Tyler Wagner heads to first after hitting a double to right-center during the
Wolverine's 15-6 opening-day victory over West Orange on Sunday, April 10.
- Photo by Neil Weiss
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Wolverines score 6 in 7th,
hold off WO for 16-15 win
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ROCKAWAY - The Mid-Morris Wolverines 9U baseball team scored six runs in the first extra inning and then had to hold off a furious rally by West Orange to escape with a 16-15 victory in a Cerbo Baseball League game played at Albanese Field in West Orange on Sunday, May 15, 2011.
The Wolverines (5-3) scored a run to take a 10-8 lead in the top of the sixth inning only to see West Orange score twice in the bottom of the inning to send the game into extra innings.
In the top of the seventh, the Wolverines sent 12 batters to the plate with Michael DeNucci getting the rally going with a leadoff walk. Michael Cardone followed with a double and Luke Malatesta reached on a fielder's choice with DeNucci scoring on the play. Chris Taverone doubled home Cardone with the second run of the inning; Nick Paton singled home another to drive in the third run; and Anthony Catalano followed with single to load the bases.
Tyler Wagner drilled a double down the right field line to drive in two more runs and then Nikos Halls and Nick Carlotti drew walks with with Carlotti's free pass forcing in the sixth run of the inning and giving the Wolverines a 16-10 lead.
In the bottom of the seventh, the Wolverines got the first out but then four straight walks cut the lead to 16-11 with the bases still loaded. Another walk, a hit batter and still another walk, closed the gap to 16-14 and, a strikeout and one walk later, West Orange trailed by a run with the bases still loaded and two outs.
DeNucci, who had come in to relieve Paton earlier in the inning but had trouble with his control, got the final out of the inning and the game on a swinging strikeout.
"We lost a 7-0 lead and our pitchers lost the plate - we gave up only three hits but walked 21 batters - seven in the last inning - and hit two," said Wolverine head coach Craig Wicker after the game. "We had 19 hits and eight walks and two hit batters ... there were a lot of baserunners out there today."
DeNucci, Cardone and Paton each had three hits to lead the Wolverine 19-hit attack. DeNucci was 3-for-3 with a walk, was hit twice, had three RBIs and scored four runs; Cardone was 3-for-5 with a double, triple, one RBI and two runs scored; and Paton was 3-for-3 with two walks and a run scored.
Wagner was 2-for-4 with a walk, four RBIs and a run scored; Catalano was 2-for-4 with a walk, RBI and two runs scored; Tavarone finished 2-for-5 with four RBIs and a run scored; and Malatesta was 2-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored.
Halls was 1-for-4 with a walk and a run scored; Carlottie was 1-for-4 with a walk; and Ryanb Wicker had a walk, sacrifice bunt and scored a run.
Cardone, Wicker, Malatesta, Halls, Paton and DeNucci pitched for the Wolverines.
The Wolverines have a doublehader on Sunday, May 22, against the Northern Valley Ravens at Gardner Field in Denville. The first game is scheduled to start at noon.
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Wolverines lose doubleheader to East Hanover Hornets
ROCKAWAY - The Mid-Morris Wolverines 9U baseball team lost both ends of a Cerbo Baseball League doubleheader to the East Hanover Hornets at East Hanover on Sunday, May 8, 2011, dropping the opener, 13-1, and the second game,12-7, in a pair of five-inning contests.
The Wolverines got a run in the top of the first inning in the opener but were held scoreless the rest of the way, outhit by East Hanover, 10-1.
In the second game, the Wolverines held a 3-2 lead after two innings but East Hanover scored the next 10 runs, making the Wolverines' four-run fifth-inning rally too little, too late.
Michael DeNucci and Jonathan Blum each finished 2-for-3 with a double and two runs scored in the second game.
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Five-run 4th, Blum relief hold off Morris Plains
ROCKAWAY - The Mid-Morris Wolverines scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning and Jonathan Blum struck out the final two batters with the bases loaded to save a 7-6 victory over the Morris Plains Bombers in a Cerbo 9U Baseball League game played at Gardner Field in Denville on Sunday, May 1, 2011.
Trailing 3-2 going into the fourth, Nick Paton started the Wolverine rally with a one-out single and Nick Carlotti and Nikos Halls each drew two-out walks to load the bases.
Wolverine catcher Chris Tavarone, who had an ice pack on his wrist after been hit by a swing earlier in the game, came through with a two-run single to put the Wolverines ahead, 4-3. Ryan Wicker followed with a walk to reload the bases and Jonathan Blum and Michael Denucci walked to force in runs to make it 6-3 before winning pitcher Luke Malatesta singled to drive in the Wolverines' final run.
Morris Plains scored two runs in the top of the fifth inning to bring in Blum and Blum got the final two outs without any further runs scoring, but then had to work out of a jam in the sixth to save the victory.
Morris Plains touched Blum for a run in the sixth and had bases loaded with only one out but Blum got the last two outs on swinging strikeouts to secure the victory.
The Wolverines scored twice in the second inning when Tyler Wagner singled, Paton followed with an RBI double; and then Halls drove in Paton with a two-out single.
Paton pitched the first three innings and gave up three runs (earned) on three hits and four walks while striking out three. Malatesta worked 1.1 inning and gave up two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two and go the win because he was the pitcher of record when the Wolverines had their big inning.
Blum gave up a run on three hits and no walks and got four of his five outs on strikeouts to earn his save.
Wagner finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and Paton was 2-for-3 with an RBI double and a run scored to pace the Wolverines' eight hit attack. Denucci, Malatesta, Halls and Tavarone each had hits.
The Wolverines next game is a Mother's Day doubleheader for first place against the East Hanover Hornets in East Hanover at a field that has yet to be determined. East Hanover is 4-0-1 and the Wolverines will bring a 4-1 record into the twinbill that starts at 9 a.m.
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Wolverine rally falls short in 5-4 loss to Little Falls
ROCKAWAY - Trailing 5-0 after four innings, the Rockaway Wolverines 9U travel baseball team scored four times in the last two innings only to see its rally fall a run short in a 5-4 loss to the Little Falls Tigers in a Cerbo League game played at Inwood Field in Little Falls on Friday, April 29, 2011.
The loss was the first of the season for the Wolverines, who had won their first three games by an average margin of 10.3 runs.
A leadoff double by Chris Tavarone and walks to Ryan Wicker and Jonathan Blum loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the fifth inning. Michael Cardone drew a one-out walk for the Wolverines' first run; Luke Malatesta followed with a single for run No. 2; and Nick Paton worked a two-out walk to force in the third run to cut the Little Falls lead to 5-3.
After Little Falls failed to score in the bottom of the fifth, the Wolverines loaded the bases in the sixth and final inning on a one-out walk to Nikos Halls, a single by Chris Tavarone and a two-out walk to Blum.
Denucci followed with a walk to force home Halls with the Wolverines' fourth run, but Little Falls got the final out to end the game.
"The first loss of the season had the boys down a bit, especially after we won our first three with ease," said Wolverine manager Craig Wicker after the game. "Little Falls has a good team with solid defensive and good pitching ... even though we lost, coming back like we did against a team like that was still a plus for us."
The Wolverines outhit Little Falls, 8-5, with Malatesta going 2-for-3 with an RBI and Tavarone finishing 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead the way.
Blum was 1-for-2 with two walks and a run; Michael Denucci was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI; Cardone was 1-for-2 with two walks and an RBI; and Halls finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Paton had his RBI walk; Owen Schraft walked twice; and Ryan Wicker walked, stole a base and scored a run.
Halls went the first three innings; Blum pitched the fourth; and Denucci finished up, striking out three and walking one in his one inning of work.
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Malatesta, Carolotti, Cardone lead the way in a sweep
ROCKAWAY - The 3-4-5 batters did the job in the first game for the Mid-Morris Wolverines 9U baseball team ... in the second game, everybody got into the act.
The result was a Cerbo 9U East Baseball League doubleheader sweep of the Caldwell Blue Devils, the Wolverines winning the first game 16-4 and then taking the nightcap 15-5 in games played at Thomas Jefferson Middle School here. Both games were halted by the league's five-inning, 12-run mercy rule.
In the first game, Michael Cardone, Luke Malatesta and Tyler Wagner combined to go a perfect 7-for-7 with seven RBIs and five runs scored to highlight a 10-hit, 17-walk attack.
Cardone was 2-for-2 with a triple, RBI, two walks and three runs scored; Malatesta was 3-for-3 with four RBIs, a walk and one run scored; and Wagner was 1-for-1 with two RBIs, a walk and a run scored.
Jonathan Blum, Nick Carlotti, and Anthony Catalano each had a hit and an RBI; Mike DeNucci was 0-for-1 but walked three times, drove in a run and scored twice; and Ryan Wicker drew three walks and scored twice.
Starting pitcher Nikos Halls faced 10 batters in hit three innings of no-hit ball, striking out six and walkikng only one. DeNucci pitched the final two innings.
In the second game, the Wolverines broke open a close game by scoring five times in each of the third, fourth and fifth innings.
Blum led the 15-hit attack by going 3-for-3 with a double, triple, three RBIs and a run scored.
Owen Schraft, Malatesta and Tavarone each had multi-hit games with Schraft finishing 2-for-3 with a double, RBI and a runs scored; Malatesta going 2-for-3 with a run scored; and Tavarone finishing 2-for-2 with a double, two RBIs, a walk and two runs scored.
Carlotti was 1-for-1 with two RBIs, two walks and two runs scored; Catalano was 1-for-2 with an RBI, a walk and two runs scored; Halls was 1-for-2 witgh an RBI, a walk and two runs scored; Paton finished 1-for-1 with an RBI, three walks and two runs scored; Wagner was 1-for-2 with a walk and two runs scored; Cardone was 1-for-2 with two RBIs, a walk and a run scored; and DeNucci was 0-for-2 but drove in a run, walked once and scored a run.
Paton, Cardone and Malatesta combined on a five-hitter with Cardone and Malatesta each striking out five in his two innings of work.
Stars of the games selected by the Wolverine coaching staff were Malatesta and Carlotti.
The Wolverines will face the West Paterson Tigers in their next game, a 7 p.m. contest at West Paterson on Friday, April 29.
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Blum's 3-run HR highlights 15-6 victory
DENVILLE - Jonathan Blum hit a three-run homer and Mike Denucci, Luke Malatesta and Tyler Wagner each finished with two hits when the Mid-Morris Wolverines defeated West Orange, 15-6, in a 9U East Cerbo Baseball League season-opening game played at Gardner Field on Sunday, April 10, 2011.
The Wolverines scored five runs in each of the two first innings to break out to a 10-0 lead and were never headed.
Blum finished 3-for-4 and scored three runs to lead the Wolverine attack. Denucci was 2-for-2 with two walks; Malatesta was 2-for-3 with one walk; and Wagner was 2-for-2 with a double and a walk. Nick Carolotti and Ryan Wicker each walked twice and scored twice.
Winning pitcher Nikos Halls started the game and worked two scoreless innings. Nick Paton had a strong relief appearance as Wolverine pitchers finished with 13 strikeouts for the game.
The defensive play of the game came in the top of the first inning when first baseman Michael Cardone snagged a two-out, bases-loaded line drive that would have brought in at least two runs. Owen Schraft also made a nice play when he grabbed a hard shot to third and was able to throw out the batter/runner.
The Wolverines have a doubleheader scheduled for Sunday, April 17, at Gardner Field #1. The first game starts at noon.
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