Manalapan nine claim first-ever Legion title
The team makes state playoffs for the first time
By tim morris
Staff Writer

It was so close that it almost required a coin flip. However, by taking care of business in the final week of the regular season, the Manalapan Baseball Association’s American League team won the Monmouth County American Legion National Division championship for the first time ever.

Dominick Lipariti’s Manalapan squad finished the regular season with an 11-6 mark, the same as Freehold Township. The two teams went 1-1 in head-to-head competition. The championship came down to the fourth tie-breaker, most total runs scored, and that went to Manalapan.

It was ironic that Manalapan won the National Division title based on its offensive production, when it was pitching and defense that carried the team throughout the summer.

There was nothing fancy about Lipariti’s handling of the pitching staff. He just gave the ball to his starter and expected him to go the distance. The trio of John LaCugna, Pete Sanchez and Evan Levine routinely went nine innings.

Lipariti noted that he was helped by the fact that, during the Manalapan High School baseball season, the Braves’ head coach John Verderosa was not quick to go to the hook.

"They were used to going the distance," noted Lipariti. "They are all gamers. When things were breaking down, they hung in there. When the chips were down they really came through and did the job for us. It was a big part of our success."

Defensively, shortstop Kyle St. Angelo was the glue that held the infield together, while in the outfield, center fielder Mike Gaeta did much of the same.

"Mike made a big contribution on defense," Lipariti pointed out. "He was an inning-killer for the other team with the catches he made."

Chris Ruggiero and Dominick Lipariti Jr. teamed with Gaeta to give the team one of the league’s best outfield defenses.

The versatile Andy Lamboy, who could play the infield or outfield, was able to bolster the defense wherever he played.

Manalapan’s offensive success was a collective effort, as the team lacked the one or two thumpers who can carry a team. Michael Santoro proved to be the team’s catalyst. He seemed to be in the middle of every big inning, either by getting on base or making the clutch hit.

By winning the National Division crown, Manalapan qualified for the American Legion state championships for the first time. The team went 1-2 playing three one-run games.

They lost to Lyndhurst in the opener, 6-5, and came back to beat Linden, 5-4. In that one, a three-run sixth inning erased a 3-2 deficit. LaCugna made it stand up, pitching a complete game victory.

Manalapan was eliminated in the double-elimination tournament by River Vale of Bergen County, 5-4.

Coach Lipariti said that this year’s Legion success was an off-shoot of what the Braves did in high school. Manalapan closed the season playing outstanding baseball. The Braves were the story of the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT), pulling off three upsets en route to the semi-finals. Lipariti said the momentum the team had built in that SCT run carried over to the Legion season. The squad was made up of the underclassmen from the Braves’ team, which bodes well for the scholastic season next spring.

The members of the Manalapan Baseball Association’s first-ever American Legion championship team were: Michael Bergman, Douglas Frueh, Mike Gaeta, Stephen Gorombey, John LaCugna, Andy Lamboy, Evan Levine, Dominick Lipariti Jr., Christopher Mirabile, Thomas Nastro, Chris Ruggiero, Pete Sanchez, Michael Santoro and Kyle St. Angelo.

The coaches were Dominick Lipariti and Joe LaCugna.