In top photo, Rotary's Ryan Chegwidden follows through and watches his two-run walk-off homer leave the park to beat the Firemen, 11-9, to win Denville Little League Baseball's Majors Division playoff title at Gardner Field on Saturday, June 12. Below, Chegwidden's joyous teammates mob the home run hero at home plate after he circled the bases.
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Photos by Debbie Bargfrede

Rotary wins Majors playoff title
on Chegwidden 2-run home run
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      DENVILLE - Ryan Chegwidden's two-run walk-off home run gave the Rotary an 11-9 victory over the Firemen and a two-game sweep of Denville Little League Baseball Majors Division best-of-three championship series played at Gardner Field here on Thursday, June 10, and Saturday, June 12.
      Saturday's game had four lead changes with the Firemen taking a 4-0 first inning lead and then having to score single runs in the top of the fifth and sixth innings to tie the score at 9-9, setting up Chegwidden's game-winning blast.
      In the bottom of the sixth, Luidgi Faubert singled to start Rotary's winning rally and Chegwidden then ended it with a one-out shot over the 220-foot sign in left field.
      No whipped-cream pie in the face for Chegwidden as the entire team celebrated the victory and the championship by heading to the nearby Rockaway River where they happily splashed around until everybody was soaked.
      The early Firemen lead didn't last long as Rotary came back in the top of the second to score six times to take a 6-4 lead. Dylan Sinegra's two-run double was the big hit of the inning for Rotary.
      That lead didn't last long, either, as the Firemen rallied  with three in the third to take a 7-6 lead with RBI singles by Nick Rupp and Ryan Greenhagen the key hits of the inning.
       But Rotary matched that outburst with a three-run rally of its own in the 4th inning with Chegwidden's two-run single the big hit of the inning that saw Rotary regain the lead at 9-7.
       In the top of the fifth, the Firemen closed to within a run of the lead and, after Rotary was held scoreless in the bottom of the fifth, the Fireman scored a single run again to tie the score at 9-9. With Firemen on second and third and two outs, a running catch by Jake Sinegra ended the inning and the threat and saved at least one if not two runs.
      Chegwidden pitched the first four innings for Rotary and Connor Walsh pitched the last two to get credit for the victory.
      On Thursday, June 10, in the first game of the best-of-three series, the Fireman jumped out to a first-inning lead when Richie Boyle hit a two-run homer only to have Rotary come back with two runs in each of the second and fifth innings for a 4-2 victory.
      Aric Handabaka's two-run single in the second inning pulled Rotary into a 2-2 tie and then Dylan Sinegra's RBI triple drove in what proved to be the winning run and then he added an insurance run when he scored on a wild pitch. Sinegra was 2-for-3 and Faubert had a single and scored a run for the Rotary.
      Boyle got two of the Firemen's five hits, finishing 2-for-3 with his two RBIs.
 Justin Giaccobbe pitched five-hit ball with eight strikeouts for five innings and Chegwidden got the save by retiring the Firemen in order in the sixth.

Brosius, McGlynn no-hit

     DENVILLE - Tyler Brosius pitched five innings and Eddie McGlynn one as the pair combined on a no-hitter when the Chamber of Commerce beat the Knights of Columbus, 7-3, in an Opening-Day game in the Denville Little League Baseball Majors Division at Gardner Field on Saturday, April 17.
     Brosius struck out 10 and wlaked four batters in his five innings of work and McGlynn fanned two, walked two and hit a batter in his inning.
     The game was tied at 2-2 going into the final inning when Chamber rallied for five runs in the top of the sixth.
     Singles by David Kaiser, Will Kenny and Brosius loaded the bases with no out. Ian Stempert and McGlynn drew walks to force in two runs and Jared Badalamenti followed with a single to knock in the third run. Danny Porth and Connor Backes followed with bases-loaded walks before the Knights got out of the inning on a double play.
     The Knights got a run in the bottom of the inning when Tyler Faccenda walked, Ryan Washington was hit by a pitch and Cole Hopler grounded out to short as Faccenda scored.
     The Knights took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Thomas Stepanian walked, took second and third on wild pitches, and scored on an error.
     Chamber took a 2-1 lead in the top of the third when and RBI groundout by Badalamenti's and an RBI single by Conner Backes.
     The Knights tied it in the fifth when Nick Mills led off the inning with a walk and eventually came in to score on a wild pitch.
     Kaiser finished 2-for-4 with a run scored for Chamber; Badalamenti was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored; Kenny was 1-for-1 with three walks and a run scored; Backes was 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI and a run scored; Stempert had an RBI, a walk, was hit by a pitch, and scored two runs; and Porth had an RBI and walked twice; and Brosius was 1-for-4 with a run scored.
     For the Knights, Mills walked twice and scored a run; Hopler had an RBI; Faccenda walked and scored a run; and Stepanian walked and scored a run. 
     Faccenda started on the mound for the Knights and went three innings, allowing two his and two runs (one earned) while striking out six; Washington followed with 2.1 innings of work in which he allowed four hits and struck out two; and Russo got the last two outs, giving up only a walk.