Cinderella run comes to an end for state champion Morristown Little Leaguers

By Michael Lovito

The Morristown Area Little League’s run to the Little League World Series came to an end on Friday evening, with a 5-0 loss to Staten Island’s South Shore Little League in the Metro Regional Championship game.

The summer all-star team that featured players from Morristown, Morris Township and Morris Plains hadn’t lost a game all season, and even defeated the New York state champions by a whopping 11-1 score in their first meeting in the regional tournament on Monday.

But some deft pitching from South Shore starter Stephen Grippo handed Morristown its first loss and its first blanking, short-circuiting the squad’s quest to become the first LLWS champions from New Jersey since Toms River East American in 1998.

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Much like their opening round victory over East Lyme, CT, last Saturday, Morristown’s Friday tilt was marred by weather delays. First pitch was moved up from 7 pm to 1 pm, in hopes of preempting storms set to hit the Bristol, CT, A. Bartlett Giammati Complex.

But even that start was delayed until 2:20 pm. Two in-game stoppages pushed the game’s finish a little past 6 pm.

Grasshopper off the Green owner Brian Fitzpatrick had expected the moved-up start time to put a kink in the bar’s plans to host a watch party. “People still need to work,” he told Morristown Green.

As first pitch drew closer, however, the construction workers who usually populate the bar on their lunch break quickly were replaced by families eager to take in the game and feast on baseball-themed specials like the Sandlot Burger and Boys of Summer Salad.

Some fans even credited the rain with clearing their schedules and giving them the opportunity to cheer for their hometown team.

“We were supposed to be out of state today,” said Christine Vazzano, who came to the Grasshopper with her husband Joe, son Jett, and daughter Everly. “But with the rain we just decided to stay home and watch the game.”

Grasshopper’s crowd of approximately 60 fans were treated to a pitchers’ duel through the game’s first three innings, as Grippo and Morristown starter Will Hery kept things scoreless through the first half of the game.

Things got dicey for Hery in the top of third, when he found himself in a one-out, bases loaded jam after yielding an infield single to South Shore’s Nicky McClean. But Hery reared back and induced a two-strike foul bunt from Jason Rocchio, then whiffed leadoff hitter Vin Ruggiero to escape the inning unscathed.

Hery’s defensive heroics continued after he left the mound. Moved to third base in the fourth inning after a 90-minute rain delay, Hery kept the game scoreless when he knocked down a line drive off the bat of Chace Curro, recovering in time to get the ball to catcher Charlie Porter IV, who tagged out South Shore’s McLean at the plate.

But South Shore scored its first run in that same inning, when a steal attempt by Curro drew a throw from Porter, allowing Peter Giaccio to score from third amidst the confusion.

South Shore added a run in the fifth. Morristown had its chance to respond at the bottom of the inning. With Penn Pukash at first, Porter hit a long fly to right center that stayed inside the ballpark by mere feet. Pukash rounded third to head for home before turning back to third, while

Porter settled for a long single.

Grippo fanned the next batter, Joseph LaMorte, on three pitches, providing the capper to what would be a two-hit, two-walk, seven-strikeout start for the lefthander.

A double and a wild pitch netted South Shore two more runs in the sixth, and Morristown entered the final frame needing to score at least five runs to keep its Williamsport dreams alive.

John Lyons and Graeme Long tried to spark a rally, reaching base via a single and a walk, respectively. But closer Jake Romero proved to be too much for the New Jersey state champs, sewing up the regional title for South Shore with a strikeout of Morristown star Will Vieira to end the game.

Despite the loss, Morristown Area Little League’s inaugural season was an inarguable success. Formed through a merger of the Morristown American, Morristown National, and Morris Plains Little League, the club ended its summer with a record of 15-1, going undefeated in regular season and state tournament play while outscoring its opponents 155-23.

The team’s 12U state title was the first for the Greater Morristown area since Morristown American’s trip to the regional tourney in 1985.