Erial Suffers First Defeat, Back in Action Tonight

All great teams face adversity.

It’s how that team responds when faced with it that ultimately determines how successful the team is when it's all said and done.

That it the point the Erial Little League Majors Division team is at after it suffered its first defeat in the entire all-star tournament Thursday night.

Backed by three home runs—including a grand slam—and eight RBIs by Nick Lonetto, Monroe Township sent Erial into the elimination bracket with its 13-9 win in the Section 4 semifinals.

Erial must now defeat West Deptford tonight to earn a trip into the finals, where it would then have to beat Monroe twice to capture the Section 4 title.

“We beat ourselves,” said Erial manager Jeff Mastrogiovanni. "We made mistakes in the field and we didn’t run the bases well. They will regroup and come back (tonight) because good teams will do that. This is something that is doable.”

Monroe built a 7-1 lead after four innings on the back of a strong pitching performance from Devin Jefferies and a pair of two-run homers from Lonetto.

The Erial offense came to life in the fifth inning, edging up on Monroe's heals. Sean Gaugler had an RBI single and Matt Mastrogiavini hit a three-run homer to bring Erial within 7-5. The home run was Mastrogiovanni’s second in as many games, both coming on curveballs.

Monroe built the lead back up to 8-5 in the bottom of the inning, but Erial had two outs with the bases clear before things really unraveled. Three Monroe batters reached bases and with no where to put Lonetto, Erial was forced to pitch to the slugger.

Lonetto made Erial pay with a grand slam that appeared to blow the game open, giving Monroe a 13-5 advantage.

Even down eight in the final inning, Erial refused to go quietly, though. Rian Colbert and Mastrogiovanni were each hit by a pitch, forcing in runs and Gaugler added a two-run single to bring the team within 13-9.

Erial got the tying run to the plate, but could not get any closer.

Now the pressure is amplified for Erial, as there is no more margin for error if it wishes to reach the state level.

Asked if the players on his team had the make-up necessary to respond from Thursday’s loss, Jeff Mastrogiovanni had no hesitation in his answer.

“Yes, absolutely,” he said. “That’s the mark of a good team, and this is a good team.”