Hamilton ends season with walk-off win against South Brunswick
EWING » It was hard to tell who won at the end of the game.
First off, it was hard to tell anything happening on the Moody Park field because it was raining so hard that visibility was at a premium. Secondly, both teams seemed elated it was over as they went through the post-game hand-shake line laughing and smiling.
It was Hamilton that was the actual winner, as Tyler Nielsen scored from third on a wild pitch to give Post 31 a 1-0, walk-off victory over South Brunswick in the season finale for both teams.
It was the last game of pool play for the two Mercer County American Legion League members, as both were 0-2 and had no shot at reaching Wednesday’s semifinals since Hopewell and Washington Township were both 2-0.
Throw in the fact the coaches and players had to sit through a two-hour rain delay and it was hard to see how either side could get up for the contest when it finally started nearly three hours after it’s originally scheduled time. The players managed to bide their time by playing a pick-up basketball game against each other.
But the actual game was played like it meant the world as starters Dominic Maglione and Marcus James were both outstanding, as was Post 31 reliever Sean Johnson.
Hamilton’s Maglione allowed five hits and no walks while striking out three in five innings. Johnson was touched for three hits and a walk in his two innings but wriggled out of situations in both frames. James allowed three hits and one walk while striking out eight in six innings, and was also an entertaining figure with his constant smile and loose attitude throughout the game.
When Hamilton came up in the bottom of the seventh, it began to rain slowly, but quickly picked up fierce intensity as leadoff singles by Nielsen and Michael James put runners on first and second. It was the second hit of the game for both.
Jack Hardiman sacrificed and, with the rain coming down so hard that puddles were forming around the players, reliever Joe Pedulla uncorked a wild pitch well over his catcher’s head that allowed a jubilant Nielsen to come home. In Pedulla’s defense, the ball had to be near impossible to grip at that point.
It ended a frustrating tournament on an up note for Hamilton, which was coming off a walk-off 2-1 loss to Washington and col- lected just two runs in 20.1 innings.
Post 31 stranded runners on first and second in the second and fourth and left a runner on third in the sixth. Post 401, which got two hits each from Chris Perdoni, Nick Campigotto, Anthony Remos and Matt Laurie, also struggled to get a big hit and left eight runners on.
Prior to the start of the game, it was announced that the Hopewell-Washington game that was scheduled to be played Monday night has been moved to 4 p.m. Tuesday. The loser of that game plays Broad Street Park in Wednesday’s semis.
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S.Brnswck(17-13) Hamilton (18-11) WP— 000 000 000 000
SJohnson (1-0);
LP— 0 — 0 8 1 1 — 1 5 1
Pedulla (1-3). POSTPONEMENTS EWING » After the second downpour of the day, the final two New Jersey American Legion Final 8 games of Monday’s pool play were postponed.
Brooklawn Post 72’s game versus Cherry Hill Post 372 and Hopewell Post 339’s game versus Washington Township Post 521 were postponed.
Posts 339 and 521 will meet at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Fred Walters Field in Frank Moody Park to determine the National Division winner after Whitehouse Post 284 and Post 72 make up an earlier rainout at 1 p.m.
The Hopewell-Washington Township game will be video-streamed live at wbcbsports.com and on the WBCB Sports Facebook page.
The Brooklawn-Cherry Hill makeup is scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday.
The semifinal schedule, originally set to begin Wednesday afternoon, is on hold until after Tuesday’s games are completed.
If the game between Post 72 and 372 will be for a Final Four berth Wednesday, the semifinals and final (scheduled for Thursday) will be bumped back a day.