Blackwood Little League Announces Sign-Up Dates

The next sign-up session is Saturday.

It may not seem like it, but baseball season is getting close. So close, in fact, that Blackwood Kiwanis Little League has already hosted one registration session. Don't worry. There are plenty more opportunities to get your children signed up for the 2013 baseball and softball season. The next sign-up date is Saturday. That session will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at Gloucester Township Recreation Center. Future registration sessions will be held on:

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Councils Honors Blackwood Little League Champs

Blackwood Kiwanis Little League's District 4 championship team receives proclamations and jackets Monday night.

Gloucester Township Council recognized the 2012 New Jersey Section 4 champion Blackwood Kiwanis Little League 10-11 baseball team during its meeting Monday night. "Not only do you represent Blackwood Kiwanis Little League, but you also represent Gloucester Township," Council President Glen Bianchini said. "We're very, very proud of your team, but more importantly of your whole organization for all that you've accomplished over this past season." Council presented each player and coach with a Gloucester Township proclamation, signed by Bianchini and Mayor David Mayer, recognizing the Section 4 title. Blackwood Kiwanis went 8-0 on its way to the Section 4 title, crushing its competition along the way. After winning four straight to take the …

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Five Things You Need to Know...Township Council

Gloucester Township Council next meets on Monday, Jan. 14.

Gloucester Township Council met on Monday, Jan. 7 for its first work session of 2013. Its next public-action meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 14. Here are five things to keep an eye on from Council in the coming days and weeks: 1. Council will vote on an ordinance on first reading at its Jan. 14 meeting that would allow the township to increase its 2013 spending budget by 3.5 percent as compared to 2012. That amounts to an appropriations increase of $1,806,217.20 over the 2012 budget. Any amount from that 3.5 percent increase deemed not necessary for the 2013 spending plan can be carried forward to 2014 or 2015 as an exception to the state's 2 percent year-to-year budget appropriations cap. 2. Council appears poised to purchase an …

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Gloucester Township's Top Sports Stories of 2012

A look at the most widely read stories and our choices for the top stories in sports in Gloucester Township in 2012.

It was another great year for sports programs in Gloucester Township. From youth baseball to high-school football, there were plenty of championship victories. In this article, we'll run down the top 10 most-read sports stories of the year, as well as our choices for the top 3 sports stories of the year. First, the top 10 most-read sports stories (with publication date noted in italics): 10. Triton's Bullock Commits to La Salle Nov. 15 9. Three Stallions Teams Win Titles Nov. 26 8. Erial Continues Offensive Outburst, Sets Up Showdown with Glendora July 1 7. Lambert Competes in All-American Bowl Today Jan. 3 6. Highland's Angeloni Signs to Play Baseball at NY College Nov. 15 5. Timber Creek Football Repeats as Champions Dec. 8 4. Erial Wins…

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

Blackwood was eliminated from the state tournament with a 7-6 loss to Ridgewood.

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 …

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Michelle Wolfson

12:47 am on Thursday, August 9, 2012

What a great season! You should all be very proud of yourselves to have made it so far!   more ›

Blackwood Loses Heartbreaker

Marc-Anthony Rodriguez struck out 12 in five innings, but Blackwood was edged by Robbinsville, 2-1, in eight innings.

For the better part of a month the Blackwood Kiwanis Little League 10-11 All-Stars have experienced success and joy. On Monday, the team was left with heartbreak. Blackwood got a phenomenal pitching performance from Marc-Anthony Rodgriguez, but Robbinsville was just a little bit better in a 2-1, eight-inning win in the opening round of the State Tournament. “It was an unbelievable game,” Blackwood manager Ben  Zanghi said. “It was amazing.” Rodriguez was nothing short of magical during his 86-pitch run. He struck out 12 over five innings, giving Blackwood everything he had and more. He threw 57 of his 86 pitches for strikes. Rodriguez struck out the side in the first and second innings, while punching out two in each of the other three. He…

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Blackwood 10-11s Ready for State Tournament

Blackwood heads to Red Bank on Monday for the start of the Little League 10-11 State Tournament.

A few minutes after receiving their medals for winning the Section 4 championship, the Blackwood Kiwanis 10-11 all-star baseball team took its newly won banner and took a lap around the field—a customary tradition for Little League champs. Once the team got halfway around the field the players all stopped and huddled together for all of the family members, friends and spectators to take pictures below the scoreboard. Amid the laughing and celebrating, one of the team's coaches told the players that the next banner they were going for was a yellow one—the color of the state championship banner. That quickly, the page had been turned. Blackwood begins its quest for a state title on Monday when it travels to Red Bank to take on the winners of…

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Lil' Slugger

Colbert Has Swing of His Life

Jared Colbert hit a grand slam in Monday's New Jersey Little League 10-11 Section 4 championship.

Lil’ Slugger’s Name: Jared Colbert Lil Slugger’s Position: Catcher Lil’ Slugger’s Team: Blackwood Kiwanis Little League 10-11 Lil’ Slugger’s Accomplishment(s): With Blackwood leading 2-1 in the bottom of the second inning and the bases loaded, Colbert stepped to the plate and produced the biggest swing of his young career. Colbert blasted a grand slam over the left field fence, breaking the game open and leading Blackwood to a 6-1 win over Millville in the Section 4 finals. Lil’ Slugger’s Key to Awesomeness: Colbert was patient in his first-inning at-bat, seeing numerous pitches and eventually working a walk. With no room left on the base paths in the second inning, Colbert knew he would see a good pitch to hit. He sat on a fastball and …

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Slam Propels Blackwood 10-11s to Section 4 Title

Jared Colbert hits a grand slam in the second inning to lead Blackwood to a 6-1 win over Millville in the Section 4 finals.

By perfectly executing a squeeze bunt with the bases loaded in the second inning, the Blackwood Kiwanis Little League 10-11 all-star team demonstrated the type of smart, fundamental baseball that had taken the team all the way to the Region 4 finals. Later in the inning, all thoughts of small-ball were put aside as one big swing changed everything. Jared Colbert blasted a grand slam as part of a six-run second inning, propelling Blackwood to a 6-1 win over Millville and a birth in next week’s state tournament. “It just felt real good to hit it because I hadn’t hit one in awhile,” said Colbert, who added that he knew it was gone on contact. “It got the team up and that’s when we started rolling.” Once the ball cleared the fence, the …

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Lil' Slugger

McDonnell Delivers in Clutch for Blackwood

McDonnell got the win on Friday night, pitching four innings of solid relief and nailing a crucial two-run double in the third inning of Blackwood's 6-4 win over Haddonfield.

Lil’ Slugger’s Name: Jake McDonnell Lil’ Slugger’s Team: Blackwood Kiwanis Little League 10-11 Lil’ Slugger’s Position: Pitcher/Second Base Lil’ Slugger’s Accomplishment(s): McDonnell hit a critical two-run double in the third inning of Blackwood's 6-4 win over Haddonfield on Friday night. He also came in to pitch his team out of an early jam in the second inning. He would go on to throw four innings, allowing just six hits and two runs while striking out five. He ended up earning the win as well. Lil’ Slugger’s Key to Awesomeness: McDonnell was cool under pressure both at the plate and on the mound. He only walked two batters in four innings and had superb command of his pitches, inducing a few weak ground balls and pop-ups. At the plate…

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