PCYBL Pirates U teams ups and downs range from tourney wins, ties and losses
July 17, 2024 at 11:03 p.m.
It was the best of times, the worst of times going up and down the Port Chester Youth Baseball League age group ladder over the past week.
The PCYBL Pirates sent five teams in the 8U-12U brackets into the Sacred Heart Slugfest in Hainesport, N.J., last weekend (7/14/15). The 8U squad made it into the semi-finals while both the 10U and 12U teams won the tourney, albeit the older Pirates finished in a first place tie with the host team.
So it was decidedly upbeat for two of three Pirates travel teams playing on the road, but things took another downbeat away turn for the shorthanded oldest Pirates squad—the 20Us—who dropped to 1-7 on the season with a 9-1 loss to the Bedford Hills Hawks.
The 10U winning journey
The 10U club went undefeated in the tourney, but they had to survive a close call before beating Marlton 5-4 in the finals.
The Jersey kids bounced off to a 4-0 lead early, but the Pirates came back with three in the third. LJ Sherwood got the rally started with a two-out double to score Gabriel Rieke, and then Robert Berlingo came through with a clutch RBI base hit to score LJ and Derek Lovallo. That set the stage for what proved to be the Pirates’ winning rally in the fourth inning. Myles DeBari doubled over first base. Dylan Rivera singled up the middle, advancing to second on the throw home while DeBari held at third. And then Luke Petriello doubled to right center which scored both runners. Berlingo closed out the game, but not without some anxious moments because a walk and an error put two runners on. But DeBari made an outstanding diving catch to get the second out after a pop up and Noah Klauck ran down a deep fly ball to nail down the win.
The 12U Pirates team with their trophies for tying for first place in the Sacred Heart Slugfest in Hainesport, N.J., last weekend in their age group. From left starting in the back row, Coach George, Coach Fabio, Alex Malhotra, Ross Kantor, Aaron Malhotra, Coach John Louis, Joey Bologna, Fabio Garcia, Jack Louis, Coach Steve Rytelewski, Tyler Varbero, Juan Garcia, Braden Squillace, Spencer MacFarlane, Louis Rytelewski, Michael Vernace.Courtesy of Justin MacFarlane
They also won a close 2-0 opening game against the Cinnaminson Pirates with Daniel Sherwood, Nolan Brown and Berlingo teaming up for a two-hit, nine-strikeout shutout. Luis Sherwood had the game-winning, two-out RBI hit to knock in two runs with Brown and Rieke scoring.
The second game in pool play was almost as close with the Pirates winning 3-2 behind the strong pitching of Rivera, Lovallo, Brown and Luis Sherwood. Lovallo swung the big bat with three hits and an RBI, Kyle Renaldo had two hits and an RBI and Berlingo knocked in the first run.
The Pirates ended pool play as the top seed and moved into the semi-finals with a rematch against Cinnaminson. The locals won again 6-4 behind the strong pitching of the Sherwood brothers and Berlingo. The Sherwoods also swung the bat well with two hits apiece with Lovallo and Renaldo also getting two hits each. And coach Rob Brenzel was the unsung tournament grownup hero because he sold more than 100 tickets in a PCYBL fundraising event that included admission to a pre-tourney game between the Phillies and Athletics at Citizens Bank Park, tours of historic Philadelphia and swimming in the hotel's rooftop pool for early arrivals before the Slugfest began.
12U fit to be tied
The Pirates 12U team tied with host Sacred Heart twice, with the score 4-4 in the tourney's opening game and 7-7 in the finale. In the opener, Alex Malhotra walked to force in a run early and Joey Bologna singled in Spencer MacFarlane who had walked, but it wasn't enough even though the Pirates stole 12 bases, Jack Louis, Louis Rytelewski and Juan Garcia had base hits and Bologna pitched a strong game, striking out five and giving up just one run and a hit over two innings. That tie set the stage for a close second game in which the Pirates beat the CK Cardinals 4-3 with Fabio Garcia drawing a walk to force in the winning run in the top of the sixth and Bologna getting the win by allowing no hits or runs in two innings. Alex Malhotra held the Cards to three runs and brother Aaron closed for the save. Game highlights included Rytelewski getting two RBIs, Alex Malhotra and Ross Kantor each getting two base hits and Ross stealing two bases.
RJ Thalheimer usually catches for the 20U Pirates, but he tried his hand at pitching during the team’s most recent game, a 9-1 loss to the Bedford Hills Hawks.Courtesy of Nina Marini
The rare laugher
Next came a rare laugher with the Pirates beating the Mount Laurel Indians 10-3 with Alex Malhotra getting the scoring started with a first inning base hit RBI, Aaron Malhotra and Kantor each getting two base hits, Garcia ad Tyler Varbero stealing multiple bases and Michael Vernace earning the win while allowing no hits or runs in two innings pitched. But the finale was no laugher with MacFarlane's single and Bologna's double giving he Pirates a brief 6-4 lead only to see Sacred Heart bounce back to take a 7-6 lead until Vernace tied the game with a base hit in the fifth. The game remained knotted despite the Pirates drawing six walks and stealing 12 bases while Alex Malhotra pitched a strong game, giving up four hits and three runs over two innings. But despite those good things happening, the Pirates had to settle for their second tie against Sacred Heart and a shared tournament win.
The ups and downs
The 20U Pirates weren't as fortunate. Because they came up shorthanded against the Bedford Hills Hawks, RJ Thalheimer, their regular catcher, had to pitch, gave up five runs in the first inning, then settled down to toss four shutout innings only to tire in the last inning when he gave up four runs in what turned out to be a 9-1 loss. AJ Marini, James Moore and Kiernan Hackett had the only Pirates hits with Hackett's a home run. You don't win many games when that happens.
The 20U Pirates hope to be at full strength for the next few games against the Connecticut Flamingos Saturday (7/20) in Bethel at 1 p.m. and Kent Wednesday (7/24) at Rec Park at 6 p.m.
Next up for the younger U tournament teams is the Ripken White Oak Knockout Tournament Thursday through Sunday (7/18/21) in Aberdeen, Md. Wouldn't it be nice if they all came away with wins.
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