Late Power Surge Lifts Madison 11-Year-Olds To Comeback Win

Shut down through four and two-thirds innings, the Madison 11-year-old baseball all-stars needed an offensive spark. And for the second straight game, Matt O'Donnell came up with the big hit to open the floodgates. Madison scored 11 runs in the fifth and sixth innings to pull out a comeback 12-5 victory at  Chester in District 1 pool play Tuesday.

Matt Haughey drove in the go-ahead run and pitched five strong innings, striking out seven. Charlie Betz drove in three runs and Max Lenz added three hits for Madison, which improved to 4-0 overall in pool play and qualified for the district finals with one game remaining.

"Everyone contributed today," said Madison coach Dan Betz. "We had another solid all-around performance, everyone hustled. I'm very happy."

Haughey was dominant through the first three innings, allowing just one hit and retiring the first seven hitters he faced. But he ran into trouble with Madison ahead 1-0 in the fourth. Chester tied the game on a bases-loaded walk and went ahead on Ed Guiltinan's three-run double off the left field fence.

But Madison's offense, stymied up until then by Chester pitcher Jesse Cohen, put together a late-game rally for the second straight game. It started off small, with Haughey reaching on a popup that fell in front of the diving Chester shortstop. Drew Brosie followed with an infield ground ball, but both he and Haughey were safe when the latter beat the throw to second base.

Cohen, who allowed just two hits and one unearned run over the first four innings, recorded the second out of the fifth before O'Donnell came to the plate.

On Cohen's 65th pitch of the game, O'Donnell hit a high fly ball over the right field fence to tie the score at 4-4. On the next pitch, shortstop Charlie Betz hit a line drive over the left field fence to put Madison ahead.

"That was a once in a lifetime shot for Charlie," Dan Betz said. "It came at a critical time for us. Back-to-back homers, you don't see that much in little league. It was huge today."

The lead didn't last long, as Chester tied the game in the bottom of the fifth on Ryan McIntyre's RBI groundout. O'Donnell made a crucial defensive play in the inning with the potential lead run on third base and one out. The second baseman caught a sharp line drive off the bat of Abraham Cook and fired to third baseman Colby Dixon for an inning-ending double play.

Madison responded by scoring seven times in the decisive sixth and final inning.

Emilio Egea led off the inning with his second walk of the game. He had scored Madison's first run after walking in the first inning, stealing third, and taking home when the throw went over the third baseman's head.

In the sixth, Egea scored the go-ahead run when Haughey hit a double down the left field line.

Betz drove in two more with a two-out bloop double that curled inside the left field line. Alex Park's bases-loaded walk made it 9-5, and Egea put the game out of reach with a two-RBI single to centerfield, with a third run scoring on an error.

Madison will close out pool play with a home game against Rockaway Thursday at 6 pm at Sonny Vitale Memorial Field.


Madison     1  0  0  0  4  7  -  12  12  1
Chester       0  0  0  4  1  0  -    5   7   4

NOTABLES:
-Matt Haughey: 5 innings pitched, 5 runs, 5 hits, 7 strikeouts; 2-for-3, 2 runs scored, RBI double, walk
-Matt O'Donnell: 1-for-3, 3-run home run
-Charlie Betz: 2-for-4, home run, 3 RBIs
-Max Lenz: 3-for-4, run scored, stolen base, double