Sports

One-Hitter Pushes Blackwood Closer to Title

Outstanding pitching from Dylan Maria, Macen Collins and Marc-Anthony Rodriguez guides Blackwood Kiwanis' 11-year-olds to a 5-2 win over East Greenwich on Wednesday.

11-year-olds are just one win away from the NJ Section 4 championship game after defeating District 15 champion East Greenwich 5-2 on Wednesday night. They will play Haddonfield on Friday night at 6 p.m. for the right to advance to the championship game on Sunday.

Blackwood was able to jump out to an early lead in the top of the first, scoring three runs on five hits, all of them singles. Manager Ben Zanghi notes that this was a departure from past games, where his team was able to score runs with their power hitting.

Nevertheless, the lead was enough for starting pitcher Dylan Maria to handle. After allowing East Greenwich to score a run in the first inning on two walks and a single, he was able to settle down by not allowing a hit through the fourth inning. The first inning single was the only hit East Greenwich got in the game.

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Blackwood added two more runs in the third inning on a single down the right field line by T.J. Cavallaro. The hit scored Alex Zanghi and Macen Collins, extending Blackwood's lead to 5-1.

In relief of Maria, Collins and Marc-Anthony Rodriguez were able to close out the victory for Blackwood, with Rodriguez striking out the side in the sixth inning to earn his second save of the tournament season.

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Blackwood will look to advance to the championship on Sunday with a win over Haddonfield on Friday night. Haddonfield advanced in the tournament on Wednesday night with a marathon, 2-1, nine-inning win over Northfield Little League.


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