Update: Local Boys are Going to the Show

The South Orange-Maplewood Villagers 11U team captured the District 12 Cal Ripken championship on Sat. at Meadowlands Field by defeating Cranford, 7-6.  As district champions, the Villagers team moves on to the state tournament later this month in Branchburg. 

The Villagers opened the scoring in the top of the first with a grand-slam home run off the bat of Michael Burke.  Cranford chipped away, however, scoring one run on the first and two in the second.   With the score 4-3 in the top of the third, Jack Niggli's single to left scored two more runs to extend the Villagers lead to 6-3.  In the top of the fourth, the Villagers added another with Quinn Krais's single to center, scoring Hunter Reynolds. 

Cranford scored one in the bottom of the fourth, but neither team scored in the fifth. Heading into the bottom of the sixth, the Villagers led 7-4.  Coach Krais called upon his closer, Phil Major.  While Cranford added two runs, Major struck out the side and left the tying run stranded at second base.  The Villagers had won another thrilling one-run game. 

Cranford came into the final game with a record of 4-0 in the tournament.  They averaged more than 13 runs per game.  But the quartet of Krais, Niggli, Seth Brand, and Major held Cranford to just six runs.  The Villagers finished the tournament with a 5 and 1 record, defeated each team in the tournament at least once, and are 14 and 6 overall so far this summer.