Bridgewater 12U Teams Competes in Cooperstown Tournament

The Bridgewater 12U Nationals team finished its 2011 tournament baseball season by competing in the Cooperstown All-Star Village tournament from July 16 through July 21.  

The Cooperstown ASV tournaments are week-long tournaments that feature teams from around the United States and Canada.  

Bridgewater Baseball sends the top three 12U teams each tournament season to compete. The Bridgewater 12U Nationals, managed by Grant Albert and coached by Neil Costanzo, Neil Costanzo Jr. and Jeff Praml had a successful tournament, posting an overall 5-3 record and outscoring the opponents 92-51.

The team went 4-2 in pool play losing to the number one two seeded teams, while being seeded No. 10 out of 28 teams. The team posted a 1-1 record in the single elimination playoffs only defeated by the eventual tournament champions, the Katy Bulldogs.

The first playoff victory against the St. Charles Knights was an exciting and memorable nine-inning game where the Nationals tied the game in the bottom of the sixth and ultimately won in the bottom of the ninth.

This week-long tournament had contributions from all the players. Here are the key highlights for each player:

• Alex Bloom hit his first ever home run, and also earned his second homerun during the tournament. He played great defense, scored a lot of runs and pitched well too. Bloom's catching was invaluable as it enabled the team to pitch players who also catch. This enabled to team to manage its pitching staff throughout the tournament.
• Joe Lenskold is a great competitor. He battled when he pitched and when he hit. Lenskold hit three home runs and missed hitting a fourth on the Green Monster field by inches. He had at least one hit in all eight games. He also pitched a no-hitter on the Green Monster field, which is tough due to the short field depth with high fences. 
• Nick Costanzo started the week with a phenomenal third place finish out of 28 in the fastest player skills competition. Costanzo had a great tournament, leading the team in hits with 10. He hit a home run over the Green Monster and had a very high on-base percentage. Costanzo was battered and bruised as he was hit by pitches four times and, when stealing, was hit by throws twice, but being a tough player, he didn’t let this get in his way. Costanzo pitched very well, played great defense and scored most of the times he got on base.
• Devin Bernal was a solid pitcher in the tournament, limiting the opponent to a few runs. Bernal's primary position is catching, where his presence behind the plate deters teams from stealing. He led the team with five home runs and he also had a high on-base percentage. When Bernal played center field, he made an amazing play where he threw a runner out at first.
• Kyle Scott went nine for 14 in the tournament with several key hits which drove in runs, and then he also scored as he was an aggressive base runner. He pitched very well and made many exceptional plays in the field. Scott is a valuable player, as his versatility provided the team with flexibility. He played all the outfield positions—first base and second base—and he pitched and caught.
• Brian Albert played mostly third base, making outstanding plays on defense. Albert was a consistent batter, getting a least one hit in seven out of the eight games. Albert drove in the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning of the first playoff game. With Bridgewater losing 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning with one out, and with an 0-2 count, Albert battled with runners on second and third, and drove in the tying run sending the game into extra innings when the team eventually won.
• Christian “C-Rod” Rodriguez played mostly center field where he played a solid defense. He also pitched in the tournament, limiting teams to a few runs. Rodriguez’s most memorable play was his amazing diving catch in center field to close out the no-hit game. 
• Matt Lynch played mostly shortstop, but also played second base and left field. He made critical plays, closing out innings where the other teams were threatening to score. Lynch is unfazed by the pressure when he plays defense. Offensively, he was instrumental in the ninth inning of the first playoff game where he got the first hit of the inning and eventually scored the game-winning run.  
• Matt Hopeck played solid defense in left field and at shortstop, making critical plays at short that helped get key outs in innings with runners in scoring position. During the ninth inning of the first playoff game, Hopeck made the second hit of the inning, advancing Matt Lynch into scoring position. A few pitches later, both Lynch and Hopeck stole third and second, which took away the force play. This game was full of pressure and Hopeck came through, helping the team win the game.
• Scott Ducey played solid defense all week, making key plays in right field, second base and third base. Ducey's most memorable moment in the tournament came in the first playoff game. With one out and runners on second and third, Ducey lined a single, scoring Matt Lynch for the ninth inning playoff victory.
• Jeff Praml was a solid pitcher during the tournament. Praml's hitting exceeded expectations as he hit very well, earning a high on-base percentage. His most memorable moment was he hit a grand slam, his first ever home run. 

—Grant Albert, Bridgewater parent and team manager