Bayonne Little League Eight Year Old All Stars finish second in the District 7 tournament.
Bayonne defeated Lincoln Park, 14-3, at Bridge Field in Bayonne. Mike Lojewski led Bayonne with two triples, Ryan McNamara blasted two doubles, Matt Brown had a triple, and Frankie Vuolo doubled.
Bayonne then traveled to Hoboken, where they were defeated, 14-4, by a strong Hoboken squad. Matt Brown doubled for Bayonne, and Mike Lojewski, Ryan McNamara, Zach Balint and Brian Baranok all had singles for Bayonne.
Bayonne returned to Hoboken and eliminated Secaucus, 9-5. Ryan McNamara led Bayonne with a three run inside the park homer down the right field line, and a run scoring single to drive in four runs. Matt Brown also hit an inside the park homer to right center with a runner on. Brian Baranok had a double and drove in a run, while Zach Balint had a bunt single with the bases loaded. Tino Salgado and Gabe Van Buren singled, and Matt Brown, Gabe Van Buren, Mike Lojewski and Tino Salgado divided the pitching duties, giving up three hits and striking out 13.
Bayonne advanced to the loser’s bracket final with a 14-1 four-inning victory over Elizabethport. Matt Brown and Tino Salgado divided the pitching duties, combining to scatter seven hits while striking out seven. Salgado also was the leading batter, getting a double and a single in three trips at bat. Dionna Lenardo, Mike Lojewski, Gabe Van Buren, Brian Baranok and Zack Balint all had singles.
Bayonne reached the championship round with a 4-2 win over Jackie Robinson on their home field. Kevin Cotter, Zach Balint and Tino Salgado turned in strong pitching performances.
The championship game was a return match-up between Hoboken and Bayonne. Bayonne took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first, but then Hoboken tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Bayonne again took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third, but Hoboken scored five runs in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 7-3 in favor of Hoboken. Bayonne closed the gap to 7-6 in the top of the sixth, but Hoboken was able to hold on for the victory, which gave them the championship. Zach Balint led Bayonne with a two run double and a single, while Dionna Lenardo, Matt Brown, Ryan McNamara, Mike Lojewski and Gabe Van Buren contributed with base hits. Matt Brown and Tino Salgado combined on a six hitter with six strikeouts. Salgado and McNamara turned in some outstanding plays in the field.
The coaching staff included Jack Collins, Tony Lenardo, and Mike Lojewski. Both teams received awards at the conclusion of the game.
The players selected to the Eight Year Old All Star team were: Dionna Lenardo, Tino Salgado, Matt Brown, Mike Lojewski, Ryan McNamara, Frankie Vuolo, Brian Cotter, Devin Baret, Brian Baranok, Ben Dunlap, Zach Balint, Gabe Van Buren and Matt Riccardi.