Liedtka, Graham & Christopher having field day with opponent’s pitching

20 games played: Team Batting AVG: .400, hits: 208, home runs: 45, RBI’s: 200

Through Memorial Day Weekend, the 12-U Jersey State Bombers Blue competed in the fifth annual Blast at the Beach tournament in Manahawkin, NJ.

On Saturday the team played a double header, first facing the Freehold Warriors, where Nate Liedtka got the nod. The combined pitching effort between Liedtka and Michael Rotindo kept the Warriors to only two runs. The offense was also powered by Nate Liedtka who hammered two home runs and collected 5 RBI’s in the contest. Matt Christopher was 2 for 3 and EJ Mangione was 2 for 2. Michael Rotindo had 3 RBI’s and Cooper Quigley had two RBI’s. The final score was Bombers 12 and the Warriors 2. The game was shortened to 4 innings with the ten run mercy rule in effect.

In game two on the day, the Bombers played the SEPA Knights who hail from south eastern Pennsylvania. They were no match for the Bombers bats once again as they put up double digit runs. Nate Liedtka hit his third home run of the tournament. There were doubles by Sean Dugan, Matt Christopher, Garrett Carella and Ryan Feig. Ryan Graham was 3 for 3, Sean Dugan was 2 for 3 and Nate Liedtka was two for three with 3 RBI’s. The Bombers defense was solid in this game as catcher EJ Mangione threw out two base-runners attempting to steal second base. The final score was 10-5.

On Sunday there was only one game played and it was against the Mayslanding Landsharks. This game also ended in 4 innings as the Bombers tacked on ten more runs in a 10-0 victory. Matty Christopher blasted two home runs in the game while collecting 4 RBI’s. Combined EJ Mangione and Nick Dziuba pitched a no hitter in the four inning game.

Going in to the playoffs on Monday, the Bombers were the number one seed in the tournament so they had a bye. Game one was played against the Mayslanding Muckdogs. The game was close 2-1 with the Muckdogs on top until the bottom of the 5th inning which is when the Bombers put up three runs to go ahead 4-2. Matt Christopher was 2 for 3 with a triple and an RBI. EJ Mangione and Nate Liedtka also both had RBI’s. Nate Liedtka started on the hill and threw three innings while striking out 4. Christopher finished the last three while only giving up two runs and striking out 5. The final ended up being 4-2 with the Bombers on top.

The championship game was no match for the Bombers offense as the power continued. There were three doubles in the contest, one from second basemen Garrett Carella, Utility player Nick Dziuba and outfielder Cooper Quigley. Home runs came off the bat of Carella, Ryan Feig, Ryan Graham and a grand slam by Nate Liedtka. Ryan Graham threw three innings while only giving up three runs and EJ Mangione finished off the fourth inning with a 1,2,3 inning. For the third time in their 5-0 performance in the tournament, the Bombers beat their opponent by 10 or more runs. The final score was 13-3 through four innings of play.

On the Season

• Nate Liedtka: .552 Avg, 5 doubles, 16 home runs and 61 RBI’s
• Ryan Graham: .533 Avg, 5 doubles, 8 home runs and 31 RBI’s
• Matt Christopher: .450 Avg, 5 doubles, 9 home runs and 28 RBI’s