By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com
Aug. 7: HTRBA has made it complete.
With the other three little leagues in Hamilton Township all boasting championship teams at one level or another this summer, the Mercerville Maulers weren’t about to be left out of the spotlight.
The HTRBA 9-year-olds enjoyed a prosperous summer, going 8-1 overall and winning both tournaments they entered. The Van Horn Gang claimed the Early 9’s Tournament at West End Little League in June, and maintained its excellence by winning the Late 9’s event at Sunnybrae in July.
The roster featured Alex Alonzo, Brennon Babkowski, Teagan Flesch, Luca Gaglione, John Logorda, Evan Lopez, Anthony Prosdocimo, Luke Sanfilippo, Charlie Solovay, Lorenzo Swain, Ethan Willever and Austin Wright. The manager was Jeff Prosdocimo, and the coaching staff included Anthony Lopez, Mike Gaglione, Danny Alonzo and Matt Solovay.
In the West End Tournament, HTRBA scored 12 runs each game in winning its first three. It lost the first game of the championship series to Sunnybrae, 3-1, but exploded for a 10-1 win in the winner-take-all final. The bats were equally potent in sweeping four straight opponents at West End, as the Maulers averaged just under 12 runs per game.
In its eight victories, the Van Horn Gang outscored opponents, 93-18. It was a case of building off their success as 8-year-olds, when they reached the finals of both tournaments they were in, and won the Sunnybrae title.
