Blackwood 10-11 All-Stars Lose 'Game of Inches'

The old saying, "Baseball is a game of inches," has been around for many, many years.

For the players on the Blackwood Kiwanis Little League 10-11 All-Star Team, the saying may be one they just learned Tuesday night—and in painful fashion.

Ridgewood’s Ben Geraghty hit a humpback line drive over first base that landed right on the foul—or in this case, fair—line, scoring the decisive run in walk-off fashion in a 7-6 win over Blackwood, in Red Bank.

The blooper that fell in was symbolic of the entire game, as Ridgewood put the ball in just the right places, leaving Blackwood left to wonder what could have been after being eliminated with back-to-back one-run losses.

“Unfortunately, every year there is only one team happy at the end,” said Blackwood manager Ben Zanghi.

Blackwood jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning thanks to an RBI double from Marc-Anthony Rodriguez that plated Dylan Maria, and a run-scoring single off the bat of Macen Collins.

Ridgewood answered with a run in the bottom of the frame, but really got going in the second when it scored five times to pull ahead 6-1. The damage came off of pitcher Blackwood Jake McDonnell, who was the victim of some bad luck. Ridgewood didn’t hit a single ball hard in the second, but found the gaps.

“It was a humpback here and a Texas Leaguer there,” said Zanghi.

Rather than being deflated, the big inning seemed to pump up Blackwood, as the team responded with two runs in the third on a two-run single by Collins.

In the fourth, Blackwood got within a single run when Jared Colbert delivered an RBI single to bring the deficit to 6-5. McConnell nearly gave Blackwood the lead, but the ball he stroked to to left with two runners in scoring position landed just a few inches foul. Later in the at-bat, he was retired.

Blackwood completed the comeback in the fifth when Collins blasted a homer well over the fence in left-center to tie the game at 6-6.

Meanwhile, McDonnell was able to keep the Ridgewood bats at bay in the third and fourth innings and turned the ball over to Mark Cotton in the fifth after reaching his pitch limit. Making his first appearance this all-star season, Cotton breezed through the fifth before running into a bit of trouble in the sixth.

In the sixth, Ridgewood had a runner at third with no outs when a groundball to short looked for certain as it would end the game. However, Maria (playing shortstop) made the play, then threw the ball home on a line to Colbert, who made the tag in time to prevent the winning run from scoring.

The excitement was short-lived though, as one batter later, facing a 3-2 count, Geraghty connected on the game-winner, bringing Blackwood's unforgettable run to an end.  

“At this level, all four teams are section champs. It’s tough,” Zanghi said. “The boys were 4-0 in districts, 4-0 in sections and 4-0 in Winslow Tournament as a warm-up, so we're 12-0 heading into the tournament and two pitches from being 14-0. It was a great run. We were two pitches away from being in the championship. Our opponents were just that much better than us.”

The sting of the loss was clear in Zanghi’s voice and on the players faces. But at the end of the day no one involved with the incredible run had anything to be upset about.

“There is absolutely nothing we would change,” Zanghi said. “We gave it everything we had. Every boy devoted their summer to this team. They are two weeks away from going to school and tomorrow they get to begin their vacation. They were absolutely incredible. I couldn’t ask for anything more from any of them.”

Zanghi also credited the fans with great support over the team’s run. He noted the the team had throngs of fans during the District 14 tournament and seemed to have just as many the following week in Linwood for the Section 4 tournament. He also expressed thanks to the fans and coaches from Erial, Glendora and other local programs who have wished them well along the way.

“It’s a summer I will never forget and I know it was a summer the kids will never forget,” Zanghi said. “They became a band of brothers.”