UPDATED
Pennsville 12U All-Stars on game in all three phases, beat Buena in District 3 LL Tournament opener for first tournament win in five years
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – The temperature on McLaughlin Field at first pitch was pushing 100 and the Pennsville All-Stars came out on fire.
The last team to play in the tournament this year was on point in all three phases of the game in its District 3 Little League Tournament opener Saturday and parlayed it into an historic 3-1 victory over Buena.
UPDATED INFO: It was their first win in the district tournament since 2019, when they swept the title in six games, and their first Little League Tournament win since taking their first elimination game in the 2019 section tournament. They had lost their last nine tournament games. There was no tournament in 2020.
“It’s a big step for Pennsville Little League baseball; it’s been a while,” manager Stephen Pangle said. “It puts our confidence right where it needs to be.
“Knowing the last couple years we have been winless for 12U and coming in and being able to get that first game, first win, just shows how much hard work they’ve put in the past three weeks to get where they’re at today.”
Pennsville got clutch performances from every element of its team. Three pitchers combined to hold a Buena bunch that scored 12 runs in its opener to one run and five hits with Nate Morrison locking down the final 2 1/3 innings for the save.
The pitchers were supported by strong defense that included several nice plays from second baseman Owen Whalen and a nifty unassisted double play by centerfielder Nathan Breeden to end the fifth inning.
Offensively, they got two hits apiece from Morrison and Breeden, an RBI single from Caiden Colomy in the third inning and a long solo homer by John Swiderski in the fourth that answered Buena’s run in the top of the inning. They never trailed.
“They were just ready to battle, they were ready to go,” Pangle said. “We looked like a well-oiled machine out there today. Everybody was doing their part. Everybody did what they were supposed to do. Everybody did their job. That was the biggest thing.
“We preach during practice all we want you to do is do your job … and they were able to deliver on that.”
Pennsville’s plan to go with three pitchers was predicated by the heat, giving each about 35 pitches to keep them from overworking. JoJo Mannino started and turned back a couple threats in his two innings. Colomy followed him and stayed until an two-out RBI triple by Cash Myers brought home Buena’s run on a close play at the plate.
Morrison came on at that point and, with Myers representing the tying run at the time, struck out the first hitter he faced on four pitches to end the inning. And then he finished the game, striking out the side in the sixth with the tying run at the plate.
“He’s a big-time pitcher,” Pangle said. “He pitches for me during our Little League season so I know what he’s capable of doing, and I know he’s able to throw strikes, throw heat, and have different pitches to throw them off balance.”
“(The mindset entering the game) was just to get out of the inning, to get that one out so the runner doesn’t score and help the team out,” Morrison said. “I really wanted to close out the game. When I start I really want to close it out as far as I can go.”
It didn’t take long for Pennsville to get the run back. Swiderski led off the bottom of the fourth with a long homer. It was his 16th of the summer and wasn’t even the longest one he’d hit this summer.
“Off the bat I knew it was gone because he crushed that,” Morrison said.
“If they hit you, you hit them back harder,” Swiderski said. “I was sitting on that curveball because I knew he had a good curve. I knew it was going to be first-pitch fastball and I was sitting on that curveball for my second pitch and went with my hitting mechanics I’ve been doing forever and I just drove the ball.”
And it drove Pennsville to an historic win.
Cover photo: Nate Morrison delivers a pitch to the final batter in Pennsville’s 3-1 District 3 Tournament win over Buena Saturday.
Pennsville 3, Buena 1
| Buena | 000 | 100– | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Pennsville | 101 | 10X– | 3 | 6 | 2 |
District 3 LL Tournament
| AMERICAN | W | L | RUNS | NATIONAL | W | L | RUNS |
| Pennsville | 1 | 0 | 3-1 | E. Vineland | 1 | 0 | 13-3 |
| S. Vineland | 1 | 0 | 7-6 | Millville Amer | 1 | 0 | 6-4 |
| Buena | 1 | 1 | 13-3 | W. Cumberland | 0 | 1 | 4-6 |
| Elmer | 0 | 1 | 6-7 | Penns Grove | 0 | 1 | 3-12 |
| Bridgeton | 0 | 1 | 0-12 |
SATURDAY’S GAME
Pennsville 3, Buena 1
SUNDAY’S GAME
Millville American at East Vineland, 5 p.m.
MONDAY’S GAMES
Bridgeton at South Vineland, 5:45 p.m.
Pennsville at Elmer, 5:45 p.m.
West Cumberland at Penns Grove, 5:45 p.m.
Riverview Sports News 