Tyler Hopkins of the 12U Defenders slides into Stripes catcher Stafford MacArthur.
By Rich Bevensee
The 12U Stripes were short on butterflies and long on batted balls when the All-Ripken Games convened at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
It quickly became clear that even at their young age, this particular group of ballplayers wasn’t shying away from stepping into the spotlight, even on such a stage where the best players from all over the Northeast wanted to strut their stuff.
Joey Cannizzarro, Jeremiah Marsingill, Jaxson Ervin and Quinn Hickey each hit a home run for the Stripes and provided eight of the team’s runs in a 10-4 decision over the Defenders on Tuesday.
“I try to think of it as another game and try to have fun,” said Cannizzaro, who plays club baseball for USA Prime and Ghost Mob. “It’s cool to meet kids from other states and other regions. So I wasn’t nervous. I’m experienced. I’ve done other showcases like this so I just go out there and play.”
The All-Ripken Games at ‘The Nation’ feature multiple teams in four age groups – 9/10U, 11U, 12U and 13/14U. Each team plays three games in a battle to qualify for a four-team playoff in their respective bracket.
Pool games resume Wednesday. Semifinal and championship games in all four divisions are slated for Thursday.
Hickey, who plays for the Connecticut Bearcats, says it’s only beneficial for him to play with talented players because then he can gauge where he needs to be if he wants to play at the highest levels.
Hickey was 0-for-2 before launching a three-run bomb in the fourth inning. Hickey also pitched the first two innings for the Stripes.
“It was fun to see other people on my team who are elite because I want to play baseball at the next level,” Hickey said. “After my home run, I was like all right, I can do this. Before that I was shaken up because I didn’t get on base at all.”
The home run barrage began shortly after the first pitch. As the third batter in the top of the first inning, Cannizzaro hit a two-run homer to give the Stripes a 3-0 lead. Two batters later Marsingill and Ervin went back-to-back with the longball. Marsingill’s two-run shot and Ervin’s solo homer gave the Stripes a 6-0 lead.
Boston Johnson, a Montreal native who made the 6½-hour trip south with his elder brother Rylan and their mother, Morgan Hanley, jumped into the offensive attack for the Stripes in the second inning, swatting an RBI double to fuel a seven-run surge which gave the Stripes a 13-1 bulge.
Why were two brothers from Canada playing in an All-Ripken event in New Jersey? The answer is simple.
Once their names were submitted to Ripken Baseball for the Games, Ripken staffers began selecting deserving players. Josh Eldridge, director of individual player programming at Ripken Baseball, said those players and their families were invited to choose one of eight All-Ripken sites around the U.S.
From left, Jaxson Ervin, Jeremiah Marsingill, Quinn Hickey and Joey Cannizzaro each hit home runs for the 12U Stripes at the All-Ripken Games.
While Boston was playing for the 12U Stripes, brother Rylan was playing for the 13/14U Statesmen. Boston, who went 2-for-4, said watching the talent of the other players was “amazing.”
“I was really excited when my mother told me my brother and I were picked,” said Boston, who plays summer ball for the Lac St-Louis Tigers in Montreal. “I was nervous in the batters box because I didn’t want to mess up. I wanted to be as good as them.”
The Defenders jumped back into the game with a four-run second inning. Brody Gribbin led off with a solo homer, Tyler Hopkins belted a two-run double and Graham Knowlton added an RBI groundout to bring the Defenders within 13-5.
But the Stripes kept pouring on the offense. Lucas Kim provided a two-run single in the third to bump his team’s lead to 15-5.
Then in the top of the fourth, the Stripes added five more runs to reach the mercy rule threshold. Ervin began the rally with an RBI single, Chase Dolaghan singled in another run and Hickey cranked a three-run homer to give the Stripes a 20-5 cushion.
The Defenders added two more runs before the game was halted, as Logan Showacre had an RBI groundout and Hopkins singled in a run.