Sayreville 12U team makes run at section
BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer

Thanks to solid hitting throughout the lineup and strong pitching, the Sayreville Little League 12U all-star won the District 10 championship and went on to compete in the Little League Section 3 Tournament.

After breaking open a scoreless District 10 opener against Sayrewoods South for a 5-0 win, manager Brian Bielak's team stormed through the District 10 competition. Sayreville downed teams from Laurence Harbor, South River, Milltown, East Brunswick and Old Bridge in the opening round.

In the final round, the Sayreville contingent upended Perth Amboy and Clark to meet Old Bridge in championship game. Bielak's team charged to a 10-1 triumph to capture the crown and qualify for the Section 3 tourney.

Along the way, Sayreville outscored the opposition, 96-3. Christian Campbell, Brandon Bielak, Mike Kaefer, Pete Mellos and Anthony Ungano dominated on the mound with the help of some good defensive play, the coach noted.

The coach noted that several players blasted homers for his high-powered offense, including Kaefer, Saxon, Brandon Bielak, Christian Campbell, Liam Campbell, Brian McMahon and Matt Rivera.

In the opener of Section 3 play, held at Chambersburg Little League in Trenton, Sayreville lost a tough 3-0 decision to Bordentown, despite a strong effort from Campbell, who had to leave the mound in the fifth inning after reaching the 85-pitch mark.

Sayreville's bats rebounded to defeat Eatontown, 6-2, in game two as Liam Campbell went the distance on the mound to secure the victory. Kaefer hammered three hits and Sean Rappleyea delivered an RBI double to start the scoring.

In game three, Sayreville fell behind Jackson early on and was unable to catch up, losing 8-2 to end its run.

"Our team made it to the final 16 teams in the state," the manager said. "That's an exceptional accomplishment."

Opposing base runners took few liberties on Sayreville's backstops as Matt Bouthillette, Liam Campbell, Brandon Bielak were solid behind the dish. Kaefer and Mellos played first base, while Bouthillette, Saxon, Brandon Bielak, Christian Campbell and Josh Lowe rounded out the infield. Ungano, McMahon, Rivera and Rappleyea handled the outfield duties, with Saxon and Lowe also seeing some time on the grass.

"This is a talented group of young players and they displayed tremendous skill and determination," Brian Bielak explained.

"They worked hard and it was a pleasure to coach them."

The senior Bielak was ably assisted by coaches Bob Bouthillette and James Eicher.