It has certainly been a successful run for the West Windsor Little League 12s, who had an unblemished record of 4-0 through pool play, and who currently stand at 5-0, still alive in bracket play, after having defeated Robbinsville in a close semifinal on July 7.##M:[more]##
The team will face Nottingham on Friday, July 10, at 8 p.m in the final.
What makes it even more special is that the team demonstrated its ability to bounce back from deficits, with the help of the team’s star pitcher, who contributed also by belting out two home runs in the team’s game against HTRBA to help the 12s take the lead.
The team first took out Cranbury-Plainsboro in a 6-5 game that ended up in seven innings. It went on to shutout Princeton, 10-0, and overcome a 5-2 deficit against HTRBA on July 3 to defeat the team 10-5. In that game pitcher Josiah Foster, who had a shaky first inning by allowing two home runs, came through and began the team’s rally.
In the fourth inning, he slammed a three-run homer and came back the next inning for a solo shot. His offensive attack went hand-in-hand with the rest of his pitching for the game, until Aaron Akbar, and then Christian Waters, came in for relief.
Akbar also had success the following day as a closer, when he preserved a 5-2 West Windsor win over Allentown — with the bases loaded and the go-ahead run at the plate. He ended the game with a strikeout. Waters had two strikeouts leading up to Akbar’s appearance. The opening pitcher was Sean O’Brien, who only needed seven pitches to get the team out of the first inning.
In that game, West Windsor’s hitting also made a difference. Lindner hit a solo shot, and Akbar later singled and Alex DeSanctis doubled. Adam Gostomski then hit a home run into the adjacent field.
“It’s really obvious that we’re more an offensive team than anything else,” says Manager Pat O’Brien, although he says he also sees the all-around play contributing to the team’s success. “We’re executing defensively, and the pitching is coming together as well. On a historical perspective, the bats have held it together.”
Following pool play, West Windsor went on to defeat to Robbinsville, 9-8, in bracket play, on July 7. Once again, the team’s hitting proved to be key. This time, the winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning came from shortstop Alex DeSanctis when he hit a walk-off home run. He also hit a home run in the game’s second inning.
Christian Waters pitched through the fifth inning, only giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out three. Aaron Akbar and Josiah Foster offered relief pitching.
“We’re just running very deep hours of practice, and we’re covering every aspect of the game,” says O’Brien. “This team has only been together since June 16. Three weeks together now, we probably put in 60-plus hours of practice.”
Cranbury-Plainsboro. West Windsor wasn’t the only Little League all-star team to advance out of pool play. Cranbury-Plainsboro put in a great offensive effort to overcome Princeton 8-1 on July 3 to keep its record at 2-2 to advance into the knockout round, where it fell to Bordentown, 3-0, on July 5. The team was then eliminated from the loser’s bracket by Sunnybrae on July 6, 3-0.
