Chatham U9 Summer Baseball Team Wins North Jersey Baseball League Playoff Tournament

Chatham’s U9 summer baseball squad beat Long Hill in a crazy, extra inning affair last night to become North Jersey Baseball League Playoff Champions.  When the dust settled the final score was 15-10, with the visiting Cougars receiving trophies during a postgame ceremony at home plate.

Going into the game, Chatham knew it would have its hands full against a Long Hill team that beat the Cougars 6-2 earlier in the year.  Long Hill’s ace pitcher had blanked Chatham through three innings in that contest, but this time the same pitcher would have to contend with some much improved bats.  Owen “Tick-Tock” McClintock quickly got things started with a single to center in the first inning.  But in the evening’s first hint that it would be an exciting – and emotionally challenging – evening, Jake “Knifer” Fifer hit a frozen rope at the second baseman, doubling off McClintock, and Long Hill was able to face the minimum three batters in the opening frame.

Long Hill loaded the bases in the bottom of the first, but Chatham escaped unscathed when TJ “T-Bone” Mackessy made a terrific play at second to end the inning, just as he had done all year.  Then, after not scoring in the top of the second, Chatham escaped another jam in the bottom of the inning on a bizzare infield fly double play that included Colin “Fitzy” Fitzgerald astutely tagging out a Long Hill player who, per the eventual ruling, had “advanced at his own risk.” 

Each team strung together some hits and walks in the third inning and Chatham entered the fourth up 2-1.  This is when the Cougars made their move, scoring 4 runs including a very hard hit ball up the middle by Tommy “TMac” McEnroe, who would go on to collect three hits in the game.

The Cougars broke things open in the 5th on consecutive laser hits by Colin “Mint-man” Minter, Mark “Lethal” Bliemel, and Will “The Thrill” Ferris, the combination of which caused Coach Rob Ferris to raise his level of excitement to a whole new stratosphere.  McEnroe then hit another blast up the middle that would have extended the inning but the ball ricocheted off the pitcher right to Long Hill’s shortstop who made a fine play stepping on second and throwing on to first for the double play.

As it was, Chatham was sitting on a 10-1 lead going into the bottom of the 5th and doing all it could to not take anything for granted. 

But Long Hill would not go quietly, fighting back to 10-5 with bases loaded and no outs before Chatham recorded three straight outs including one terrific fielder’s choice play from center field to second base by Fifer.

The top of the 6th began in promising fashion when Max “Wheels” Williams laid down a superb bunt and flew down the line.  He was initially called out but the first base ump did not see what all those on the third base side could: that the first basemen had let the ball fall of his glove for a split second.  Chatham Coach Brendan Minter adroitly asked for an appeal from the home plate umpire and Williams was subsequently called safe.

But the Cougars failed to score in the top of the 6th and still needed three more outs to seal the deal in the home half of the 6th.  One of those outs came on a spectacular bases-loaded catch by Williams who had to go way back and reach up to make the play.  But Long Hill would not go quietly and roared all the way back to tie the game on a call that included a trip to visit the infield umpire by Chatham Head Coach Dana McClintock.

Finally, with the bases loaded, young McClintock kept a ground ball in front of him and threw to McEnroe at third to record the final out in a bang-bang play.  Had that play not been made, it would have been a walk-off victory for the home team.

Instead, after getting over the sting of relinquishing its 10-1 lead, the Cougars got up off the mat and continued to pound the ball in the extra frame.  Chatham put up 5 more runs to go up 15-10.  But they knew full well that Long Hill had scored 5 runs in an inning earlier and was capable of doing it again.

In the bottom of the 7th, however, Ferris set the tone on the very first play when a ball hit in front of the batter’s box was pounced on and then gunned to first with shades of Johnny Bench. Collin Fitzgerald, who had earlier been visited on the mound for some wise pointers by Coach Fitzgerald, then shut the door with two huge strike outs.

Chatham had prevailed and had won its Championship tournament in the North Jersey Baseball League. The boys in navy jumped onto each other in jubilation.  Among the celebration, Chatham Coach Anthony Gruppuso could be seen exhaling and high-fiving all the players, including his son Jack “The Birdman” Gruppuso who after suffering a broken arm earlier in the season, had so loyally remained an integral part of the team’s success all the way to the end.

Chatham’s Championship victory capped off a run in which the Cougars had won four consecutive league games, including a 6-4 playoff win against Summit at Shunpike Field earlier in the week.

But four in a row wasn’t enough for this storybook-ending season.  Earlier today, Chatham visited Newark Bears Stadium to play one last game against West Milford.  The gargantuan team trophy was brought along as motivation. 

It was a festive atmosphere before the game as Gruppuso threw out the ceremonial first pitch, having just had his cast removed earlier in the week.  To the amazement of the crowd, Gruppuso was not only able to throw a good ball, but he hurled a strike!

Witnesses also saw Tommy McEnroe on the field signing baseballs for spectators in the seats.  Clearly, Chatham was not going to get cheated out of this experience.

After starting pitcher Matt “Sprinkles” Failla shut down West Milford in the first, William “Zesty Westy” West hit a two-run homer that just wouldn’t stop rolling.  Failla later followed up his pitching performance with a big 2 RBI hit of his own and the Chatham Cougars kept up their winning ways, defeating West Milford by a score of 7-5.

So as July nears an end, and this Chatham U9 team hangs up their bat bags one last time, they have many reasons to be proud, and some lasting memories as well.