Babe Ruth Junior girls take second in district tourney The Middletown Babe Ruth Junior girls 12-and-under all-star team recently traveled to Old Bridge to compete in the New Jersey State Babe Ruth combined District 1 and District 2 Tournament. The girls came home with a second-place finish out of 13 teams as the result of winning four of six games over the July Fourth weekend. On July Fourth the Middletown girls celebrated the holiday with a bang as they bombarded an overmatched Hoboken team 12-2. The team fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first, but scored 12 unanswered runs over the next five innings on their way to the win. Pitcher Casey Crist led the way on the mound for Middletown, limiting Hoboken to four hits while striking out seven and walking none. She also reached base three times and scored three runs. Emily Trammell, Laura Dorsa and Audrey Kochanek chipped in with two hits each, while Ashley Foster reached base safely in all three of her at bats. Shawna Lougee, the team’s youngest player, also had a hit and a run scored for the winners. On July 5, Middletown was matched against Iselin, a perennial state powerhouse and state place winner from 2002. Pitcher Chelsea Gallo was strong on the mound for Middletown as the score was 0-0 through three and a half innings, but a few hits and a few fielding errors cost the Middletown team, which lost 8-0. Offensively, only Caitlyn Zitzman, Ashley Foster and Amanda Svenson reached base for Middletown, which was held to two hits and three walks for the game. The loss meant a trip to the losers’ bracket to play Hazlet later that day and a long road back if Middletown was to make it to the finals of this tournament. Against Hazlet, it was a seesaw battle early as each team took turns in the lead. A five-run fourth inning by Middletown put the team up 12-7, and they never looked back as they won 14-8. Pitcher Casey Crist struck out seven in getting the win and reached base four times in the process, scoring three runs. Nicole Quiceno, Ashley Foster and Laura Dorsa all managed to reach base three times in the game that qualified the team for the tournament’s Final 4 and next week’s State Babe Ruth Tournament in Sparta. July 6 was destined to be a long day for the Middletown girls if they were to make it to the finals of the tournament. To make it, they would need to win two more times in the 90-degree-plus heat, and that is just what they did. Fair Haven was the next opponent in a game to decide who was guaranteed third place and who was done for the tournament. With Chelsea Gallo on the mound for Middletown, the game was never in doubt. Gallo struck out 10 and allowed only three runs in a 6-3 win. Gallo also reached base three times to help herself, as did Laura Dorsa, Nicole Quiceno and Emily Trammell. Trammell, the catcher, also gunned down potential base stealer after base stealer throughout the game. The win meant a showdown with Manalapan, another state place winner from 2002. Pitcher Casey Crist only struck out four and walked none vs. Manalapan but was supported by a great offensive and defensive effort as Middletown hammered Manalapan, 11-1. Jen Nicholson and Casey Crist led the offense, reaching base three times each and scoring twice while Chelsea Gallo, Amanda Svenson and Ashley Foster and Nicole Quiceno all got on base twice for the All-Stars. With the win, Middletown could do no worse than second place as they earned a trip to the District finals. Waiting to play Middletown, however, was that powerhouse of a team from Iselin. In their third game of the day, this time vs. Iselin, who was undefeated in the tournament and had earned the day off up until this point, the Middletown girls lost 8-1. Offensively, Middletown only managed three hits vs. Iselin, one each by Jen Nicholson, Ashley Foster and Amanda Svenson. Svenson helped avoid a shutout when she stole home for Middletown’s only run. Iselin, on the other hand, had to fight hard vs. the strong pitching effort of Chelsea Gallo, who struck out seven Iselin batters while walking only two over six innings. Overall on the day, the 11-year-old Gallo pitched 12 innings with 17 strikeouts and only seven walks vs. the first-place and fourth-place teams in the district. Other girls representing Middletown Babe Ruth on the 12-and-under squad are Katie Peters and Katie O’Brien. The team is coached by Richard Crist, George Gallo and Bill Dorsa and receives additional help from the owners and staff at the Navesink Baseball Academy.