Jersey Bandits 18 and under 2004

NEWBURGH WINS 2004 NEBA CROWN !!
The Newburgh Hummnbirds took the first two games of the NEBA championship Series to win the NEBA 2004 season over the Jersey Bandits but it wasn't easy.

Game one went 14 innings before the Birds scored and held on for the 4-3 victory.

Game two was tied at 3 until the bottom of the 7th when the Birds got a walkoff hit for another 4-3 win.

Two games, 21 innings and a total run differential of 2 Runs.
It doesn't get any tighter than that but that was the story of the whole season this year since the total league spread from first to last place was just 10 points or 5 games behind.

CONGRATULATIONS TO COACH WALRAVEN, GM KANE AND ALL THE PLAYERS AND COACHES OF THE NEWBURGH FRANCHISE.
 

 

                                                         Emerson High School Baseball and Softball

 

 

 

These Bandits represent the best of youth

 


Tuesday, July 8, 2003

 

There are those rites of summer that everyone is familiar with: going to the shore, fireworks on July 4, and backyard barbecues. Then there are those traditions that are followed by a more dedicated crowd.

The Jersey Bandits Baseball Club is one of those traditions.

The Bandits have established themselves as one of the premier club baseball organizations in Bergen County and the surrounding area. For the past seven years the Bandits have showcased some of the most talented players in the area and have served as a feeder program to area high schools.

"The Jersey Bandits started the club thing," said manager Phil Mazzo. "We always let a lot of guys play. It's a growing thing for all the kids who want to play baseball all year long."

Joe DiGeronimo, a member of the 19-and-under team that will play at the AAU National tournament, remembers when he first joined the Bandits. Mazzo contacted the then-12-year-old DiGeronimo after receiving a list of names from Hawthorne Little League.

"The idea of playing out of town was totally new to me at the time," DiGeronimo said. "Playing with a different caliber of guys [was also new]. It was nice to be on a team where the pressure wasn't on me all the time."

DiGeronimo was on the 13-and-under team that won the AAU State title and went on to the Nationals in Massachusetts. The next season the Bandits won the 14-and-under State crown, going 51-5, and went to the Nationals in Oklahoma.

Other members of those teams included Bob Ferla of St. Joseph, Anthony Mule of Lodi, Philip Mazzo of Emerson, Ed Sudol of Wallington, Joe Algeri of Paramus Catholic, and even Yankees' top draft pick Eric Duncan of Seton Hall Prep.

"It's nice to play with the best," said DiGeronimo, a graduate of Hawthorne who will attend Wagner College in the fall. "It kind of humbles you a bit, but it also motivates you to do the best you can. It's like a professional atmosphere because Mr. Mazzo has always brought in the best coaches. It's been a great experience."

Although Ferla, Mule, Sudol, and Duncan will not be on this year's 19-and-under team because of scheduling conflicts, the Bandits have had no problem filling the roster with talent.

Besides DiGeronimo, Philip Mazzo, and Algeri, the Bandits' roster includes Matthew Errichiello, John DiCianci, and Anthony Korn of Bergen Catholic; Brent Weiss, Steve Caseres, and Nick D'Alessandro of St. Joseph; Brian McLaughlin and Eric Katzman of Northern Valley at Old Tappan; Adam DiLorenzo of Hackensack; Bill Christopher of Ridgewood; and Anthony Mazzo and Anthony Mangine of William Paterson University.

This year's AAU National tournament will be played in Fort Myers, Fla., beginning Friday and running through July 19.

SUDOL SOARS: Ed Sudol doesn't hesitate when asked about his favorite high school baseball memory.

Facing the powerful Becton lineup last year, the Wallington senior threw a four-hitter in a 6-4 upset over the eventual BCSL National and North 1, Group 1 champions.

"We were underdogs, but somehow we won," Sudol said. "Even people on our team doubted our chances of winning."

But the hard-nosed pitcher/outfielder seems to find a way.

Staff writer Chris Campanioni contributed to this article.


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Emerson tough in the clutch
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Wednesday, April 20, 2005

By MARK J. CZERWINSKI
STAFF WRITER

 

EMERSON - Joe Mazzo remembers the line drive that Palisades Park slugger Rob Russo hit at him last season when he was playing third base.

"He hits the ball hard,'' the Emerson junior right-hander said.

But memory didn't send chills down Mazzo's spine Tuesday afternoon, even after Russo ripped a hard foul ball down the left field line. Mazzo kept his composure, striking out the Tigers' leading home run hitter with the tying runs on base in the seventh inning to secure a 5-3 victory for the Cavos.

"I was hitting spots," said Mazzo, who has saved two games for starter Gerard Baratta (3-0). "That last pitch, I didn't know if it was going to be a strike, but I knew he was going after it. That excited me a little bit."

Thus began one of the most intriguing weeks of the BCSL Olympic Division season.

The loss snapped a season-opening, nine-game winning streak for the Tigers, ranked No. 10 in The Record Top 25, and the victory was the seventh in eight games for the No. 23 Cavos.

"This is big for us," said Baratta, who turned the game over to Mazzo with two on and none out in the seventh. "It gives us a nice boost of confidence after our loss to New Milford. We know we can beat the top couple of teams. We know we can stay with them."

The loss puts some pressure on the Tigers, whose week only gets more difficult.

They face rival Leonia, a division contender stocked with kids who play football on a co-op team with the Tigers, on the road Thursday, and league favorite New Milford on the road Friday.

"We knew what would happen if we gave that team extra outs or made even one mental error," said Palisades Park coach Joe Cirillo.

"You do that when you play Emerson at Emerson and it will come back to bite you. The same goes for Leonia and New Milford."

Baratta wasn't happy when Emerson coach Bob Carcich pulled him in the seventh, and not just because he was aching to finish what he started.

This start, his first ever against the Tigers, was special to him because his uncle and pitching mentor, Gio Baratta, played for Palisades Park in the early '80s.

"He wanted to kill me," Carcich said. "In his heart, he wanted to stay in there because of his past history."

"This was an important game for me," said Baratta, who made his varsity debut in relief against the Tigers two years ago. "I look up to my uncle. He gives me a lot of advice on mechanics on days off."

The Cavos, who face Park Ridge and Ridgefield later this week, went ahead to stay with two runs in each of the third and fourth innings.

Chris Gottschalk and Joe Antonucci drove in a run apiece in the third, and Mazzo and Lukas Mueller drove home runs in the fourth.

That all set the stage for the seventh. Mazzo gave up a one-out RBI single to Mike DeCoro that cut the Emerson lead to 5-3.

He retired Anthony Kaplon on a long fly to left, setting up his duel with Russo, who is among the North Jersey leaders with three home runs and 12 RBI.

"I'd rather start," Mazzo said. "I'm confident as a starter, but I also have confidence when I come in in relief."