Stafford Juniors Crush State Tournament, Advance to East Regional

HISTORY: The Stafford Little League Junior all-star softball team defeated Teaneck Southern in the New Jersey state championship game on July 14. It was the first Stafford Little League team to win a state title and advance to the East Regional tournament. (Provided photo)

This past summer, seven of the 12 players on the Stafford Little League Junior all-star softball team gained valuable experience despite being eliminated from the state tournament.

“We lost two close games, by one run and two runs, but when you play tough games, win or lose, you learn how to handle stressful situations,” said Ron Bayer, whose team won the state tournament July 14 with a 6-1 victory over Teaneck Southern. “I coach a couple of them the rest of the year, and we talk a lot about the small margin for error against this type of competition. The experience last year helped, and now they’re much better at playing cleaner softball. Their focus is much better the year after. Experience is important.”

But now that Bayer’s team has become the first Stafford Little League team of any kind – be it baseball or softball – to ever win a state championship and advance to the East Regional tournament, the experience is new all over again. It’s uncharted territory.

“I talk a lot, but I was pretty speechless after we won,” Bayer said. “I told them I was proud of them, that they made history and that we will continue to play and do well because of the talent we have.”

In three games, Stafford outscored its opponents 37-12. After blowing out Toms River in the quarterfinals and Morristown in the semifinals, Stafford met Teaneck Southern in the first game of a double-elimination championship round and fell behind, 1-0, when the Bergen County team scored once in the second inning.

In the third inning, Stafford took advantage of a series of pitching mishaps by Teaneck. After Ava Sanzari singled to lead off, Brielle Hartley threw a sacrifice bunt to move Sanzari to second. Two wild pitches later, Sanzari scored the tying run. Peyton Parker and Katie Petterson then walked, and two more wild pitches allowed Parker to race home with the eventual winning run.

Stafford added runs over the next two at bats, closing the door defensively for Teaneck. After Izzy DeSanto was walked, Christina Brooks delivered the big blow, a two-run homer to left field to make it 4-1. In the fifth, Maddie Bayer singled to lead off the at bat, then took advantage of three wild pitches to score Stafford’s fifth run. Arianna Kelly then did the same thing — walking and crossing the plate on three wild pitches.

Meanwhile, Parker sailed through the first six innings in the pitcher’s circle, surrendering just four hits and striking out two as the Stafford defense held Teaneck off the scoreboard the rest of the way. Sammy Jillson took over pitching duties with no outs in the seventh and runners on first and second, but threw out the next two batters and ended the game by causing a popup to first base to earn a save.

“Defense is definitely our strength, and our pitchers do a great job of getting us out of trouble,” Coach Bayer said. “Our girls give us a lot of good at-bats, too. They fight and stay disciplined at the plate. They know how to score runs when they need them.”

In the semifinals, Morristown scored twice in the first inning to take the early lead, but Stafford drowned its opponents under an 11-run barrage in the first inning and never looked back. Leading 14-6 in the fifth inning, Petterson hit a two-run single to end the game.

Ella Gunnels was 3-for-3 with a double, while DeSanto was 2-for-3 with a double, Kelly was 2-for-2 with a walk, Hartley had two hits, Jillson had three RBIs and Parker and Petterson each drove in two runs.

In the quarterfinals, Toms River held a 5-4 lead midway through the third inning, but Stafford again came out firing, scoring six runs to make it 9-5. Gunnels hit a home run to left to make it 7-5, giving Stafford the lead for good.

All but one batter in the Stafford lineup had a hit, with Bayer having two. Gunnels finished with four RBIs, while Sanzari went 1-for-1 with two walks and two RBIs, and Parker tripled to score two runs in the bottom of the second.

The rest of the roster consists of Mikaila Wickham and Kaelyn Delaney, who are also coached by Bob Brooks and Mark Delaney.

“We had no teams in our district tournament and in the sectional tournament we only played two games against a team that struggled defensively,” Bayer said. “I wasn’t sure how well we would play in the state tournament, but we scored 31 runs in the first two games and that was impressive.”

En route to Orange, Conn., Stafford will begin pool play in the East Regional tournament against Maryland’s Talbot Little League on Thursday, July 18 at 12:30 p.m., followed by a 3:30 p.m. matchup with the host Milford Little League. On Friday, July 19, Stafford will take on West Nyack, N.Y. at 11 a.m., followed by a clash with Connecticut’s Bristol Little League at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 20.

On Sunday, Stafford will face the Jesse Burkett Little League team from Massachusetts. Pool play will conclude on Monday, July 22, with the West Sussex Little League team from Delaware.

Should Stafford finish in the tournament’s top four after pool play, it will play in the regional semifinals on Tuesday, July 23 at 9 a.m. with a chance to play in the championship game the same day at noon. The winner of the East Region advances to the Junior League World Series in Kirkland, Wash., from July 28 through Aug. 3.

“Honestly, the sky’s the limit with our girls,” Bayer said. “If they play their best softball, they can play with anybody in the country. We didn’t have great pitching to start our first two games in the state tournament, and we still beat them like crazy. When we put it all together, we can definitely do some damage. Our girls have put in the time and work. They’ve played a lot of softball and know what they’re doing. I’m confident we can finish in the top four at the regional tournament and make it to the semifinals.”

—David Biggie

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