Paramus To Meet Delaware in Semis

BRISTOL, Conn.—The game was meaningless, probably the least important game the Paramus Little Leaguers have played since coming together as an all-star team.

Before the contest with Newark (Del.) began, the New Jersey state champions knew they had secured either a second or third seed in the single-elimination championship round. So had Delaware.

The two were destined to clash in Friday’s Mid-Atlantic Tournament semifinal no matter how Thursday’s makeup game turned out.

For the record, Newark capitalized on an error in the top of the sixth inning to edge Paramus, 2-1, in the final game of the preliminary round.

Paramus, at 2-2, is the third seed and will meet Newark (4-0) at 11 a.m. Friday in a game televised by ESPN. Top-seeded Keystone of Clinton County, Pa., will vie with No. 4 Great Kills American of Staten Island, N.Y., in Friday’s 3 p.m. clash. The winners will battle for a ticket to Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series on Sunday at 6 p.m.

The loss to Newark had so little meaning and his daily schedule so tight that Paramus manager Frank Smith declined comment after the game.

The most critical development in navigating the game for the managers was planning for Friday’s pitching assignments. Smith said Wednesday that Conor Heim would get the ball to start in the semifinals with ace Hiro Mizutani ineligible due to the demanding Little League pitch-limit regulations.

Delaware manager Nick DeMartine knew that beating out Keystone for the top seed was impossible because the Pennsylvania squad had the edge in the second tiebreaker, the ratio of runs allowed per innings played. Since home teams are decided by coin flips rather than seeding, whether New Jersey finished second or third had no significance.

“We knew we had to play [Friday] so that’s why we did a little managing with the pitch count,” DeMartine said.

Winning pitcher Andrew DelPercio, who didn’t figure in DeMartine’s pitching plans on Friday, threw three shutout innings, yielding two hits and two walks while striking out five.

“Andrew pitched for us in the regular season so we wanted to give him his shot in this game so we went a little longer with him (50 pitches) than we had planned, but we didn’t have to use anybody the way he was throwing,” DeMartine said.

“We were watching our pitch counts very close because one mistake on a pitch count can cost you [use of a pitcher for] an extra day. Now that we’re out of the pool play, it’s one and done, so you’ve got to win or you go home. We don’t want to go home.”

Smith started Nick DeNigris, who has both of New Jersey’s wins here. He tossed 2 1/3 innings and gave up a run on two hits and three walks. Gavin Niland pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing one hit. James Rendine was perfect over 1 1/3 and Eric Waxman, the victim of an unearned run, was saddled with the loss.

Newark scored in the second inning when starting pitcher Andrew Barker walked, took second on a fielder’s choice and scored on a bloop single by ninth hitter Brandon Hoeflinger, which resulted from miscommunication between the Jersey second baseman and right fielder.

Paramus answered in the third.

James Rendine slapped a hard single off the third baseman’s glove. Niland walked and Brandon Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out. Chris Regalbuto lifted a sacrifice fly to medium center field.

A single by DeNigris filled the sacks again but Chris Ludman struck out the next two hitters.

Newark pushed across the game winner in the sixth when DelPercio reached on an infield error, advanced to second on a passed ball, took third on a fielder’s choice and scored when Barker (2-for-2) cracked a single to center.

Paramus threatened in the home sixth. Heim, who walked in all three plate appearances, was perched on first when Jimmy Criscione sacrificed him to second. But DelPercio retired the next two hitters to end it.

DeMartine said Ludman and Barker, a southpaw, figure prominently in his decision who will start Friday’s semifinal.

“We’ve got three [top pitchers] and two of them pitched today,” DeMartine said. “Our shortstop today [Aaron Weber] wasn’t eligible to pitch today but he’s eligible tomorrow.

We’ll have our one, two and three all gunned up for tomorrow.”