WW-P 15s hold on to win Babe Ruth SNJ title as “Dwellers Era” comes to an end

Fish 4 Scores Sports
Ryan “Mini Dweller’ Beczo Hamilton Babe Ruth
Hamilton Northern Burlington Babe Ruth 15-year-old All Star Ryan “Mini Dweller’ Beczo rips a shot against WWP. Photo by Michael A. Sabo.

By Rich Fisher
Fish4scores.com

July 21: Sadly, it’s now official.

They will dwell together no more.

The Hamilton-Northern Burlington Babe Ruth 15-year-old All Stars saw a six-year run of pretty nice success come to an end Friday night when West Windsor-Plainsboro took a 7-4 win to claim the Southern New Jersey State title at DeMeo Field. H-NB needed a victory to force an “if” game, but fell to West Windsor for the second time in three nights.

But The Dwellers went down fighting. Trailing 7-3 entering the top of the seventh, they scored one run and loaded the bases with one out before Austin Hodges got the final two outs. Hamilton left 12 runners on base and eight in the final three innings.

“We had a chance to come back and tie it up or go ahead, we just couldn’t get the hit at the right time,” manager Joe “The Dweller” Beczo said. “It was all game really. Our big hitters didn’t produce. What are you gonna do? That’s baseball.”

H-NB actually took a 2-0 lead after three innings on just two hits. Jason Diaz led off the game with a walk and eventually scored on Travis Holonics’ infield single. In the third, Nick Diaz reached second on a throwing error and scored on Zach Posivak’s sacrifice fly.

Travis Holonic Hamilton Babe Ruth

Hamilton Northern Burlington’s 15 year old All Star Travis Holonic tees one up against WWP. Photo by Michael A. Sabo.

But West Windsor scored five in the bottom of the third for a 5-2 lead. The Dwellers got one back in the fourth on singles by Ryan “Mini Dweller’ Beczo, Logan Barber and Joshua Eib.

West Windsor tacked on runs in the fourth and fifth, setting up the dramatic seventh.

Giovanni Mannino got a leadoff walk, Beczo hit a one-out RBI single, Barber doubled and Justin Wiltsey walked to load the bases. But a pop-out and a fly out ended the game and The Dwellers’ Babe Ruth careers. They will leave with a District 12 Little League title as 11-year-olds at Sunnybrae and a District One title this year, and also made some outstanding runs in several other tournaments.  

“Their kids, they’re learning,” said Beczo, who has managed most of the players since Sunnybrae. “They’ll realize when they’re our age how life really is. It’s not all about baseball. It’s trying to groom them for what’s next.

“I’m gonna miss ‘em. They’re great kids. Some have attitudes but it is what it is. They’re 15-year-old kids. I’ve been with them six years and it’s gonna be tough to say good bye. They’ll move on and I’ll move on.”

Say it ain’t so, Joe!

“Put a fork in it,” he said with a forlorn smile. “The Dweller’s done.”

Sad but true.

About The Author


Rich Fisher has been around the Hamilton Township sports scene for so long that he actually got Rich Giallella’s autograph when Giallella was still a player! Proud product of Hamilton YMCA and Lou Gehrig baseball leagues and former teammate of Jim Maher on a very average Barton & Cooney rec basketball team, Fish graduated from Nottingham Junior High and Steinert High school and has covered township sports since 1980. His goal in life is to convince Maria Prato that Jersey tomatoes are at least 100 times better than California tomatoes.