IN THE PRESS: Young Baseball, Softball Squads Secure District Titles

By David Biggy for The Sand Paper

The Stafford Township 8-and-under baseball and Minor League softball teams captured District 16 championships last week, advancing to their respective Section 4 tourneys.

Stafford’s youngest all-star baseball team scorched Hammonton, 11-0, to win the title on July 2 following a 15-5 bruising of Lower Cape May on June 30. Stafford jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning when Tim Gould tripled to left field, scoring a pair of runs, Luca Cipriano singled in two runs, and Nathan Page added a two-run single.

Stafford added five more runs in the second inning to take command, including two runs on a double from James Sikorski and an RBI groundout off the bat of Ethan Ruzicka. Gould and Ruzicka combined for a no-hitter on the mound.

During pool play, Stafford cruised to a 10-0 win over Ocean City-Upper Township, a 15-0 triumph against Lower Cape May, another 15-0 victory against Greater Wildwood, and a 6-1 win over Hammonton.

Coached by Josh Corle, Jim Ruzicka, Jay Sikorski and Andrew Cipriano, the rest of the squad includes Nolan Ramsay, Wesley Goganzer, Lucas Corle, Ben Garrison, Oliver Cadmus and Ryder Symons. Stafford’s 8U team will begin Section 4 play on Saturday, July 12.

In Little League baseball, Stafford Township’s 12-and-under all-stars captured the District 16 title with a 2-1 victory over Hammonton on July 2.

Down 1-0 going into the sixth inning, Brady Breslow delivered a two-run single, scoring Jax Peterson and Hudson Budd with the tying and go-ahead runs. Noah Bayer held Hammonton in check from there, firing a complete game on the mound. Bayer allowed five hits and a walk for the win.

In the semifinals on June 27, Stafford handed Hammonton its first loss with a 3-1 win. Throughout the tournament, which encompassed seven contests, Stafford’s pitching trio of Breslow, Bayer, Budd and Caleb Lister limited their opponents to just six runs, while Greg Banach led the offense with 15 hits in 20 at-bats for a .750 batting average.

Coached by Troy Bayer, Todd Banach, Bill Budd and Jason Lister, the rest of the squad includes Aidan Herring, Coltyn Sullivan, Connor Karwatt, Wyett Hartley, Reid Smith and Ben Sanzari. Stafford is slated to begin Section 4 action on Friday, July 11.