(N.Y.) with a trip to the Little League World Series on the line. For the first time since 1975, there will only be American teams competing to win the Little League World Series. The Little League World Series has crowned a champion. We just practiced, and went out and had fun. The Connecticut squad went up 1-0 in the first inning against Toms River East starter Carson Frazier when Jacob Budarz hit an RBI single. How it shaped him:"He was clutch," Fisher said of his old teammate's positive response to pressure, which was contagious. On Aug. 29, 1998, Toms River East beat a team from Kashima, Japan, 12-9. I remember when I was 12 and played in Bristol. This year, Louisiana will be represented by the Lafayette Little League team. Whenever we see each other, 10, 15 years, whatever, its like we pick up right where we left off, he said. After Mascaro struck out the first two batters of the inning, second baseman Anthony Badagliacca reached on a single, before going to second on a wild pitch. "It would be great to go to the Little League World . Casey's older brother, Colin, played with Todd Frazier's older brother on a 1995 Toms River East team also managed by Mike Gaynor, which was the first of three Little League teams Gaynor led to the World Series tournament in a span of five years. He knew that going in and he gave that to us. The team is following in the footsteps of the 2021 Toms River East team that won the Mid-Atlantic Region title and reached the Little League World Series in Williamsport. Its not as exciting as it sounds.". What he did after 1998: After Little League, Gannon attended Monsignor Donovan Catholic High School in Toms River, where he played baseball and soccer. LLWS live on WatchESPN. After four seasons pitching for the Scarlet Knights, setting school career marks for starts and innings pitched, Gaynor signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Indians organization and pitched with the Class-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers of the New York Penn League. The Hirakata Little League of Hirakata, Osaka, Japan, defeated Phenix City National Little League of Phenix City, Alabama, in the championship game of the 53rd LLWS. What he's doing now: Toms River East infielder Joey Franceschini still lives in town, now with his wife, Leah, and his young daughter, Sofia, and works as a quality engineer for Johnson & Johnson in Skillman. We faced some tremendous players throughout our run, but nobody had a TEAM like ours, and that was the deciding factor a lot of the times.. With no international teams this year, an American team will be named champion for the third straight edition. Joey Lionetti pitched a no-hitter in the 4-0 win. I thank them all for letting me be a part of their lives. I played everybody, we practiced, we worked hard, and I just kept it loose.. NEW! He had not given up a run in 5.1 innings at the region coming into the game. "), who will turn 4 in September, and their 2-year-old daughter, Chloe. I work on a shipboard network system that manages all aircraft launch and recovery data on aircraft carriers, he said. Toms River Easts defense had been excellent throughout the tournament, and that continued the first time they took the field. It aint over til the Jerseys Boys sing. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts. He'll also . "I have my first child on the way!" 12 year-old Todd Frazier of the New York Yankees begins and ends the 1998 Little League World Series - Toms River East American Little League. How it shaped him: Like his teammates, Campesi said winning the series gave him confidence to compete on the soccer field, in graduate school, or in any endeavor. What he did after 1998: Though Cardone was a utility player for Toms River East, he hit two home runs in the final game to clinch the series victory, and his subsequent baseball career lasted longer and reached a higher level than those of all but a tiny fraction of adolescents who sleep with their mitt and dream of the major league stardom. Massapequa now advances to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. For the second straight Little League World Series, the only players that will be competing are those aged 11 or 12. He then went on to Rowan University, where he no longer played baseball, but played on the soccer team. Even now, its funny how many times that gets brought up., Steve Strunsky may be reached atsstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Find fun things to do in Toms River, NJ Bucko, who was nearing his 85 pitch limit, was replaced by Bukarz, who walked Steven Malato, loading the bases and bringing slugger DiMeo to the plate. 1998 Little League World Series : HOME [ NEWS][ LINKS][ GUESTBOOK][ PICS] Congratulations! Toms River East scored three more runs in the inning, then shut down Connecticut in the top of the sixth to close out the win. What he's doing now: Todd Frazier, 32, plays for the New York Mets, now in his eighth season in the major leagues as a 6-foot-3, 215-pound power-hitting infielder. Castellano then scored on a throwing error by Mascaro on a grounder. N.J. Little League Baseball team Toms River East advanced to the 2022 Metro Region championship game on Wednesday night. On this stage, to step up like that, he deserves every accolade he gets., "In the beginning I didn't realize it, but then I looked up at the scoreboard in the fourth inning and realized he was throwing a no-hitter," said Massapequa shortstop Christian Bekiers. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. They werent nervous. let me know what you're up to now! The boys, only 12 years old, are already making their mark. Mike Gaynor. TOMS RIVER, NJ For the second straight year, the Toms River East Little League has a team of All-Stars headed to the region tournament, with hopes of making a trip to the Little League World Series. Copyright 2023 Sporting News Holdings Limited. Two years after River Ridge won Louisiana's first LLWS title, Lafayette LL earned the opportunity to represent the state, kicking off their tournament with an 11-0 victory against North Boulder . Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Updated on: August 12, 2022 / 11:24 PM Most of the players had baseball careers well beyond Little League. Massapequa beat the New Jersey . The victory keeps Toms Rivee East alive in the elimination bracket and they get another crack at the Central East Maui team at 3 p.m. Eastern time on Wednesday. His family: He is married to his longtime sweetheart and fellow Rutgers alum, Jackie Verdon, and the couple have a 4-year-old son, Blake, and a 2-year-old daughter, Kylie Kimberly. It's an inspiration for the younger kids, inspiration for the whole town," Massapequa resident Bill Martin said. How it shaped him:Even then, when Cardone and other NJIT scholar-athletes were outclassed by big-time schools fielding future major leaguers, he said having played for Toms River East, the top baseball team on the planet for 11- and 12-year-olds that year, kept him from feeling intimidated. Find complete coverage of the 2021 LLWS -- including scores, top stories and web gems -- here. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. Youre due. He certainly did and he made me proud, Mika said. He then played soccer at Rowan University, where TREs Tom Gannon also played on the team, and where Joey Franceschini played baseball. Craig Garland, president of Massapequa Coast Little League, spoke with CBS2 before he left for the big game in Bristol. "He knew we needed five good innings out of him. The team won this tournament way back in 1998 when current free agent Todd Frazier was 12 years old and playing on the Little . California has won seven titles six from Southern California and one from Northern California. This will be Toms River's fifth appearance at the Little League World Series. I know they are going to remember this forever. Aug 21, 2021. Follow him on Twitter@SteveStrunsky. admin commented on Get the Latest News & Alerts from the Toms River Police Department. Massapequa Coasts Joey Lionetti fired a complete-game no-hitter in a 4-0 victory, as the New York champions completed an unbeaten run through the region, including a pair of wins over Toms River East. (Courtesy of Chris Cardone). . Toms River Carson Frazier is greeted at plate after hitting a three run homerun. After Little League, he was a three-sport standout at Toms River High School South, where he faced his old teammates who played for rival Toms River High School East. The 2015 season was his last with the Cincinnati Reds, which had made him a first-round draft pick eight years earlier, after a stellar college career at Rutgers that included a Big East Player of the Year award, and where he was reunited with his old TRE teammate Casey Gaynor. What he's doing now: Gaynor returned to Rutgers as the pitching coach, and he now runs the pitching side of Gains Sports Performance, a baseball and fitness center in Blauvelt, N.Y. His family: He's married to another Rutgers athlete, women's soccer team captain Gina DeMaio, and the couple live in Parsippany with their 1-year-old son, Cameron. Toms River East (New Jersey) 6, Canal (Delaware) 3 (elim.) I belong on this field.. Im proud of all of them. A total of 4.03 inches was logged, which is 0.31 inches or 8.3% above normal for the first month of the year for Mount Airy, which averages 3.72 inches. The tournament starts August 17 in Williamsport. The twentieth anniversary of Toms River East's world championshipwascelebrated in the same place it was won, at the Little League International Complex, Little League Baseball's world headquarters and World Series compound in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, with a reunion that included nearly all the players and coaches that made up the 1998 "Beasts from the East.". Toms River East Little League has a sendoff planned for the team beginning at 6:15 p.m. on Thursday at the Little League complex, 2195 Windsor Ave. With two runners on base, left fielder Cailen Cimorelli hit an RBI infield single, driving in Dominik Sabatini with the tying run. His family: Like several of his old teammates, Johansen still lives in Tom River, with his wife, Courtney, and their 14-month-old son, Cameron, though the family is planning to relocate to North Carolina, where Johansen went to college. I used to think of myself as a power hitter, Fisher said with a laugh. ABC7 New York 24/7 Eyewitness News Stream, What to know about invasion of spotted lanternfly, Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts. Toms River East Little . Toms River East Little League Macchia reached his pitch total and Tyler Tedero came on in relieve, with a single by Liam St. George scoring their fourth run. "It was amazing. His family: Gardner, 32, who likes to fish, is starting a family. Frazier has been popular among fans, fellow players and Major League Baseball, which named him a spokesman for the 2015 MLB All-Star game. Regardless of the loss today, we made it to the Metro Region final. Little League has added four teams to the Little League World Series tournament for 2022, and the Metro Region, which consists of four teams (New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island) is one of the four new regions. "They have the whole town behind them and we just wanna cheer them on," said Paul Mika, president of Toms River East Little League. 70 Crash Investigation Closes Lanes Friday Morning: DOT, NJ Camp Fairs at Menlo Park Mall Mar 4, 2023 - FREE to Attend (12-3PM), Raisin, The Tony-Winning Best Musical - Second Incredible Week, Un Lucky Charms Murder Mystery Dinner Show, Green Tea Matcha and Sushi Dinner Party at the Historic Mathis House, Filipino Dinner Night with Live Music at the Mathis House, Tea and Scones with the Easter Bunny at the Historic Mathis House in Downtown Toms River, Protect Your Home from Ticks with Yard Guard from Viking Pest, Firefighters Come To Kitty's Rescue In Brick, AMC Theatres In NJ To Base Pricing Off Where You Sit. Instead of having one U.S. bracket and another international side, there will be the Hank Aaron championship and the Tom Seaver championship, named for the two Hall of Famer players who passed away overthe past year. Please enter valid email address to continue. It was a good ride, he said of his playing days. Helluva guy, just a class act, said R.J. Johansen. Although Lynn's team was quickly eliminated from the . Toms River East is alive in the Little League World Series after shortstop Joey DiMeo hit a fifth-inning grand slam to put the kiss on a thrilling 11-4 comeback win over the team from Manchester, Conn. He works as an area sales manager for Pester Marketing-Alta Convenience, a chain of gas station/convenience store outlets in the Mid-West and Rocky Mountains. "So excited, can't believe these boys did it. He then attended Rowan University, where he continued his baseball career at second base, and where his Little League teammates Tom Gannon and Eric Campesi were also students and played on the soccer team. His family: Fisher, 32, is engaged to be married next month to Meagan Hennessy, an All-American softball player at Moravian College, where she pitched, before going on to play pro softball with the Philadelphia Force. The title game was punctuated by a standout performance by future MLB Home Run Derby champion Todd Frazier, who went 4-for-4 with a lead-off home run, and was also the winning . LLBWS History Search by Player; Search by League; Historical Info; Past Results; Complete Records; Championship Game Results . Todd Frazier, who now plays for the New York Mets, led off the 1998 Little League World Series final with a home run for Toms River East, then finished the game on the mound by striking out Japan's last batter, in this Youtube video posted in 2015 by Bootsy Spankins. In the New Jersey state tournament, Toms River East won all three of its games, giving up just one run while beating Rutherford, 12-0, Haddonfield, 10-1 and Pequannock, 9-0. In addition, based on Little League regulations, 11 and 12 year olds cannot throw more than 85 pitches in an appearance. "Give him all the credit in the world. Hill said, win or lose, the team would return to a celebratory parade. Every year, players from across the world take part in the Little League World Series. Toms River East found relief and a momentum change after Dominic Roma replaced Frazier and delivered back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning. The Upper Providence Little League team advanced to the 2021 Little League World Series on Thursday after a 6-1 win over the team from Toms River, Ocean County. After earning his doctorate at the University of St. Augustine in Florida, Campesi landed a job in Virginia six years ago, and has loved the area ever since. Toms River, NJ vs Georgetown, DE Softball Game Highlights, Little League Regional 7 24 2022. FindNJ.com on Facebook. Little League World Series teams, ages, pitch count & more to know for 2021 tournament, 15 sports stars who played in the Little League World Series, full 2021 Little League World Series bracket here. In the Section 3 tournament, Toms River East won its first two games, before losing to Milltown in the semifinals and rebounding to beat Milltown for the championship. the expectant father wrote in an email. Toms River, New Jersey is going to play in the 2021 Little League World Series after a win over Delaware Friday night. New York was able to take their first game of the regionals in a hard-fought battle with Toms River (NJ). Game 2 for these girls is tonight at 4:00 p.m. All games can be . The next closest is Japan, which has won nine. Kelly Carter: Ryan Carter: Joel Craig: Dan Ferguson: Jared Gale: Jay King: Jonny Lee: CG Morrison: Rajan Nirwan: Andy .