11U baseball team wins Cedar Grove title

The 11U South Orange/Maplewood Villagers baseball team captured the Cedar Grove League title on July 30, by defeating the Wayne Warriors, 6-5, before a spirited crowd at Barbour Pond Field in Wayne.
The victory capped a successful season for the 11- and 12-year-old boys. The team finished its season with 20 wins against just 11 losses. Earlier in the season, the 11U team won the Cal Ripken District 12 championship and advanced to the state playoffs in Branchburg, where it had an exciting run against the state’s top teams.
The Villagers reached the championship game by defeating Montville, 10-6, and Hanover Park, 16-14.
In the title game, the Villagers were led by a trio of pitchers, Jack Niggli, Quinn Krais and Phil Major. The three combined to allow just two earned runs, four hits and eight strikeouts in the seven-inning finale.
Offensively, Sam Berkley and Billy Stein got the team started by scoring two runs in the third inning. In the fourth, Tom Fetner gave the Villagers the lead for good when his single to center knocked in teammates Marcellus Livingston and Chase Bradley.
Phil Major’s single in the fifth, and Thomas O’Connor’s sacrifice fly later in the inning allowed the Villagers to extend their lead to 6-2. Great defense by Hunter Reynolds, Michael Burke and Owen Gall helped the Villagers hold off Wayne’s late-game comeback.
The team already is looking forward to 2011, and the opportunity to defend both the district title and league championship.