PCYBL 8U and 12U teams’ ups and downs on way from Lyon Park to Maple Shade, N.J.
July 14, 2023 at 5:10 p.m.
The Port Chester Youth Baseball League (PCYBL) Pirates teams had their age-group ups and downs in the past week from top to bottom, from the oldest to the youngest in league and tournament play stretching from Lyon Park to Rec Field to Maple Point, N.J.
The cases in point involve the PCYBL 12U and 8U teams.
The 12U Pirates, for example, wouldn't let the weather rain on their parade in New Jersey's Maple Shade Tournament last weekend (7/8-9), but the raindrops certainly didn't help any and may even have cost them the three-game tournament in which they finished a deceptive 1-1-1.
Rain and time rule
Here's why:
Their first Saturday game (7/8) was scheduled to start at 2 p.m. but was delayed until 6 p.m. Undeterred, the young Pirates shook off the rain delay, started the game on short notice and won going away anyway 14-1 with Jay Dileo and Joey Bologna going three innings apiece and only giving up one run while the entire team hit up a storm. That included hits finding the grass like raindrops falling off the bats of Brandon McConnell, Sophia Faraci, Tyler Hastings, Carter Chan, Joey Szygiel, John Halliday, Aiden Rosa, Ty Frimere, Bologna, Dileo, Evan Eski and Jonathan Smith.
That deluge of base hits set up an early Sunday morning game (7/9) against Burlington (N.J.), a game to replace one rained out the day before.
The 2 out call
As it turned out, you hadn't seen anything yet because of the role the rain played. The Pirates pitchers—John Halliday, Tyler Hastings and Carter Chan—were nursing a 5-4 lead going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the lead built by timely hits and solid pitching. But with two outs, the umps basically took the fifth, calling the game with two outs due to time constraints caused by the previous day's cancellations. That wiped out that inning with the score reverting to the previous inning when the score was tied 3-3.
Go figure. But it got worse. At least for the Port Chester team. Because the same time constraint rule proved even more costly in the afternoon game of what turned out to be a doubleheader with a definite Jersey bounce in favor of the Mount Laurel team that got off to an early lead and then found themselves clinging to a narrowing lead after Joey Szygiel knocked in two runs with a clutch hit that got the Pirates back in the game. So much so that the Pirates were rallying in the bottom of the fifth inning with runners on second and third, nobody out and the heart of the batting order.
Inning reversal
But it wasn't meant to be because the game was called again due to time reverting to the previous inning when the score was 4-3 in a move that gave Mount Laurel the win.
"Despite all the weather delays and time constraints, the kids had fun, played well and learned a lot," according to William McConnell, one of the assistant coaches, echoing the sentiments of fellow coaches Oscar Rosa, Jim Doherty and head coach Terell Iconic.
The 8U Pirates had a different experience because they came into the same tournament on a high.
And how could you blame them because they were coming off a 9-1 home win over the Bulldogs at Lyon Park last Wednesday (7/5) that seemed as though the Independence Day fireworks were still going off. John Umbro stuck out all nine batters he faced in the first three innings, Jayden Bautista struck out four batters in two innings and Logan McLaughlin closed out the game by striking out all three batters he faced.
Swing hot bats
And the Pirates swung a hot bat with McLaughlin going two for three with a double, triple and five RBIs. Bautista went three for three with a double, walk, an RBI and three runs scored. Adrian Fernandez had a hit good for two RBI's and Isaiah DiBella also chimed in with a timely hit.
Umbro keyed the defense with two big plays at first base. Bautista caught three solid innings behind the plate. Max Harris and Anthony Rende also looked good behind the plate. And game balls were presented to Umbro, Bautista, Fernandez and McLaughlin.
But while they looked good overall in tournament play, things didn't go quite as well in Maple Shade because the Pirates lost both their games, bowing to the Cherry Hill Sharks 9-1 in the first game while losing 5-2 to the Morrisville Riverdogs in the second.
But their pitching Big 3 (Umbro, Bautista and McLaughlin) kept them in the first game throwing two strong innings apiece with Umbro the hitting star while Zachary Brenzel, Sebastian Martinez, McLaughlin, Bautista and Umbro all got base hits in the second game. Ava Ianello may have made one of the great defensive plays with a catch deep in the outfield leading to her strong throw leading to a double play. And McLaughlin made three diving stops, Martinez made a great grab at third base, Brenzel made a diving catch and DiBella made a sensational fielding play at shortstop. Playing catcher, Brenzel and Chase Steers threw out runners trying to steal third base.
Learn from Ls
So a lot of good things happened on and off the field despite the two tournament losses, according to Rob Brenzel, one of the coaches. That included the bonding experience of an overnight hotel stay where the Pirates frolicked in the hotel pool, enjoyed the hot tub, ran up and down the hallways and more. "It was an experience they'll never forget," Brenzel said.
But that was then. Now the 8U Pirates are looking forward to their next home game at Lyon Park Saturday (7/15) while the 12U Pirates will be away playing the New Castle Lightning. And, whatever happens, win or lose, they will almost certainly keep getting better with age.
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