Cumberland's title hopes dashed as New Jersey eliminates the RI champs in Little League

Bill Koch, The Providence Journal
·4 min read

BRISTOL, Conn. — Cumberland just couldn’t get a key hit.

If you’re looking for reasons why the Rhode Island champions were ousted from the Metro Region here Sunday night, start there. Each of the last three innings finished with the bases loaded, including the top of the sixth.

Dreams of a trip to the Little League World Series ended against New Jersey champions Toms River East. Tyler Todaro’s finishing strikeout earned him a save and sent Cumberland to a tight 3-2 loss at Breen Field.

A pair of foul pops to the catcher short-circuited Rhode Island rallies in the top of the fourth and top of the fifth. Cumberland arrived at the meat of its batting order in the top of the sixth but fell one critical swing shy of extending its stay here by a few more days. It exits having lost this game and a Saturday nail-biter against Connecticut by a 3-1 count.

Cumberland's Dylan Slack, seen here during practice last Thursday, and his teammates were unable to get the big hit on Sunday night against New Jersey despite loading the bases in each of the final three innings.
Cumberland's Dylan Slack, seen here during practice last Thursday, and his teammates were unable to get the big hit on Sunday night against New Jersey despite loading the bases in each of the final three innings.

“We came here and we lost 3-1 and 3-2,” Cumberland manager Gary Lamora said. “It just goes to show how even the competition level was. We came here and didn’t play our best baseball, and we’re right there in two games.”

Previous coverage: Cumberland wants to have fun at Metro Little League regional. It also wants to win.

It looked like Cumberland would at least manage to tie the game in its final chance on Sunday. Leonardo Chavez lined a one-out single to left, Cam Slack reached on a fielder’s choice and Ryan Amaral drew a walk to put the tying run 60 feet away. It was the same scenario as the two previous frames, and it ended in similar disappointment — an out that dented Rhode Island’s hopes, this time for good.

“We just couldn’t come up with the timely hit when we needed it,” Lamora said. “What are the chances of two straight innings with the bases loaded and a popup to the catcher?”

The Toms River East players, the New Jersey state champions, pose for a team photo before the start of the Metro Region Tournament in Bristol, Conn., on Saturday. They defeated Cumberland, 3-2, on Sunday night and eliminated the Rhode Island champs.
The Toms River East players, the New Jersey state champions, pose for a team photo before the start of the Metro Region Tournament in Bristol, Conn., on Saturday. They defeated Cumberland, 3-2, on Sunday night and eliminated the Rhode Island champs.

Philipp LaGrossa’s infield out in the bottom of the third snapped a 2-2 tie and plated what turned out to be the winning run. New Jersey clawed back for a pair in the bottom of the first and found the bulk of the night’s good fortune from there. Ryan McHugh’s pair of catches behind the plate were critical defensive plays to keep Toms River in the lead.

“We never practice that,” McHugh said. “It was really stressful. Sometimes it was so dark you’d lose it in the lights, but I stayed with it.”

It started so brightly for Cumberland after thunderstorms in the area forced a 64-minute weather delay. Amaral’s two-run homer in the top of the first staked the visitors to a 2-0 lead, a titanic shot over the scoreboard in straightaway center. Rhode Island left a man at second while concluding its opening at-bat, the first of 11 stranded in all and eight in scoring position.

“That’s pretty indicative of how our games have gone,” Lamora said. “We’ve jumped out early, and then the bats have seemed to cool off for the remainder of the game.”

Michael Mendes drew a leadoff walk and took the next three bases on wild pitches to get New Jersey on the board in the bottom of the first. Logan Macchia bounced an RBI single through the right side and Toms River was even before Cumberland had a real chance to enjoy its lead. Christian Mascaro turned in four scoreless frames in relief and Todaro recorded the last four outs.

“We got some big hits in big spots early,” New Jersey manager Mike Mendes said. “We ran the bases well in the first inning — that helped us. We just got enough.”

Both teams entered  the losers-bracket game believing they could survive. That comes from recent success in their respective leagues. Toms River is a seven-time New Jersey champion since 1995 and won the World Series behind future big-leaguer Todd Frazier in 1998. Cumberland was here for the fourth time since 2011 and needed a rebound from an opening loss to capture its latest state crown.

“It’s a long-standing tradition of greatness,” Lamora said. “We were happy to represent them well here.”

Cumberland, RI  200 000 – 2 6 1 

Toms River, NJ  201 00x – 3 4 2 

Cam Slack, Pedro Cardoso (3) and Dylan Slack; Brady Gillen, Christian Mascaro (1), Tyler Todaro (5) and Ryan McHugh. HR – Ryan Amaral (C).

bkoch@providencejournal.com    

On Twitter: @BillKoch25 

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Cumberland Little League falls to New Jersey