By Sean Reilly
One day made quite a difference for Joseph Schuhmann and his NY Prospects Gold teammates.
After opening with a loss and tie during Saturday’s two-game pool play at the Diamond Nation 12U Summer Finale, Powered by Construction Risk Partners, the four-team playoffs on Sunday offered a second chance at a championship.
The Staten Island team made the most of the opportunity, by winning its semifinal and then beating the Jersey Shore Select, 10-6, to finish off its summer campaign on a very high note.
The Prospects opened the tournament with a 6-1 defeat to the same JSS team. That was followed by a 4-4 tie against the Cranford Cougars, resulting in the third seed for the playoffs.
Cranford was also the semifinal opponent, and this time the result was a convincing 10-3 victory. The championship brought an even tougher assignment with a rematch against JSS, but the Prospects again turned the tables in impressive fashion.
In the loss on Saturday, the Prospects’ only run came on a sixth-inning home run by Angelo Bono.
In Sunday’s game, the Prospects scored at least once in all six innings, including twice in the first and four times in the second, to open a 6-0 lead.
“Yesterday we came out slow, and we weren’t really ourselves,” said Schuhmann, who pitched all six innings in the final and was named tournament MVP. “Today, we knew what was on the line and really stepped up our game.”
Schuhmann was 2-for-4 with two runs and three RBI while playing shortstop in the semifinal victory over Cranford.
He had the pitching assignment in the final, and went the distance while allowing six hits with seven strikeouts and three walks.
Joseph Schuhmann of NY Prospects Gold was named MVP of the 12U Summer Finale.
“I was very relieved to get a lead,” he said. “I was very happy. We were very energetic in the dugout, and we were all thinking ‘We got this.’”
Dylan Fardella opened the game with a single to left field. After a pop up, he advanced to third when Bono reached on an error. Schuhmann was up next, and reached when a passed ball on strike three also allowed Fardella to score. Andrew Trinidad was safe on an error which scored Bono.
Jack Hayden singled to third base with one out in the second, and Aidan Tannenbaum hit a two-run home run to right field. After an out, Shane Kary singled to center and Bono followed with a home run to center for a 6-0 advantage.
Caleb Laughlin hit a one-out single to center in the third, moved to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a passed ball, and scored on another passed ball with two out.
Fardella, who went 2-for-4, hit a one-out single to center in the fourth, and he stole second and third before scoring on a two-out passed ball for an 8-0 lead.
JSS began to scratch back in the bottom of the fourth. Tyler Grzywinski hit a solo home run to right-center with one out, Jaydon Alemany followed with a grounds rule double to center, and after a wild pitch, Michael Hare had a RBI ground out to third.
Loughlin led off the top of the fifth for the Prospects with a full-count walk, stole second, and scored on an errant throw after stealing third on a strike out for the second out.
JSS closed to 9-6 in the bottom of the fifth. Matty Rose led off with a single to center. Kellan Boedigheimer was safe on a fielder’s choice, and an error on the play left runners on second and third. Rose scored on a wild pitch before a strikeout for the second out.
Cole Conley walked to put runners on first and third, and Grzywinski followed by drilling a first-pitch home run to center.
The homer concluded a tremendous weekend for Grzywinski, who went 3-for-3 in the game and 7-for-9 in the tournament, with three home runs and five RBI.
The Prospects added one last run in the sixth. Kary singled to shortstop with one out, and Bono was hit by a pitch. Kary scored on a wild pitch with two out.
Schuhmann then pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the inning to close out the championship.
Bono went 1-for-2 with a walk and hit-by-pitch in the final, and was 5-for-10 in the tournament, with two home runs and two doubles.
“I haven’t won a tournament in three years,” Bono said. “This feels awesome. I didn’t really care that we had lost to them yesterday, because I knew we would do better today.”
“This was a great way to end the summer,” Schuhmann said. “I had a lot of fun, because I got to play with my teammates.”