Little League – TR East Nat’l Junior League Looks to Survive Saturday

The Toms River East National Junior League squad is still alive in its quest for a state championship, but it no longer has any margin for error after suffering a 16-6 defeat at the hands of Parsippany-Troy Hills East in six innings on Friday at Al Leiter Field.

Parsippany jumped ahead 8-1 with five runs in the bottom of the second, but Toms River charged back with four runs in the top of the third to pull within three of the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Region Champion. Parsipanny, however, struck back with three runs in the bottom of the third and put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Jay Rossi singled home a run in the four-run second and catcher Michael Wardell highlighted the rally with a two-run double that one-hopped the fence in left-field. Danny Clemente also singled home a run in the first inning and scored on Wardell’s double.

Toms River East will play an elimination game on Saturday at 11 a.m. at Leiter Field against Erial, 20-3 winners over Elizabethport on Friday night. Saturday’s winner will have to beat Parsippany-Troy Hills East twice to win the championship, and the first of those meetings would be on Sunday afternoon.