as the starting pitcher. He was 7-for-11 at the plate in the four weekend games, which were all Cubs victories, including two by shutout. He scored six runs and totaled 10 RBI.
As good as he was, the MVP award went to the entire Cubs team, who outscored their opponents, 51-3, in a tremendous bounceback after falling in the final of the April Fools tournament last week.
The Cubs took control of this championship game by scoring five times in the second inning and adding six more runs in the third for an 11-0 lead.
Nick Scudilla holds the championship-winning HR ball that was corralled by his sister, McKenzie.
The second inning included a one-run single from Connor Korem with one out, followed by a two-run single by Edward Selementi. The lead stretched to 5-0 when Phoenix Pitts hit a two-run single with two out.
Scudilla led off the third by reaching on an error, and Carter Szelesta sent him to third with a double. Jace Rowen followed with a sacrifice fly to center.
After Jake Clougher walked, Korem hit an RBI double for a 7-0 lead. The next two runs scored on wild pitches. Run-scoring hits from Auferio and Keelan followed.
The Wolfpack avoided an early finish to the game by scoring two runs on five hits in the top of the fourth.
Christian Quinn hit a one-out double and moved to third on a single from Angelo Salerno. Jaxon Fucci had an RBI base hit and Parker Dorf followed with a single. After a strikeout, Luca Calise followed with an RBI single.
While that rally extended the game, Scudila’s home run in the bottom of the inning ended it.
Although he was playing with same-aged players this week, he feels the at-bats he’s had at the 11U have been an all-around help.
“I like doing that,” he said. “It makes me play better.”