N.J. kids Series-bound
BRISTOL, Conn. — Toms River National starter Jeff Ciervo stood on the mound in the top of the second, staring at a 4-1 deficit, looking more like Oliver Perez than a staff ace. But never was he worried.
“I just knew I had to throw strikes and my defense was going to help me out,” Ciervo said. “And I knew we were going to get back the runs, too. I knew we’d come back. I just knew it.”
Right on all counts.
Toms River National’s defense was flawless, the offense proved both opportunistic and powerful and Ciervo settled in to snuff Pennsylvania until he was lifted on account of his pitch count as the New Jersey champions registered an 8-5 victory last night to capture the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament for a trip to Williamsport, Pa., for the Little League World Series.
Toms River, a loser to Pennsylvania earlier in the regional tournament, plays Great Lakes champ, Hamilton, Ohio, Saturday at 11 a.m.
“We’re going to the Little League World Series, that’s pretty cool,” center fielder Kevin Blum said.
“I was thinking the whole game, ‘If we win, we go to Williamsport,’ ” said outfielder Jake Loffredo. “Then in the sixth inning with two outs, I thought, ‘One out away and there it is.’ ”
Ciervo was down 2-0 after two batters. His first pitch of the game resulted in a single, and then Noah Hartwell slammed a homer to right for the Pennsylvania champs, Council Rock Newtown. Toms River got one back in the home first on an RBI double by Joey Rose. But Ciervo plunked the first two batters in the second to lead to that 4-1 ditch.
Nervous? Nah.
“No doubt, I’m always more nervous than him,” said his mother, Doreen Ciervo, whose son worked five innings, fanned five and walked none. “He never shows it. He knows if he shows it, I’ll be an even bigger wreck.”
Ciervo also knew the mettle of his mates, who won for the 10th time while facing elimination and became the first New Jersey team to reach Williamsport since 1999, when Toms River East, which won the World Series in ’98, advanced to the U.S. championship game.
“I don’t know if it’s [something special about] Toms River,” manager Paul Deceglie said. “I just have to give a lot of credit to this group of kids.”
Toms River National rallied with help from the shaky Pennsylvania defense. An error, a wild pitch and an RBI groundout by Patrick Marinaccio tied the game before Ciervo’s RBI double to center brought a 5-4 second-inning lead. Marinaccio’s solo bomb in the fourth made it 6-4 and Michael Tiplady, who pitched a one-run sixth, slammed a two-run shot in the fifth, making it 8-4.
