By Sean Reilly
Sunday was a very interesting day at Diamond Nation for Rucci Baseball 11U Carolina, but when it was over, the result was a tournament championship.
The final pool game for the South Jersey team at the 11U Slugfest, Powered By Cortes and Hay, was against the Diamond Jacks Super 11U.
Rucci Baseball allowed eight runs in the bottom of the fourth and final inning. The result was a 13-13 tie which still sent Rucci on to the final ahead of the DJacks on the basis of fewer runs allowed over the three pool games.
In the championship opposite the SJ Suns, it was Rucci Baseball which mounted a huge inning. In this case, it was a 10-run uprising in the top of the fifth and final frame which resulted in a 13-9 victory in Flemington.
The 10 runs came after the first batter was retired on a pop to second base. The next nine all reached and scored as a 6-3 deficit ultimately turned into a 13-6 lead for Rucci.
“This was a lot of fun,” said Cooper Mertz, the No. 6 batter for Rucci Baseball who was selected tournament MVP. “We had to come back, we got a lot of people on base and scored a lot of runs.”
The huge late-game rally in the final began with Elias Padro reaching on an error. Jimmy Buchanan and Vince Linden walked to load the bases. Linden’s walk came on a full count.
Dante Biagi worked the count full before hitting a two run single to left field, and he took second on an error that sent Linden to third.
Connor Behr was the next batter, and the Suns chose to play the infield in. Behr hit a grounder that turned into a fielder’s choice which scored two runs for a 7-6 lead.
Behr ended that play on second, and went to third on a wild pitch. With the infield again playing up with M.J. Rucci at bat, Rucci was safe on a fielder’s choice grounder which held Behr at third. Anthony Terranova then sent a two-run triple to center field. Santino Fiorelli was hit by a pitch and Ty Hoffman was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Cooper Mertz of Rucci Baseball was named MVP of the 11U Slugfest.
After a pitching change, Mertz hit a fly ball that was dropped, scoring a run for a 10-6 lead and keeping the bases loaded for Bryce Chambers.
Chambers hit a ball that fell into shallow center field. It scored a run, but also forced out Mertz at second.
Padro was the next batter, and reached on an error that scored the final two runs of the inning.
The Suns tried to rally in the bottom of the inning, with the 1:50 game clock in its final stages. Carlo Bock and Charlie Bell hit RBI doubles, and Bell stole home after advancing to third on a single by Michael Gibson.
Rucci and Terranova both finished 2-for-3 for Rucci Baseball. Terranova also hit an RBI single in a two-run top of the first, and was robbed of another hit when Suns’ first baseman Spencer Greenberg made a spectacular catch of a liner with a runner on second in the fourth.
Bock, Bell and Gibson were all 2-for-3 for the Suns. Bock and Bell both ended with two RBI, and Bock also made two impressive catches at second base.
In addition to the exciting games on a Sunday, Rucci Baseball had to overcome a 4-0 deficit to gain a 7-6 win over the LQ Diamonds in its pool opener on Saturday, with Terranova driving in the winning run.
In the other pool game on Saturday, Mertz threw a two-hitter to beat the Freehold Nailers, 9-0.
“I had a lot of fun, because I love playing baseball,” Mertz said. “I like everything about it, especially playing with my teammates.”