Nottingham 15s edge WW-P in 12-inning classic

HAMILTON » It was a classic 15-year-old Babe Ruth game as neither Nottingham nor West Windsor-Plainsboro was willing to give an inch.

It took 12 innings for it to finally be decided in dramatic fashion.

After giving up a run in the top of the 12th, Nottingham rallied with two outs to push across a pair of runs and take a 6-5 win on Thursday in the BRL District One tournament at Switlik Park.

Jack Weigartner got the inning started with a single and Mason Walczak walked before drove home Wiegartner and Thomas Gater followed with the gamewinning hit.

“I have never been involved in a game like this,” said Nottingham manager Frank Costantino. “I told the kids this is the kind of game that will show their character. I’m very proud the way they hung in there.”

Nottingham moves to the winner’s bracket final against the Hamilton/Northern Burlington and Jersey Shore winner.

WW-P returns on Friday to face Brick at 8:30 p.m. in an elimination game.

The Hamilton Square Gang got on the board first with a pair in the first inning on a walk, a Tyler Nielsen double and a couple of WW-P miscues.

WW-P got one in the second on a Josh Eisenberg single, he took third on an error and scored on an RBI groundout by Justin Lockwood to make it 2-1.

WW-P tied it at 2-2 in the top of the fourth. Jack Dileo reached on an error, then after two were out, William Raater singled to right sending Dileo home to tie the game.

Nottingham responded in the home fourth, pushing across a run for a 3-2 lead. Jordan Nitti opened with a single to left and then a pair of walks loaded the bases. After one out, Nicholas Wilke singled to bring Nitti home with the go-ahead run, WW-P hurler Ted Durbin settled down and got the final two outs.

Nottingham pushed the lead to 4-2 in the fifth when Weigartner started things with a single passed short and took second on an error. He was wild pitched to third and then some wildness struck the WW-P staff as they walked three straight. The free pass to Gater sent Weigartner home for a 4-2 lead.

The Green and Gold answered quickly in the top of the sixth with a pair to even things at 4-4.

Austin Hodges walked and then beat the throw to second on Durbin’s grounder to put runners on first and second with no outs. Dileo singled to left to load the bases. Eisenberg’s second hit of the game plated Hodges and Raeter’s fly to deep center scored Durbin.