Sayre Woods South team wins a District 10 title
By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer

If you took the 13- and 14-year-old baseball players in your neighborhood and matched them up against the best teams in their Little League District, how would they fare?

That’s exactly what the coaches from the Sayre Woods South Little League were able to discover when they created the league’s all-star team, and the results were astonishing.

Sayre Woods South’s youngsters surprised everyone, including themselves, by capturing the District 10 13-14-year-old title recently, before bowing out in the sectional round.

"Our league is comprised of a small development in Old Bridge, and is one of just five leagues in the township," said the team’s manager, Jerry Gargiulo. "It’s basically a neighborhood’s kids. For a team like that to even make it to the district finals is an accomplishment in itself, and our kids went on to win it.

"I did not expect this at all," he added. "We’re not really sure, but people were saying that only one other team since 1961 has done this, so it certainly is a rarity."

The run to the championship began in the first round, where Sayre Woods South went 4-1, knocking off Madison Park, Sayreville, Metuchen and Edison, while losing to Woodbridge.

"They whooped us pretty good," Gargiulo said. "They 10-runned us. But we got them back later on."

That chance came in the second round, after Sayre Woods South knocked off Franklin, 10-3. In that game, Joe Layton pitched brilliantly, going all seven innings and striking out nine. Layton helped himself offensively, going 3-for-4, while Paul Hillier went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Anthony Meli went 2-for-4 with four RBIs.

In the rematch with Woodbridge, Tom Abair and John Provenzo combined to get the win on the hill, with both pitchers doing an "outstanding job," according to their manager.

Layton again led the offensive attack, going 2-for-3 with a home run. The key play in the game came in the fourth inning, after Woodbridge rallied from a 6-1 deficit to score three runs and get within 6-4. Then, with the bases loaded and just one out, Sayre Woods South center fielder Dennis Oberg made a great catch before firing a strike to first baseman Eric Gargiulo for an inning-ending, and rally-killing, double play.

"When we got whooped by Woodbridge, and then came back to beat them in the semifinals, that was an amazing accomplishment for this team," the elder Gargiulo said.

In the final, Sayre Woods South met Franklin once again, and beat them 3-0 for the title. Once again it was Layton who stole the show, pitching seven shutout innings and recording 10 strikeouts. Oberg was the offensive star, going 2-for-3, while Gargiulo credited catcher Nick Khanna with playing a great game behind the dish.

Once the squad began its play in the sectional tournament, it ran into a Brick wall — literally. The Sayre Woods South team lost to Brick, 16-0, before being eliminated by another powerhouse from Howell, 10-1.

"We kind of took it one stage at a time, but it caught up to us in the end," Gargiulo said.

But the losses in the sectionals did nothing to take away from the surprising district title this group of youngsters earned.

The 13-14-year-old District 10 champions are: Mike Stacey, Tom Abair, Dennis Oberg, Paul Hillier, Nick Khanna, Anthony Meli, John Provenzo, Joe Schneider, Eric Gargiulo, Frank Tornabene, Joe Presa and Joe Layton.

The team’s coaches are Bob Meli and Jack Stacey.