Lawrence, Hamilton both eliminated

UNION >> If nothing else, the Lawrence Post 414 baseball team came away from its first trip to the New Jersey American Legion Final 8 knowing that it had fun.

After its 8-3 loss to West Deptford Post 100 Sunday at Kean University’s Jim Hynes Stadium, the Mercer County American Legion League’s newest participant in the Final 8 went 0-3 in its inaugural try.

Lawrence stayed close in each of its games, but could not break through. Yet, what fans who braved the heat this weekend will remember most about Post 414’s players was that they genuinely seemed to be having fun.

“We definitely did have fun,” said Kyle Rosica, a Notre Dame High graduate who will head to The College of New Jersey in September. “We always tried to have a good time.”

More days than most, Sunday’s final day of pool play would have been an easy time for the Lawrence players to hang their heads. Instead, after falling behind, 4-0, in the first inning, they closed the gap to a run by the third inning.

“The game didn’t start out so well, but when we looked up in the middle of the third inning, it was 4-3,” said Rosica, who went 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and a run batted in. We just figured we’d try our best and see what happens. We put some good swings on the ball, just not enough.”

When Justin Frascella led off the third inning by drawing a walk and Jake Kmiec followed with a bad-hop double to left field, manager Jason Zegarski’s club struck back.

Adam Zakaria knocked in the first run with a ground out, then Rosica smacked a groundrule double to left to chase home Kmiec. When Ryan Mains (2for-3) followed with a RBI single, Post 414 was in business.

Lawrence still had hope at that point, but West Deptford’s pitchers ended the rally by striking out four of the next six batters they faced.

With a chance to finish undefeated in the American Division pool, manager James Ambrosius’ Post 100 squad added a run in the bottom of the third and three more in the fifth behind back-to-back doubles from Josh Crowding and Zack Brook, and an RBI single from Mike Decker to stretch the lead to five runs.

Lawrence (17-13) 003 000 0 — 3 7 1

West Deptford (23-3) 401 030 x — 8 9 1

2B: Kmiec, Rosica (L), Drapeau, Sawyer, Crowding, Brook (WD); RBIs: Zakaria, Rosica, Mains (L), Decker, Fisher 2, Drapeau 2, Crowding, Brook (WD).

WP — Crowding (1-0); LP — Kmiec (2-1).

WHITEHOUSE 4, HAMILTON 1

In a battle for second place in the American Division, Post 284 scored three times in the second inning and once more in the fourth, then held off Post 31, whose season ended after a 26-8 campaign.

Brendan James drove in Danny Melnick in the sixth inning for Hamilton’s lone run.

Melnick and Michael James doubled for manager Rick Freeman’s team, and Jordan Nitti had two of its six hits.

Hamilton (26-8) 000 001 0 — 1 6 0 Whitehouse (32-3-1) 030 100 x — 4 7 2

2B: Melnick, MiJames (H), Icaza (W); 3B: Cassella 2, PCiuffreda (W); RBIs: BJames (H), Cassella 3, Icaza (W).