Millburn 11-12 Baseball Team Ends Week Undefeated

The Millburn 11-12 League Baseball team came out undefeated last week competing in the New Providence Green League.

Millburn is now 10-1 in the New Providence Green League.  This week will end league play and playoffs will follow. 

On Saturday, July 7, at Gero Park, Millburn roared to a convincing 17-9 victory.   Strong pitching efforts from the starter, Max Steffan, and Matt Knowles in relief turned in strong pitching efforts. Knowles struck out 6 and allowed 3 hits in three innings.  Keying the offense were Elijah Taitel who had 3 hits in 3 at-bats and scored 3 times and Kush Shah who drove in 4 runs. After falling behind 2-0, Millburn caught up in the bottom of 1st inning with an RBI double by Kyle Speckhart.  Millburn broke the game open with a big 7 run third inning.  Consecutive hits by Speckhart, Steffan, Ben Kany,  Joe Petrilli, Taitel, and Shah led to 5 runs.  Successive singles by Kyle Farscht, Patrick Fitzsimmons, and Jonathan Wang scored the other 2 runs.  In the next inning, Millburn scored another 4 runs with the key hit being a bases clearing double by Shah. 

On Monday, July 9, at Scotch Plains, Millburn was victorious by a score of 12-8.  Speckhart and Taitel shared the pitching duties.  Speckhart pitched 4 innings, allowed 2 earned runs, and struck out 4.  Taitel finished up in relief, allowing 3 earned runs and striking out 3.  Millburn got on top early with 3 runs in the first inning.   After earning a walk, Knowles scored on a booming triple by Speckhart who then scored on an single by Kany.  After advancing to third base on a steal and an error, Kany scored on a single by Joe Petrilli.  In the second inning, Sam Meyerowitz led off the scoring after getting on from an error and stealing second base.  Consecutive singles by Shah, Martine Lederman, Farscht, and Fitzsimmons produced 3 runs.  Then consecutive hits by Knowles, Speckhart, Steffan, and Kany yielded 4 more runs.

On Tuesday, July 10, at Gero Park,  Millburn mercied Readington 14-2.  Max Steffan had a stellar pitching effort in allowing only 2 hits over 4 innings and striking out 2.  Knowles finished the hurling duties with a solid inning without allowing a run.  Millburn got 3 runs in the first on a string of singles by Knowles, Speckhart, Steffan, Kany, and Taitel.  Back to back home runs by Kany and Petrilli highlighted the four run 4^th inning.  Millburn ended the game with 6 runs in the 5th inning when Shah and Fitzsimmons scored on a single by Wang who scored after singles by Knowles and Steffan.  Kany then ripped a double to right center and scored on the game ending hit by Taitel.

On Thursday, July 12, Millburn scored a convincing 10-4 victory over the Westfield Grey.  The starting pitcher, Knowles, hurled 4 innings, allowed only 1 earned run, and  struck out 3.  Speckhart closed out the game with 2 shutout innings and also striking out 3.  Millburn’s offense started quickly with 5 runs in the first inning.  After a single by Knowles, Speckhart blasted a 2 run home run.  3 more runs scored on consecutive singles by Knay, Petrilli, Lederman, and Farscht.  In the second inning, Millburn scored 4 more runs on back to back walks to Meyerowitz and Wang who scored on RBI singles by Knowles and Steffan who both also scored on stolen bases and a wild pitch.   

On Saturday, July 14, at Gero, Millburn was squeaked out a tight 5-4 victory over a tough Green Brook team.  Steffan started at pitcher and hurled 4 strong innings, allowing only 1 earned run.  Speckhart finished the game by pitching the final 2 innings and also allowing only 1 earned run.  After falling behind 3-0 in the first, Millburn scored 3 runs in the 4th.  Wang led off with a single, stole second base, and scored on a double by Speckhart.  After Steffan was hit by a pitch, Kany blasted a 2 run double for a 4-3 lead.  Green Brook tied the game in the fifth inning.  Millburn came back for the victory on a single by Meyerowitz who stole second and scored the winning run on an RBI single by Wang. 

On Sunday, July 15, Millburn mercied Mendham 14-2.  Taitel was the starting pitcher, going 2 innings and yielding 1 run.  Lederman hurled one shutout inning and Farscht closed the game with 1 inning and allowing 1 run.  In the 1^st inning pacing the offense for Millburn,  Knowles stroked a double and scored on a single by Steffan.  After a single by Kany, Taitel blasted a double to score 2 runs.  In the second, after Wang walked, Speckhart hit his 3^rd home run of the season.  In the bottom of the 4th inning, Millburn closed out the game with 5 big runs.  Meyerowitz stroked a 2 out single, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Wang who also stole second and then scored on an RBI single by Knowles.  Speckhart then stroked a double to score Knowles and scored himself on a single by Steffan.  Fitzsimmons, pinch running for Steffan, scored the final run on a drive to centerfield by Taitel.