N.J. All Stars claim Little League World Series opener with walk-off homer for historic win
· Yahoo Sports
While opposing managers had started intentionally walking Bayonne star Mason Rincon because of his proven ability to wallop balls well beyond Little League outfield fences, New England’s staff decided to challenge Mason all night Monday in their Little League World Series opener.
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Rincon, 12, struck out in the first inning, then fouled out in the third. But in the bottom of the sixth inning, with the game knotted, 1-1, Rincon rerouted a pitch over the centerfield fence and onto the hill at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Pa. to give Bayonne a 2-1 victory.
He knew it was gone from the moment the ball hit his 32-ounce bat. To celebrate, he looked at his teammates in the dugout instead of watching the ball land, raised his arms out wide and implored the crowd populated with more than 200 Bayonne supporters to stand up. They erupted in applause.
“My first-ever walk-off home run,” Rincon said afterward. “And for it to be on this stage, to feel the atmosphere of the stadium and feel everybody chanting my name as soon as I hit the ball, felt amazing to be honest.”
The Hudson County kids will next play the Mid-Atlantic All Stars from West Chester, Pa. on Friday at 7 p.m. New England, which features players from Bridgewater, Mass., will now be relegated to the U.S. elimination bracket in the 20-team tournament that will run until August 30.
Rincon, who moved from Brooklyn to Bayonne three years ago and lives one floor above his catcher, Jett Bridges, was the difference just as he has been all summer. He started the night on the mound, throwing so hard that his hat fell off multiple times. In all, he racked up eight strike outs, fielded his position on multiple occasions, surrendered one home run and started a double play when he shifted to shortstop in the fifth inning.
Bayonne, which did not make an error in three games at the Metro Regional last week, proved to be the team with the better fundamentals as its New England counterparts threw three wild pitches, failed to field hard hits, committed two errors and hit a batter.
Bayonne found a way forward in the bracket by scoring a run in the bottom of the first carrying out a disciplined approach at the plate that drove up the pitch count of New England’s ace, Domenik Mombeleur, throughout the game. Known as “The Dominator,” Mombeleur struck out eight Bayonne batters, and allowed four hits before being forced out of the game when he reached his 86th pitch with one out in the fourth inning.
Rincon’s lone pitching blemish was a home run he allowed to New England’s leadoff hitter in the top of the third inning that tied the game. After he reached his pitch limit, Rincon moved to shortstop with the score still tied, 1-1, in the fifth inning, and immediately fielded a hot shot with a runner on first. From his knees, Rincon flipped the ball to second baseman Owen Feliz, who stepped on the bag before pivoting and throwing to first for the inning-ending double play.
“I know everybody sees the home runs and everybody sees the runs we put up, but for me it’s our defense that has been the one,” Rincon’s father, Jaime, said. “We didn’t make an error in regionals. We haven’t given other teams 4, 5, 6 outs.”
Then, in the top of the sixth inning, Massachusetts had a runner at second base when Bayonne first baseman Leandro Anaya snagged a line drive to get the second out of the inning. Relief pitcher Gabe Garcia Jr. struck out the next batter, who failed to check his swing on a curveball.
But while Bayonne’s defense and pitching were top notch, there was a multi-inning stretch when Bayonne, known for its explosive offense, struggled to score. In the second inning, runners were stranded on second and third.
Then, in the bottom of the third, Bayonne had runners at first and second when a single was stroked into the outfield. Jaime Rincon, the third base coach, held the lead runner, and Bayonne left the bases loaded to end the inning.
In the fourth, there were runners at first and second when Bayonne’s Dex Zimmerman hit a fly to left field. New England’s Tristyn Lee diving catch ended the threat.
But for all the wild swings, Rincon’s steadiness stood out. Whether it was on the mound, shortstop or at the plate, the multi-talented star who dabbles in dance and theatre when not playing baseball, took most everything in stride.
When Bayonne, which had never been in the Little League World Series before, needed one more run to keep its unbeaten summer alive, it was Rincon who provided it, propelling his team forward to a Friday night encore beneath the lights in Williamsport.
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