LYNCH LAUNCHES 3-RUN HR; IVES, LABIN 2 RBI EACH
One breakout inning early in the game was all that it took to convince the Millburn Millers that it was going to be a long afternoon at Bob Brewster, Sr. Field in Westfield on April 29. The 12-1 Blue Devils plated a merry-goround of nine runs in the bottom of the second inning to daze the 6-9 Millers en route to a 10-5 triumph.
Blue Devil winning pitcher Jack Chavez was in command of his pitches and spread out six hits, while walking two batters, hitting one and striking out five Millers in six innings. Tommy Hyland relieved in the seventh and permitted just one single. Miller starting pitcher Eli Balady was charged with all nine of the runs in the second inning, while allowing six hits, walking one and hitting three batters. Jonah Toubles relieved and was later relieved byAlex Faust, who ceded an unearned run in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Mikey Lynch was the “Man of the Afternoon” to his teammates when he hammered a three-run home run over the right field fence in that fateful inning. Aaron Ives went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Nic Labin went 1-for-2, with two RBI, was hit by a pitch and scored once. Randy Davis singled, walked, was hit and scored twice.
The Millers tested Chavez’s control in the top of the second inning. Matt Weiner (3-for-4, triple, walk, 2 runs) chopped a leadoff single past third and Faust (single, walk) reached safely on an error. Sawyer Stein’s fly ball was caught in center and when Chavez fired one of his pitches into the dirt, Weiner skipped home. Ives led off the Westfield second inning with a walk. After Millburn second baseman Jake Roesler made a great play to rob Kellen Edwards (hit by pitch, RBI, run) of a hit, Labin was hit by a pitch. Ives hacked an RBI single past first and Lynch launched his three-run home run over the right field fence. Tomas Cestero found the deepest spot in centerfield to leg out a two-out triple. Jake Alfano (double) walked to put runners on the edges. Braedan Trajkovski lined an RBI single to left. Davis absorbed a fastball to load the bases then Edwards took one for the team for an RBI. Labin slashed a two-run single to right and Ives skid an RBI single off the diving second baseman’s glove.
Greg Rosenthal (double, RBI, run) reached on a throwing error to lead off the Millburn third. Peter Lawrence laid down a perfect bunt single, Chavez got the next two batters out but his wild pitch on the next batter allowed Rosenthal to score. Alfano yanked his double in the Westfield third then Millburn tacked on its third run in the fourth. Chavez struck out the first two batters. BrandonWong chopped a slow dinker to second that was fielded by Alfano, who injured his shoulder when he threw off-balance to first and had to be replaced. Rosenthal followed with an RBI double.
Weiner scored a run in the fifth and Plotner scored in the sixth to make the score 9-5. Logan Revock walked in the Westfield sixth. Davis tapped a single and Revock would eventually score the Blue Devils’ 10th run. Hyland permitted a single but shut out the Millers in the seventh.
Millburn 011 111 0 5 Westfield 090 001 x 10
