Philadelphia, PA
- The Moorestown 8U baseball team is the best in the state. Moorestown won the Cal Ripken 8U New Jersey State Championship with a 15-14 win over Mount Laurel Thursday night.
Brennan Pica drove in the winning run with a base hit off the first pitch with the game tied at 14 in the fifth inning. Pitchers Alex Gerber and Jack Roth held Mount Laurel scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings to seal the victory. Alex Pietranik led the team with five RBI. Pica, Roth, Pietranik, Michael Schaffer and Brandon Cohen each collected multiple hits, as Moorestown collected 18 total in the win.
"Twelve kids came together in a pressure situation and were still able to have fun and enjoy the experience," Moorestown head coach Adam Gerber said. "I couldn't be more proud of how these kids have developed as players, but more importantly as teammates."
Moorestown will play in the regional tournament in Queensbury, NY, beginning July 24. This is the first Moorestown team to play in the Regional Finals since 2011, and only the second team in the town's history to win the Cal Ripken State Championship. In addition to Coach Gerber, the team is led by assistant coaches Ed Eckert, Pete Pietranik, Mike Schaffer, and Ben Cohen.
