| NEWS |
  
|
| FEATURES |
| ENTERTAINMENT |
  
|
| COLUMNS |
     |
| CONTACT US |
|
| HOW TO SUBMIT |
|
|
| BACK ISSUES |
|
|
 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
|
Post 218 Laments Missed Opportunities As It Falls Short of Playoff Appearance
By Matt Manley
When Princeton Post 218 manager Tom Parker and his players look back on the 2005 season, they will likely find more good than bad.
Post 218 won four more games than it did in 2004, sent nine players to the Mercer County American Legion League (MCALL) Intraleague All-Star Game, and boasted several league leaders in key statistical categories.
Unfortunately for Princeton players and coaches, they will likely remember the 2005 season as the one that got away as they fell just short in their bid for a first-ever playoff MCALL playoff spot.
After running its record to 9-6 at the 15-game mark, Princeton stumbled to a 2-5 finish over their last seven games, leaving them at 11-11 and one game short of the MCALL's sixth and final playoff spot.
Despite jeopardizing its postseason hopes by falling to 11-10, Post 218 had one last chance to sneak in with a win over Bordentown Post 26 in the final game of the season last Wednesday. Bordentown entered the contest 12-9, but needed to win, thanks to a home loss to Princeton earlier in the season.
With Princeton's home field, Smoyer Park, unplayable, the game was moved to Bordentown's Gilder Field. Although Princeton served as the home team, Bordentown protected the home field advantage, dealing Princeton a heartbreaking 7-6 loss.
With the game tied at six in the seventh and final inning, Bordentown's Matt Walsh doubled in the go-ahead run with two outs to take a 7-6 lead.
Princeton came right back and put runners on second and third with no one out in the bottom of the inning. Zak Perkins, the MCALL leader in saves, then retired Brian Scanlon before walking O'Brien. Colin Sarafin stepped in and ripped a hard grounder, but Bordentown converted it into a double play to end the game and Princeton's season.
"We came out playing like we did the last few games," said Post 218 veteran Alex Sugiura. "We didn't play well and we dug ourselves a hole."
With Princeton trailing 3-0 in the bottom of the first, O'Brien launched a home run to deep right-center to tie the game at three. O"Brien ended his season on a high note, going 3-for-3 with two home runs and four RBIs.
"I hadn't really hit the ball like I wanted to all year, but I feel like I've been in the zone lately," O'Brien said.
"When Danny hit that home run, that got us going," Sugiura said. "It lit a spark in us and we rode that spark for the rest of the game. We just didn't finish the job."
Nonetheless, Princeton left its mark on the MCALL in 2005, primarily on the league leader board. Post 218 players led the league in six of the nine listed offensive categories and had at least one of the top three players in eight of those nine categories, according to the Trenton Times.
O'Brien went from a slumping after-thought to a near triple-crown winner in the span of three weeks. He led the league in batting (.514), hits (36), home runs (6), and slugging percentage (.943), while finishing second in RBIs by four (30).
Begin served as the lightening to O'Brien's thunder, leading the league in triples (4) and stolen bases (21). Begin also finished third in runs (25) and ninth in hits (29).
Princeton has always had its share of notoriety offensively, but Welsh brought Post 218's pitching to light for the first time in recent memory. The tall right-hander emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in Mercer County, evidenced by his 4-1 record and 48 strikeouts (second in the MCALL) in 37 innings. Welsh also posted the league's sixth best ERA (1.51) and recorded two saves.
According to Parker, Welsh has earned the respect of the league to go along with the respect of his teammates.
"He's the guy we go to when we need an out," Parker said. "When we were dividing up the all-star teams, he was the guy everyone wanted, so the other coaches have been very impressed with him."
Welsh was one of nine Princeton players to be selected to the intraleague all-star game. Andrew Davidson, Will King, John Lauri, Logan Laughlin, Jake Horan, Begin, O'Brien, and Sugiura all joined Welsh in the game.
Post 218 also saw resurgence from their two college players, King and Sugiura. King, who played at the University of the South, finished sixth in the league in strikeouts (29), and was one of the most dependable starters on the team by the end of the season. Sugiura's season on the mound was cut short by shoulder trouble, but he hit .480 before the league's all-star break and finished above the .300 mark for the season.
"(Alex and I) have been on the team for three years so we know what to expect," King said. "We just tried to help the rest of the team with whatever we could."
Sugiura was not sure he'd return to the team for this season, but he received a call from King before the season. "Will convinced me that we had a good shot to put together a playoff run with all the talent we had," said Sugiura, who will be a sophomore at Oberlin College in the fall.
"I wanted to play this summer," said King. "I also wanted to play with someone else who was in college to make it a little easier."
King and Sugiura were both key pieces to the early season run and despite the failure to make the postseason, both feel they have left their mark on the program. "I just tried to extol whatever wisdom I could to the younger guys," Sugiura said.
Although the good may have outweighed the bad for Post 218 this season, all the players agree that the promise they showed serves as a reminder that they should have accomplished more.
"We could have easily won 15 or 16 games, but there were just too many inconsistencies," Sugiura said.
"I think the younger guys learned a lot this year and they have a chance to be good next year, but unless the coaches and players take care of those inconsistencies, it will be the same thing next year."
