West New York: Little League kings again
WNY National captures second straight District 7 crown; town owns eight of last 11 titles
It’s almost become a rite of July, like fireworks and hot dogs, like barbecues and bathing suits, like sweltering heat and high humidity. Turn the calendar to the seventh month of the year and you’re almost guaranteed to have one thing occur in Hudson County sports – a West New York Little League team winning the District 7 12-Year-Old Little League All-Star Tournament.
For the second straight year, the West New York National Little League captured the prestigious district title, defeating Roberto Clemente Little League of Jersey City, 3-2, in the title game held last Tuesday night at Buschmiller Park in Secaucus. It capped a perfect 5-0 run for the WNY Nationals and enabled the Nationals to move on to this weekend’s Section 2 championships, also being held in Secaucus.
Led by manager Tito Gomez, the Nationals displayed the perfect combination of pitching prowess and clutch hitting to capture a second straight District crown. It also marked the eighth time in 11 years that a team from West New York – either the Nationals or the neighboring Americans – won the prestigious title.
Which means one thing. West New York is certainly the City of Champions when it comes to baseball. The kids win on practically every level possible and the first step towards glory later on takes place within the confines of the District 7 title.
Gomez, who was a coach on last year’s team, as well as another district championship four years ago, got his first chance to manage the All-Stars this year – and made the most of the opportunity.
"I guess I’m like the good luck charm," Gomez said. "We’ve won all three times I’ve been involved, but this one is very special."
Gomez said that he had a good feeling about the team’s chances before the tournament began, considering that he had two experienced pitchers returning from last year’s district champs – giving the WNY Nationals a special edge.
"I definitely believed we had a strong team, especially because of our pitching experience," Gomez said. "I learned from past experience that pitching means everything in Little League. You can have all the big bombers you want in the lineup, but good pitching can shut then down. Our pitching was excellent and that gave me a good feeling about our chances."
Gomez knew that both of his standout hurlers had the experience from last year’s District 7 tourney – and they nurtured their pitching skills this season on the same team in the league, McDonald’s, which naturally captured the league’s regular season crown, coached by Gomez.
Dayan Velez was the team’s No. 1 hurler, and he won three games in the District 7 tourney, including a no-hitter against Bayonne Central and the tourney-clinching game against Roberto Clemente. In fact, Velez defeated Roberto Clemente twice in the double-elimination tourney.
"Dayan hasn’t lost a game all year," Gomez said. "And he had two no-hitters in the regular season. Coaching him all summer definitely helped, because I knew what he could do. He throws very hard and has a pretty good curve ball. And he has unbelievable poise for a 12-year-old. I think that’s what makes him a great pitcher."
The team’s No. 2 pitcher is Jesse Rodriguez, who won two games during the tourney.
"He deserves a lot of credit," Gomez said. "He pitched a one-hitter against Washington Park in the tournament and was a big reason why we won. Having two pitchers back from last year definitely helped us big time, because they had both been in the pressure situations and knew what to do. That was a big bonus to us."
Gomez said that the team has four pitchers, but only two were needed to start. The third, Matthew Markowski, came in and recorded the save in the championship game, striking out the final batter to nail down the title.
"Having pitching depth really helps," Gomez said. "In Little League, it’s all about pitching."
The WNY Nationals had their share of fine hitters as well. Center fielder Ronnie Murrillo was the team’s leading hitter in the tournament. First baseman Eric Alonso delivered two key homers.
"They were monstrous shots in clutch situations," Gomez said.
Delvin Hiciano is the team’s catcher and steady influence behind the plate. Jonathan Cuevas mans second base, with Rodriguez at shortstop, when he’s not on the mound. Frank Morales is the team’s fine fielding third baseman.
Markowski is in the outfield, along with Murrillo and 11-year-old Steve Caracena, who delivered the first homer of his life, a two-run shot in the tourney clinching victory over Washington Park.
"It was the first homer of his Little League career and it couldn’t have come at a better time," Gomez said. "I couldn’t believe how clutch it was."
Other key team members include backup catcher Danny Rodriguez, outfielder Charlie Lugo and infielder Miguel Pena.
It’s now on to the Section 2 championships, where it will help WNY National that they will play on familiar territory in Secaucus.
"It will be like a home field advantage," Gomez said. "We’ve played there this year and we played there in the sectionals last year (losing in the semifinals to Rutherford National). It’s a big challenge for us, but I really feel that the kids are up to the challenge. They have a better chance in the sectionals than any other team we’ve had, because of the experience of the pitchers. That’s what I’ve learned about being there before. You need good pitching and we have that."
Gomez said that there are two good reasons for the team’s success – and the annual success that the kids from West New York continue to enjoy.
"There is a lot of pressure on these kids to perform, like the other teams before them did," Gomez said. "But these kids have the best character I’ve ever seen. The way they go about the game, it’s unbelievable. You would never think they were 12 years old. They’re resilient and want to go out and play."
"I think the key to success is the coaching," Gomez added. "Not bragging, but we have the most dedicated coaches, who put in the time to work with the kids. All this time pays off in the long run. The dedication is so important and the kids feed off that. We’re just blessed to have such good talent in the kids, but we have great coaches as well."
And the winning just continues, on and on, year to year. Some Little Leagues never get the opportunity to win one District title and go year to year searching for that first elusive crown. In West New York, it’s a rite of summer.
Maybe these kids from West New York are the true Boys of Summer. We’ll all find out more this weekend.