Denville 10s finish in Final Four
Of District One LL Tournament
DENVILLE - This was one comeback that just wasn't going to happen.
The Denville 9/10-year-old All-Star baseball team found itself trailing Randolph West 1-0 after one, 6-0 after two, then 11-0 after three and, when Denville could not score in the top of the fourth inning, the game ended on the 10-run mercy rule and Denville's fine run through the District One Little League Baseball Tournament had ended with Randolph West an 11-0 winner at Freedom Park in Randolph Township on Thursday, July 23.
But, according to manager Gary Faccenda, Denville's fine 6-2 combined record in the four-game pool-play portion and then the double-elimination portion of the tournament will not soon be forgotten.
"I just hope that they took out of this tournament as many great memories as Jeff (coach Vittorio) and I did," Faccenda said after the final game. "We look forward to building on this next year when the boys move up another age group."
While Denville was held to one hit in its last game - a fourth-inning single by Owen Roche - Faccenda was still singing praises of the team long after the game had ended.
"We were very pleased with how the boys performed throughout the tournament," Faccenda said. "They really committed themselves to the team and to each other from the first practice on June 17 through the last game.
"They met their goal of winning their pool play title and made it to the Final Four of the double-elimination portion of the tournament. As disappointed as they were, I had to remind them that playing eight post-season games and finishing in the final four of a tournament like this is quie a nice accomplishment and something of which they should be very proud.
"These boys never gave up ... they came from behind in four of their six victories and one two of those four games in their final at-bat.
"We just can't say enough about their entire post-season play."
After winning the Pool B championship with a 4-0 record, Denville made it five straight post-season victories with a 13-7 victory over Roxbury National as the eight-team, double-elimination portion of the tournament got underway at Gardner Field on Saturday, July 18.
Will Kenny, Tyler Faccenda and Roche (who scored four times) each had two hits to lead Denville's 13-hit attack. Kenny singled in two runs in the second inning; Ian Stempert doubled in a pair of runs in the fourth; and Nick Vittorio singled in a run in the fourth and drove in a fifth-inning run on a hard grounder to emerge as Denville's RBI leaders for the game.
Also, Jared Sorce was 1-for-1 with a triple; Nick Rupp was 1-for-3 with two runs scored; Richie Boyle had a hit and an RBI; Justin Giacobbe was 1-for-1 with an RBI and a run scored; Conner Walsh had a hit and an RBI; and Danny Porth had an RBI on a groundout in the fourth.
Richie Boyle, the first of five Denville pitchers, got the win with 3.1 innings of three-hit ball. He struck out four and walked four and gave up three runs, two of which were earned. Faccenda, with 1.1 innings of hitless relief, got the save.
Denville suffered its first post-season defeat in an 8-1 loss to Mendham in a battle of unbeatens at Mendham on Sunday, July 19.
With the score tied at 1-1, Mendham scored seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to secure the victory.
Denville got its run in the top of the third when Faccenda led off with a single, was replaced on the basepaths by pinchrunner Sorce who, after stealing second, came home to score on Rupp's double to left.
Faccenda finished the game 2-for-3 with a run; Rupp was 1-for-3 with his RBI double; and Zach Sheridan was 1-for-1 with a double.
Mendham reached three Denville pitchers for 10 hits.
Denville bounced back with a 7-3 victory over Morristown National at Gardner Field on Wednesday, July 22.
Denville was leading 3-2 going into the bottom of the fifth when it scored four times to take a 7-2 lead going into the final inning of play.
Boyle led off the inning with his third straight single and, after Faccenda beat out an infield single, Roche was safe on a one-out bunt to load the bases.
Stempert followed with a two-run single to left and Giacobbe drove in another two runs with an opposie-field double down the right field line.
Earlier in the game, Morristown National took an early lead with a single run in the top of the first inning only to have Denville tie it in its half of the inning when Boyle singled with one out, Faccenda reached on an error and Boyle, after stealing third, raced home on the catcher's overthrow.
Denville took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third when Boyle hit another one-out single and was able to race around the bases when Porth's sacrifice bunt was thrown into right field.
Morristown made it 2-2 in the top of the fourth, but Denville took the lead when Stempert and Giacobbe each singled and, after both runners moved up on a sacrifice bunt by Roche and with Vittorio at bat, Stempert scored on a passed ball.
Denville had its big inning in the fifth and Morristown scored the final run of the game in the sixth to forge the final 7-3 score.
Boyle finished 3-for-3 with three runs scored; Stempert was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored; Giacobbe was 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs; Faccenda was 1-for-2 with a run scored and Roche finished 1-for-3 with a run scored.
Stempert started and worked four innings for the win, allowing two earned runs on one hit while striking out three, walking five and hitting one batter. Vittorio pitched the final two innings and got the save, allowing an unearned run on one hit while striking out one and walking three.
Denville finishes 4-0 in pool play
DENVILLE - The Denville Little League 9/10-year-old All-Star baseball team finished a perfect 4-0 to win the Pool B championship in the 2009 District One Little League Tournament and advance to the eight-team bracket play (double-elimination) portion of the tournament.
Perfect, yes ... but easy? No!
Denville opened pool play with 7-6 come-from-behind victory over Morris Plains at Gardner Field here on Wednesday, July 8, scoring three times in the bottom of the sixth and final inning with the tying and winning runs scoring on a wild pitch and an error on the same play.
In the second game, Denville trailed Rockaway Borough 3-2 going into the top of the fifth when it erupted for seven runs for a 9-3 lead and added another seven runs in the top of the sixth to win, 16-3, in a game played at Harry K. Smith Field in Rockaway on Friday, July 10.
Tyler Faccenda pitched a complete-game three-hitter as Denville beat Morristown American, 2-0, at Gardner Field on Tuesday, July 14.
Denville won the pool title and qualified for the eight-team bracket (double-elimination) portion of the District One Tournament by scoring five times in the top of the seventh inning to beat Tri-Town, 8-4, in extra innings at Pepe Field in Boonton Township on Thursday, July 16.
How the games went down:
Denville 7, Morris Plains 6: Morris Plains scored five times in the top of the second inning to take a quick 5-0 lead before Denville got on the board with a single run in the third and three runs in the fourth. Morris Plains scored its sixth and final run in the top of the fifth and took a 6-4 into the bottom of the sixth inning.
Denville started it's winning rally when Justin Giacobbe opened the inning by reaching on an error. Nicholas Vittorio drew a one-out walk and Richie Boyle followed with a single to center that drove in pinchrunner Jarad Sorce from second, pulling Denville to within a run at 6-5. Tyler Faccenda reached on a infield single to load the bases with one out.
With cleanup hitter Owen Roche at bat, a wild pitch brought home Vittorio with the tying run and, when the throw from the catcher to the pitcher went off the pitcher's glove, Boyle also scored on the play to send Denville home a 7-6 winner.
Boyle finished 3-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and two runs scored; Faccenda was 2-for-4 with an RBI; Vittorio was 1-for-3 with one RBI and two runs scored; Giacobbe was 1-for-2 with a run scored; and Will Kenny, Nick Rupp and Roche each had hits.
Iam Stempert, working 2.1 innings in relief of starter Faccenda, got the win. Faccenda fanned seven, walked five and allowed five runs and two hits in his 3.2 innings; Stempert gave up two hits, fanned three and walked two and gave up a run.
Denville 16, Rockaway Borough 4 - Vittorio pitched six innings of four-hit shutout relief, coming in to pitch in the first inning when Rupp had problems getting used to the mound at Rockaway and walked three batters and hit one.
Vittorio also hit a batter and then gave up a single as Rockaway took a quick 3-0 lead.
Denville scored in the second when Stempert doubled and pinchrunner Sorce took third on a wild pitch and then scored on another wild pitch. In the top of the fourth, Roche doubled and Stempert and Zach Sheridan followed with singles with Roche scoring on Sheridan's two-out hit to pull Denville to within a run at 3-2.
Denville took the lead for good with a seven-run outburst in the top of the fifth and added another seven runs in the sixth.
Sorce opened the fifth with a walk and eventually stole home to tie the score before Faccenda's one-hop double to the center field fence drove in what proved to be the winning run.
Rupp doubled in a run; Stempert hit a two-run double; Connor Walsh drove in a run on a groundout and Sorce tripled in a run as Denville closed the fifth with a 9-3 lead.
In the sixth, Danny Porth doubled home two runs; Sheridan drove in a run on a fielder's choice; Giacobbe singled home a run; Vittorio doubled home two runs; and Boyle singled home two more runs to account for Denville's second straight seven-run inning.
Stempert and Vittorio each had three hits to lead Denville's 16-hit attack - Stempert was 3-for-3 with two doubles, two RBIs and three runs scored and Vittorio was 3-for-5 with a double, RBI and two runs scored.
Rupp finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and POrth, Sheridan, Faccenda, Sorce, Giacobbe, Boyle, Kenny and Roche each finished with one hit. Porth and Boyle each had two RBIs.
Vittorio struck out six and walked none in his six shutout innings.
Denville 2, Morristown 0 - Faccenda pitched a complete-game three-hitter with five strikeouts and no walks and not one Morristown player got past first base in the six-inning game played under the lights at Gardner Field.
Denville, held to five hits, got its first run of the game in the bottom of the second when Boyle singled, took second on a passed ball, and scored on Rupp's clutch two-0out single to center.
Denville scored the final run of the game in the third when Vittorio led off the inning with a double and, after Boyle singled Vittorio to third, Faccenda followed with a groundout to short that brough in Vittorio for Denville's 2-0 lead.
Boyle finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored; Rupp was 1-for-2 with an RBI; Vittorio was 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored; Stempert was 1-for-2; and Faccenda was 0-for-2 with an RBI.
Denville 8, Tri-Town 4 (7 innings) - Even though Denville entered the game as the only unbeaten team in pool play, it still had to win to assure finishing in the top two and advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament.
With Morristown American on its way to an 11-1 victory to finish 3-1 in pool play, a loss to Tri-Town would have put Denville, Morristown American and Tri-Town with 3-1 records and Morristown and Tri-Town would have advanced due to a better RPI (runs allowed per inning), the first tie-breaker in a three-team tie.
It took a run in the top of the sixth to force extra innings and a five-run seventh in the first extra inning to enable Denville to beat Tri-Town and finish with its perfect 4-0 record.
Cleanup hitter Rupp led off the sixth with a single but was forced at second by Roche, who was then pinchrun for by Porth. Stempert followed with a double that scored Porth with the tying run but Stempert, who took third on a wild pitch, was stranded there and the game went into the bottom of the sixth tied at 3-3.
Stempert pitched a 1-2-3 sixth, striking out the first and third batters, and the game went into extra innings.
Vittorio worked a one-out walk and Boyle and Faccenda followed with singles to load the bases. Rupp hit a two-run single to left and Denville had a 5-3 lead.
Porth forced Rupp at second to leave Denville with runners at the corners and, when Porth stole second, Faccenda scored on the throw to give Denville a 6-3 lead.
Stempert followed with a single to make it 7-3 and Sheridan singled in the final run of the inning to give Denville an 8-4 lead going into the bottom of the seventh.
Stempert, the third Denville pitcher in the game, got two quick outs but Morristown American scored it final run on a double and a single before Stempert got the final out of the game on a strikeout.
Earlier, Denville took a 2-0 lead when Sorce scored on the front end of a double steal in the second inning and Boyle scored a second-inning run when he doubled, took third on Faccenda's single and scored on an error.
Morristown scored once in the third and twice in the fifth to take its 3-2 lead before Denville tied it in the sixth and won it with its five-run rally in the seventh.
Stempert, Rupp, Boyle and Faccenda each finished 2-for-4 with Stempert and Rupp each driving in two runs. Sheridan got the other hit for Denville, which finished with nine hits.
Vittorio started the game on the moujnd and went 2.1 innings giving up three hits and one earned run while striking our four and walking two. Rupp followed with 1.2 scoreless innings in which he gave up one hit, struck out two, walked two and hit a batter. Winning pitcher Stempert pitched the final three innings giving up three runs (two earned) on three hits while striking out three, walking two and hitting one batter.
