Ridge 15U Baseball Wins State Babe Ruth Championship

With Ridge 15U pitcher John Fasciano keeping their Secaucus opponent's bats quiet in the Babe Ruth State Tournament on Thursday night, hitters on the team moved relentlessly ahead to a 11-1 victory at Kane Stadium. 

The Ridge Baseball 15U team now advances to the 2013 Middle Atlantic Region Babe Ruth Baseball 13-15 Tournament., to begin in August in Atlantic City, according to information from Ridge Baseball.

Thursday's hitting streak against Secaucus began when fielder Jack Albanese broke a scoreless tie with a 2 RBI single in the 2nd inning. From there, the Basking Ridge U15 All Stars never looked back.  

First baseman Matt Taylor sparked a rally in the 4th when, after a dropped 3rd strike, he danced around and then under the first baseman's tag at 1st base.

The Basking Ridge bench and crowd then erupted, and Mike Rosmarin's long drive to right center driving in a run. Mike Ardiff took one on the foot for team, and Albanese loaded the bases with a hard hit grounder that was misplayed, according to the Ridge team. Pitcher Fasciano then switched roles to slam a backbreaking, bases-clearing double that put the game out of reach for the opponents. 

Ridge's defense sparkled, with third baseman Tommy McManus, shortstop Conor Scherzer and second baseman Vince Sferra putting in flawless performances. McManus closed out the the game with a mercy rule line drive down the left field line.

There are 10 participating teams in the 2013 Middle Atlantic Region Babe Ruth Baseball 13-15 Tournament. 

Pool A includes Delaware, Eastern N.Y., Maryland, Northern N.J. — which is the Ridge team — and Atlantic Shore, the host. Pool B is Western N.Y., Pennsylvania, Metro N.Y., Southern N.J., and the Southern N.J. runner up, according to information from the Ridge 15U team.

The ballpark is Surf Stadium, 545 N. Albany Ave in Atlantic City. A second ballpark is also used for games, which is the Somers Point Babe Ruth Field on the corner of Bethel and Rhode Island, in Somers Point.

The top three teams in each pool advance to the quarterfinals, with the 2 and 3 seeds playing the 2 and 3 seeds from the opposite pool, and the 1 seeds receiving a bye. The semi-finals and then the finals will follow.

The Ridge Baseball 15U team reached the Babe Ruth championship game on Thursday after winning the state semi-final game on Tuesday with a 12-4 victory over Wood-Ridge.

Ridge Coach Tom Ardiff said the team consists of mostly rising sophomores living in Basking Ridge, with two rising juniors who provide team leadership. 

Team Manager is Terry Conley, and Ardiff, Jay Petrillo and Rich Pavlik are coaches.

Players include Vince Sferra, Tommy McManus, Ryan Pavlik, Matt Taylor, Conor Scherzer, Mike Rosmarin, Mike Ardiff, Jack Albanese, Frank Petrillo, John Fasciano, Derek Chang, Sean Conley and Joe Morrissey, he said. 

The Ridge team's MidAtlantic schedule currently is:

• Thursday vs. Eastern N.Y., at 10 a.m. on Aug. 1 at Surf Stadium

• Friday vs. Maryland, at noon on Aug. 2 at Surf Stadium

• Sunday vs. Atlantic Shore, N.J., at 4 p.m. on Aug 4 at Surf Stadium

• Monday vs. Delaware, at 1 p.m. on Aug. 5 at Surf Stadium

The winners of the quarter-finals are scheduled for 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 6, and the semi-finals are set for that afternoon.

The final game in on the schedule for 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 7.