Jackson 12-year-olds break 50-year drought
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Above, Jackson's Spencer Young puts the tag on Brick National's Frankie Biase during a recent District 18 Tournament win in Toms River. Below, Jackson's Jake Harlinski fires a pitch to the plate.

TRENTON - For the first time in its 50-year history, the Jackson Little League has a 12-year-old all-star team that has captured both a district and sectional championship.

After winning the District 18 title recently, Jackson won the Section 3 crown Monday night with a 5-4 victory over a scrappy Bordentown squad.

Jackson now moves on to the state tournament, where they are scheduled to meet the District 4 champions Friday night in Clayton.

"It's been a real nice run for this team," coach Ed Guippone said. "The kids have worked really hard since this whole thing began in late June. Our pitching and defense have really been the keys to our success."

Jackson needed to come out of the consolation bracket to win the Section 3 title. After fighting its way through the consolation draw, Jackson was faced with the monumental task of beating Bordentown twice in order to earn a berth in the state tournament, where the winner advances to regional play.

"We knew it would not be easy," Guippone said. "But the kids never gave up and they believed they could comeback. We knew we had a special group of players when we started practice more than a month ago."

The 5-4 win came on the heels of a 15-1 whacking of Bordentown on Sunday.

"We realized that winning the second game would not be as easy as taking the first," Guippone said. "Bordentown is a very good team. They really showed up on Monday night. Fortunately, we were able to hang on."

Indeed, Jackson built a 5-0 lead early and escaped an improbable comeback by Bordentown, which put on the tying run in its final at bat. But Jackson's pitching and defense slammed the door on any chances of a Bordentown rally.

"We came up big in the last inning with a couple of fine defensive plays," Guippone said.

Brandon Holup put Jackson ahead 1-0 with a solo home run in the second inning. Holup now has a total of four homers and 11 RBIs since Jackson started district play back in late June.

Jackson added four more runs in the third inning to take a 5-0 lead. Matt Thaiss smacked a two-run single, while teammates Spencer Young and Austin Stankiewicz each poke RBI singles.

Keith Jennings started and went three innings to get the win. Young came on in relief and got the save.

In the 15-1 win over Bordentown, Jackson clung to a 3-0 lead before breaking the game open with a six-run fifth inning. They scored six more in the sixth for the lopsided win.

Thaiss paced the offense with two homers, including a Grand Slam, and seven RBI. He now has nine homers and 27 RBI as Jackson has combined for a 12-1 record in district and sectional play.

"He has been hitting the ball extremely well," Guippone said. "We have a lot of firepower in this lineup."

Jake Harlinski pitched a complete game, scattering three hits and striking out nine.

"He did a good job of mixing speeds and keeping them off balance," Guippone said.

Ed Guippone, who is the son of the coach, had three hits and two runs scored, while Tom Abarno added two hits and an RBI.

Guippone cited the fine play of Ryan Kanner, Taylor Reynolds, Jake Nerwinski, Jordan Burst and Noah Gomez.

"We have been getting contributions from everybody," Guippone said. "Each player has chipped in and has made a big play or delivered a key hit."