Cubs Beat A’s, 13-3, to Win 2018 MTL Majors Baseball Championship

West Orange, NJ – Each year, once baseball evaluations are completed, the West Orange, NJ Mountain Top League (MTL), not coaches, selects teams that are balanced according to skill level – but one thing the evaluations can’t measure is heart. The undefeated 2018 Cubs demonstrated unmeasurable heart this entire season and beat the A’s, 13-3, on June 19, at Degnan Field to win the Majors League Championship.

According to Cubs coach Rhett Zidziunas, “The goal this season was to play well, play smart and to play hard. It was never our goal to go undefeated –- until of course, when that reality started kicking in.”

“There is no question that our record put an enormous amount of pressure on the kids, especially the pitchers,” he added. “I feel that the parents’ support of their kids as well as their teaching them to have a positive attitude toward a tough coach like myself, is what carried us through to most of the victories. I never saw a bad attitude – not once.”

According to Zidziunas, the pressure was mounting by the week, as the Cubs, a team comprising boys and girls in grades 4-6, continued their undefeated streak to play their way to the championship game.

“On June 18, the pressure the Cubs were under showed in the 1st inning, where the A’s scored 3 runs,” said Zidziunas. “However, the team was incredibly resilient, and went on to play like true champs.”

The game went to the 3rd inning, with a score of, 8-3, in the Cubs’ favor, before the rain storm arrived and it was stopped. The game was then postponed until the next day and set to begin exactly where it ended – in the 3rd inning, with 2 outs and an A’s runner on 2nd base.

On Tuesday, the A’s batter grounded out to the pitcher on the first pitch completing the 3rd inning. From there, the Cubs took up their bats and scored 2 runs in the next inning and another 3 runs in the 5th inning to conclude the game with a score of, 13-3.

Cubs pitcher, Nicholas Zidziunas, a 6th grader, pitched 5 innings, earning 6 strikeouts and 1 earned run, for the complete victory.

All of the Cubs including Max Cohen, Adrian Crane, Sean Felderman, Evan Haber, Benjamin Lau, Dylan Schatell, Hayden Silva, Asher Strauss, Isabella Zidziunas, Maya Zidziunas, and Nicholas Zidziunas, contributed in the hitting both during the championship game and throughout the entire season, according to Zidziunas.

"The kids were so dedicated and played so well all season," said parent Scott Schatell. "They played their hearts out and really deserved this final win. We are all so proud of them.”