By Rich Bevensee
The stats don’t lie. Beni Spadaccino worked on his hitting so much that his coach had no choice to move him up from last in the batting order once the games began for the Connecticut Grind Carolina 9U ballclub.
Spadaccino, slotted 10th in a 10-man lineup in the Grind’s season opener, tripled, homered and drove in two runs. So Grind Baseball owner and lead instructor Michael Moras moved him up to eighth, and Spadaccino responded with a single, two walks and two RBI.
Moving up one more spot for the April Fool’s 9U championship game, Spadaccino rewarded Moras’ faith by swatting an inside-the-park, two-run homer and sparking the Grind to a 7-3 victory over the Morris County Cubs on Sunday at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
“I’ve got a new batting stance, I’m looking at the ball more, keeping my head on the ball more and I just swung really hard,” said Spadaccino, who was rewarded for his performance with the tournament MVP award.
Spadaccino went 4-for-6 in three games this weekend with two homers, a triple, two walks, six RBI and five runs scored for the Grind, which closed the weekend 3-0.
“You never know what you’re gonna get out of Beni. He’s a wild card,” Moras said. “But he’s a good ballplayer. He’s been in the facility working on his swing and making some adjustments.”
Another huge factor in the championship game was Grind lefty starter Grayson Krueger, whose velo and command of his fastball kept Cubs damage to a minimum. He struck out seven while allowing one unearned run over four innings on one hit and two walks.
“He’s got a live arm for a 9-year old,” Moras said. “He throws the ball really well.”
The only run the Cubs could scratch out against Krueger came in the top of the fourth, when Zane Jebara hit a slow roller and the throw sailed wide of first base, allowing Jebara to circle the bases for his team’s first run.
Krueger, who sprinkled in his changeup with a heavy dose of fastballs, stranded three Cubs baserunners in scoring position and he also struck out the side in the third.
“We all wanted to win the championship,” Spadaccino said. “I think we’re a good team. We had really nice pitching. Grayson did really good.”
Beni Spadaccino drilled two HRs and batted .667 to earn MVP honors for Connecticut Grind Carolina.
The bottom of the Grind lineup, specifically hitters 6-through-9, woke up after Jebara’s HR jaunt. In the bottom of the fourth, Colton Garguilo socked a triple to left, and Spadaccino followed with a two-run homer which bounded off the right center field fence.
Grayson Kurdy laced a sharp single to left, stole second and scored on Joseph Degnan’s single to right for a 5-1 lead. Ryan Moras added another run with his RBI groundout, and Marco Arias capped Grind’s five-run rally by scoring on a wild pitch.
“This was good for us because our hitters from top to bottom are great,” Krueger said. “Even our bottom guy (Spadaccino), he was the last person and he went all the way up to seventh. I knew our team was going to be good.”
Garguilo relieved Krueger and gave up one run in the fifth when Cubs pinch-runner Austin Gompertz swiped home on a double steal. Jacob Dawden pitched the sixth, which is when the Grind produced its defensive play of the game and clinched the title in dramatic fashion.
With the Grind leading 7-2 and one out away from the title in the top of the sixth, reliever Jacob Dawden gave up an RBI single to center to T.K. Krawiec. As Nico Castoro tried to score, too, from second base, center fielder Mason Hackney relayed to shortstop Marco Arias, who threw a strike to catcher Moras and nailed Castoro at the plate to end the game.
The Cubs lost two pool play games but knocked off the Bethlehem Eagles, 18-4, in the semifinals to earn a shot at the title. The Cubs had lost to the Eagles, 14-3, in pool play.
For the Cubs, Krawiec had two hits and drove in a run. Connor Contant and Gianni Encarnacion each had a base hit. Ryan Lifshey pitched three innings for the Cubs and Castoro pitched two in relief.