ROCKAWAY TWP. - Hanover National scored all of its runs in the last three innings of the game to edge Rockaway Township American, 8-7, in a Rockaway Rumble playoff semifinal played at Peterson Field here on Thursday, July 29.
      The excitement of the close game was tempered somewhat by an injury suffered by RTA catcher Eric Gribbons in the fifth inning when a Hanover National runner slid into him in a play at home plate. The game was halted for more than an hour as EMT personnel attended to Gribbons.
      Although Gribbons left the field on a stretcher and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance, he gave a thumbs-up to his teammates and fans before he left the field. Later reports from team officials indicated Gribbons suffered a strained knee cap and was doing well heading into his rehab process.
     RTA, the No. 6 tournament seed, finished 7-4 overall in the first-year tournament sponsored by Rockaway Township Little League. RTA took a 7-0 lead after batting in the top of the fourth before No. 5 seed Hanover National started its comeback.
     RTA took advantage of five walks to score two runs in the top of the first inning as Justin Miller, Ryan Lee and Connor Callahan walked to load the bases and Brent Costantino and Brandon Armitt each drew bases-loaded walks to force in the two runs.
     In the third inning, Jordan Cohen singled, Seth Berkin reached on an error and Justin Miller followed with a three-run home run over the center field fence. Lee followed with a walk, stole second, took third on a single by Callahan and scored when Costantino followed with a sacrifice fly.
     Cohen drove in the final run for RTA when Joe Fullum reached on an error in the fourth and Gribbons followed with a single to put runners on first and second. Joe Stango moved both runners up with a sacrifice bunt and Cohen drove in Fullum with a single.
     Hanover National finally scored in the fourth when it pushed across two runs; added four more in a big sixth inning on then won it in the bottom of the seventh on a one-out, bases-loaded, two-run walk-off single.
     Costantino pitched 4.2 innings for RTA - using only 33 pitches to get through the first four innings - but was the victim of the four-run fifth. Kevin Hogrelius relieved Costantino with two outs in the fifth inning and got out of a bases-loaded jam with a one-pitch flyout to center.
     Both teams finished with eight hits with Miller and Cohen leading the way for RTA, each with two hits. Miller was 2-for-2 with his homer and three RBIs and he also drew a walk and scored twice. Cohen was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
     Callahan, Fullum, Gribbons and Hogrelius each had hits to round out RTA's total. Callahan singled and walked; Fullum singled, reached on an error and scored a run; Gribbons singled and also had a sacrifice bunt; and Hogrelius singled.
     Berkin reached on an error and scored a run; Costantino walked twice and had a sac fly; Armitt had a bases-loaded walk; Travis Ardin drew a walk; and Stango had a sac bunt to complete the American's offense.
    NOTES: Miller was 9-for-15 in eight games to finish with a team-high batting average of .600; he also had a team-high 14 RBIs ... Cohen was 13-for-23 in 10 games for a .565 batting average; he also led the team in runs scored with 15 and hits with 13 ... Callahan was the only other RTA player to hit better than .400 as he finished 11-for-24 for a .458 batting average ... players hitting .300 or better included Berkin (.391), Armitt (.370), Travis Ardin (.364), Lee (.360), Gribbons ( .318), and Costantino and Fuller (both at .313) ... RTA hit .367 as a team. ...

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(To see a Photo Album of the RTA-Hanover game, please go to the "Photos-RTA 12s" Page or click on the team photo at the top of this page)

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RTA's three-ru 6th defeats Randolph, 5-4

    ROCKAWAY TWP. - Ryan Lee's sixth-inning double drove in Justin Miller with the winning run when Rockaway Township American scored three times in its final at-bat on Tuesday, July 27, to defeat Randolph, 5-4, and move into the Final Four of the Rockaway Rumble 12s Baseball Tournament playoffs being held at Peterson Field here in the township.
    RT-American, the No. 6 seed in the playoffs, will face No. 5 seed Hanover National in a 6:30 p.m. game on Thursday, July 29, at Peterson Field.
    Trailing 4-2 going into the top of the sixth and final inning, Jordan Cohen started the comeback with a leadoff double and then stole third while Seth Berkin was walking to put runners on first and third. RT-American pulled off a successful double steal with Cohen scoring and Berkin taking second, from where he scored when Miller doubled to left to tie the game at 4-4.
    Lee followed with his second double of the game to drive in Miller with what proved to be the winning run.
   Kevin Hogrelious pitched his second straight scoreless inning of relief in the bottom of the sixth to pick up the win. Hogrelius allowed gave up two hits while striking out one and walking none in his two innings of work.
    Miller started the game and pitched the first four innings, allowing four runs (earned) on four hits while striking out seven and walking four.
    RT-American took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Jordan Cohen led off with a double, took third on Berkin's single up the middle, and scored when Miller followed with a single to left.
     Randolph went ahead 2-1 with two runs in the bottom of the second, but RT-American came back with a single run in the top of the fourth to tie it when Lee hits his first double, takes third on a single and is forced to hold when Travis Ardin reached on an error to load the bases.
    Brent Costantino forces Lee at the plate for the first out and Brandon Armitt's blooper to left falls in as Fullum scores, but Ardin, who had to wait at second to see if the ball was caught, is forced at third for the second out.
     Randolph came right back with two runs in the bottom of the fourth to take a 4-2 lead and that where the scored stayed until the top of the sixth when Rockaway Township won the game with its three-run rally.
     RT-American finished with 10  hits with Cohen, Berkin, Miller and Lee each getting two.
     Cohen was 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored; Berkin was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored; Miller was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored; and Lee was also 2-for-3 with two doubles and an RBI; Fullum had a single and a run scored and Connor Callahan had a double that did not figure into the scoring.
     At the end of the game, the RT-American coaches awarded games ball to Lee for his game-winning double and to Hogrelious for his two inning of shutout relief.
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Miller, Lee, Callahan, Fullum lead way in 17-5 win
 ROCKAWAY TWP. - Justin Miller drove in three runs and Ryan Lee, Connor Callahan and Joe Fullum each drove in two as Rockaway Township American beat Denville, 17-5, in a first-round playoff game in the Rockaway Rumble 12s Baseball Tournament held Monday, July 26, at Peterson Field here in the township.
 The game was halted after Denville batted in the top of the fourth by the tournament's 12-run, four-inning mercy rule.
 Miller had an RBI double in Rockaway Township's five-run first inning and drove in two runs with a single during an 11-run third. He finished 2-for-3 with a run scored.
 Lee had a two-run single in the first inning and was 1-for-3 with a run scored; Callahan singled in the first inning and had a two-run single in the third inning, finishing 2-for-2 with two runs scored; and Fullum homered for RT-American's only run in the second inning and drove in his second run with a single in the third inning, going 2-for-2 with two runs scored for the game.
 Jordan Cohen had two bunt singles, a walk, an RBI and scored twice; Seth Berkin walked twice and scored twice; Brent Costantino had a walk, RBI and a run scored; Brandon Armitt was 2-for-3 with two runs scored; Eric Gribbons finished 1-for-1 with a walk, RBI and run scored; Travis Ardin walked, had an RBI and scored a run; Kevin Hogrelius was hit with a pitch with the bases loaded and scored a run; Joe Stango was 1-for-1 with an RBI and a run scored; and Drew Frommelt finished 1-for-1.
 Brent Costantino, the first of three RT-American pitchers, got the win, giving up one run (unearned) on three hits in three innings while striking out for and walking none. Justin Miller came in to get the last three outs when Denville scored four times in the top of the fourth and struck out all three batters he faced.

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Berkin 3-inning no-hitter, lightning, halts Chester

     ROCKAWAY TWP. - Seth Berkin pitched a three-inning weather-shortened no-hitter and drove in two runs during a eight-run second inning when Rockaway Township American defeated Chester, 10-1, in a Rockaway Rumble 12 Baseball Tournament game played at Peterson Field here in the township on Friday, July 23.
     The game was delayed by lightning with RT-Amaercan batting in the bottom of the third inning and finally called and made an official game by an agreement by both sides.
      Berkin, who was awarded the game ball for his efforts, struck out two and walked four and allowed only a first-inning run on walk, stolen base, infield out and sacrifice fly.
      RT-American got that run right back, however, as Berkin walked, stole second, took third when Brent Costantino grounded out, and scored on Ryan Lee's RBI single to right.
      RT-American scored eight times in the second inning to put away the game.
      Travis Ardin was hit with a pitch; Joe Fullum reached on an error; and Austin Perrault walked to load the bases. A walk to Jordan Cohen forced in Ardin with the first run; Fullum stole home for run No. 2; and, after Cohen and Perrault pulled off a double steal, Berkin followed with his two-run single for a 5-1 RT-American lead.
      Brent Costantino drove in a run with a single; Lee walked and Conner Callahan's fielder's choice brought in another run and both Lee and Callahan continued around to score on two throwing errors on the play.
      RT-American's final run came in the bottom of the third when Ardin and Fullum led off the inning with back-to-back doubles. After Perrault drew a walk, the game was halted.
      The winners made the most of five hits with Berkin leading the way by going 1-for-1 with a walk, two RBIs and two runs scored. Costantino was 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored; Ardin was 1-for-1 with his double and two runs scored; Fullum was 1-for-2 with an RBI double and a run scored; and Lee was 1-for-1 with a walk, RBI and run scored.
      Other offensive contributers included Cohen, who had a walk, an RBI and a run scored; Callahan who was hit with a pitch, had an RBI groundout, and scored a run; and Perrault, two walked twice and scored a run.

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RTA wins on three-run 6th inning, 9-7

     ROCKAWAY TWP. - Rockaway Township American lost a five-run early lead and had to rally from a two-run deficit with three runs in its last at-bat to beat Morris Plains, 9-7, in a Rockaway Rumble 12s Baseball Tournament game held Wednesday, July 21, at Peterson Field here in the township.
     Trailing 7-6 going into the top of the sixth and final inning, RT-American tied the score when Kevin Hogrelius led off with the first of five walks RTA in the inning  and Brent Costantino drilled a triple to right field. Justin Miller and Ryan Lee follow with walks to load the bases.
    Two more walks - one to Brandon Armitt and one to Seth Berkin - follow to force in the winning run and an insurance run before the side is retired.
     Connor Callahan, the last of four RT-American pitchers, pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth inning, giving up only one hit and striking out one, to protect the two-run lead and earn the save.
    RT-American (4-2) wasted no time in taking a 5-0 lead as Kevin Hogrelius led off the game with a single, Brett Costantino reached on an error and, after both runners moved up on a double steal, Justin Miller delivered Hogrelius on a sacrifice fly to center and Lee singled to drive in Costantino for a 2-0 lead.
    Connor Callahan follwed with a double to put runners on second and third  and Brandon Armitt singles in two runs for a 4-0 lead. Seth Berkin follows with a single to put runners on first and third and Eric Gribbons drives in the final run of the inning on a groundout.
    Morris Plains (1-5) got two runs back in its half of the first inning and then took the lead at 7-5 by scoring another five runs in the bottom of the third inning.
    RT-American made it a one-run game in the top of the fifth when Gribbon doubled to right and scored on Travis Ardin's RBI single and then capped off the comeback with its three-run rally in the top of the sixth.
     Lee, Drew Frommelt, Hogrelius and Callahan pitched for RT-American and gave up a total of seven runs (all earned) on five hits while striking out a combined four Morris Plains batters and issuing a combined 12 walks and hitting one batter.
     Eight different batters had one hit each to lead the RTA eight-hit attack.
     Armitt finished 1-for-2 with a walk, three RBIs and a run scored; Gribbon was 1-for-3 with a double, RBI and run scored; Ardin was 1-for-2 with an RBI; Berkin was 1-for-2 with a walk and an RBI; Callahan was 1-for-3 with double and a run scored; Hogrelius was 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored; Costantino was 1-for-2 with a walk, triple RBI and two runs scored; Lee finished 1-for-2 with a walk, RBI and run scored; and Joe Fullum drew  walk and stole a base in two trips.
    Hogrelius, the third of four RT-American pitchers, got the game ball for shutting down Morris Plains on no runs and one hit for 2.1 innings until RTA's bats started to come around enough to fight back.
      Gribbons had the defensive play of the game  when, with the bases loaded and two outs, he charged a shallow hit ball in right field, caught it on a short hop and immediately threw to Armitt at first base in time to get the batter/runner for the third out of the inning.

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Miller pitches RTA to 9-1 win over Mo'town National