South Brunswick Vikings earn another regional title

MONROE — Make it two regional titles in a row for the South Brunswick Vikings 10-year-old team.

The Cal Ripken League 10-year-old Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship Tournament was held recently at James Monroe Park in Monroe Township, and once again it was a championship experience for the 10-year-olds from South Brunswick.

The Vikings went 4-0 over the course of the tournament, successfully defending the title they won last year, and doing so in impressive fashion.

The defending Mid-Atlantic Regional Champion South Brunswick Vikings began this year’s Regionals with an explosive night of hitting and defense, and at the expense of the Mount Airy, Md., team. The Vikings jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first on Luke Rimmer’s lead-off double, a single by Nick Muha and a two-RBI double slugger Jack Young. Shortstop Brandon Dolan knocked in run No. 3 of the inning with a first-pitch single to left. The Maryland state champs got on the board in the second on a single by Ryan Tate, who then stole second and third, and was batted in by Chad Ringold for Mount Airy’s lone run of the evening.

The Vikings plated two more runs in the top of the second on the two-RBI single by Nick Muha, launching a 1-0 pitch into the gap in right center. The flood gates opened in the third with South Brunswick scoring seven times on six hits, including Jack young’s second double of the game. The Vikes came right back in the fourth and nailed the game, scoring six more runs on hits by Marty Halmi, pinch-hitter Michael Katcher, and winning pitcher Anthony Feltre who pitched four innings, earning the win — an 18-1 statement that the Vikings were again a force to be reckoned with.

That set up a meeting with the Next Millennium Bronx team.

The defending Mid Atlantic Regional Champs are not used to playing from behind, but that’s exactly what they had to do to defeat the feisty Metro New York state champs, 11-5 Metro held a 5-3 lead after four, then the Vikings turned up the heat. In the fifth, Anthony Feltre reached on an error, then Nick Muha delivered the first home run of the tournament — a two-run shot deposited just to the right of dead-center on the Upper Field at James Monroe Park. It was a line-drive on an 0-2 count that just made it over the yellow fence capping.

A little shaken, the Next Millennium All-Stars battled, but South Brunswick battled too. After Muha’s blast, slugger Jack Young singled, Brandon Dolan doubled in Young, Daryl Martin singled in Young, Kenny Keenan walked, then Luke Rimmer doubled in Keenan and Daryl Martin. The Bronx players held tough, as John Pena held South Brunswick scoreless early. Melvin Perez was 3-for-3 with a walk, and a run scored.

In the top of the sixth, Muha led off with a solo home run, his second of the game, and this one was a 225-foot blast in the power alley in right-center. South Brunswick led 10-5. Jack Young walked on four straight pitches, and he eventually came around to score.

With the win, South Brunswick advanced in the winner’s bracket and faced Hopewell Valley, who defeated Monroe.

In a re-match of last year’s semifinal at the Mid-Atlantic Regional, the two N.J. powerhouses squared off, with the winner to likely be the favorite to go to the World Series in Indiana. Hopewell came out guns-a-blazing, with hard singles by John Croak and Jason Patnick, but an infield fly and a 4-3 double-play ended the first-inning threat. South Brunswick came out hot as well, putting up a five-spot in the bottom of the inning. Luke Rimmer reached on an error, Anthony Feltre singled and after a long fly ball out by Nick Muha, cleanup hitter Jack Young blasted a three-run shot over the left field fence, 210 feet away, just inside the foul pole. Kevin Mayce then singled, and Brandon Dolan reached on a fielder’s choice, before Daryl Martin drilled a two-run triple in the gap in right center. The Vikings scored again in the third when Daryl Martin, who had singled, scored on a tough play by the pitcher. In the fourth, Jack Young singled and scored on an RBI single by shortstop Brandon Dolan.

Hopewell Valley struck in the fourth, scratching out two runs to make things interesting, and managed a run in the fifth and two more runs in the top of the sixth. But South Brunswick responded with an extra two in the fifth, putting the game just out of reach, on an RBI double by Anthony Feltre and an RBI single by Nick Muha.

With the 9-5 win, South Brunswick remained undefeated, and moved on to the championship game, where they once again met Hopewell Valley , who rebounded with consecutive wins to emerge as the loser’s bracket winner.

In the final, Hopewell Valley was held in check in the top of the first. In the bottom, South Brunswick got to work. Four straight singles by Anthony Feltre, Nick Muha, Jack Young and Kevin Mayce, and the Vikings led 2-0. Hopewell Valley came right back in the top of the second, scoring a run, and then held South Brunswick scoreless in the bottom of the inning.

In the top of the third, things got interesting. Hopewell took a 3-2 lead on a two-RBI single by Keith Devlin. Drew Crivelli then drilled a 2-1 curve ball to center for an RBI single. Hartel walked, and John Croak delivered a two-RBI double in the gap in right center. Midway through three innings, Hopewell Valley put South Brunswick in a very unfamiliar position — playing from behind.

The lead didn’t last very long, as the Vikings’ offense came alive. Jack Young singled, and with two outs, the offense hit overdrive. Back-to-back singles by Brandon Dolan and Marty Halmi scored Young. Daryl Martin reached on a tough play on a long fly ball to right, before Kenny Keenan and Luke Rimmer walked. South Brunswick had plated three runs on just two hits as second baseman Anthony Feltre walked to the plate. Feltre took a few practice cuts, stepped into the box, and drove the second pitch into the gap in left center field, clearing the fence at the 210-foot mark. South Brunswick, on the Feltre grand slam, took a 9-6 lead.

Hopewell Valley came out in the top of the fourth determined to erase the deficit created by the Feltre home run, and managed to scratch out a pair of runs, and get within 9-8. But that’s as close as they could get. South Brunswick held Hopewell scoreless over the last two as Nick Muha closed the game pitching the final frame. Despite the gutsy pitching performance of Joey Clancy, holding South Brunswick scoreless in the fourth and fifth, Hopewell was unable to get the tying run across, and South Brunswick won it’s second consecutive Mid-Atlantic Regional Championship by a score of 9-8.

With the regional title under their belts, the Vikings advanced to the Cal Ripken 10-year-old World Series, which is set to begin tomorrow in Indiana.