WEDNESDAY playoff schedule (round 2)

Troast Club @ Bullets 8pm, Foschini Park, Hackensack
Yankees @ Reds 8pm, North Haledon Municipal Park
Swamp Rats @ Marauders TBD

BULLETS 5 - MARAUDERS 4
Despite a furious four-run seventh inning rally by the Marauders, the Bullets defeated Allendale 5-4 in the opening round of the Met League playoffs. Zeph Walters was brilliant for 6.1 innings, striking out 9 and yielding only one hit with two walks. Allendale rallied in the seventh, loading the bases off Walters with one out. The Bullets brought in closer Mark Pointsett, who was greeted by back-to-back doubles by Evan Geggle and Garret McGovern to close the gap to 5-3. After an RBI groundout by Jordan Aughey cut it to 5-4, Pointsett enduced a chopper off home plate and the Bullets won. Ken Meerendonk drove in two runs in the first and Mike Martucci had two doubles and an RBI. Joe Torre drove in two runs with a double in the fourth.

TROAST CLUB 7 - YANKEES 5
Trailing 5-1 going into the bottom of the 7th, a lead off walk and 5 consecutive hits including a game-tying 3-run double by Butch Bellenger and a walk-off, 2-run homer by Sisco Ramirez vaulted the Hackensack Troasts to a 7-5 comeback win over the Bergen Yankees. 

REDS 5 - SWAMP RATS 1
MIke Garcia led the Reds throwing 5 strong innings of two hit ball. He gave up no runs and struck out 4. The big hitter on the night for the Reds was Mike Cassese who was 2 for 3 with a triple, 2 RBI's and a run scored. Also with RBI's for the Reds were Mike Rizzo, Mike Ciarmello and Zac Rose. The Reds next play Bergenfield at 8 PM on Wednesday night in North Haledon.

The 6-team, double-elimination, Met League Tournament is set to begin tonight.

ROUND 1:

Monday
Bergen Yankees (4) @ Hackensack Troasts (3) 8pm Memorial Field, Bergenfield
Bergen Swamp Rats (6) @ North Haledon Reds (1) 8pm North Haledon Municipal Park

Tuesday
Allendale Marauders (5) @ South Bergen Bullets (2) 8pm North Haledon Municipal Park

Round 2 will be played Wednesday with following rounds on consecutive days until a Champion is crowned for 2014.

Below is the 1st and 2nd rounds of the bracket:

The South Bergen Bullets swept the Bergen Yankees Sunday night to earn a share of the regular season title with the North Haledon Reds. Both teams finished with an impressive 17-5 record and split their 4 game series during the season resulting in the 2014 Met League Regular Season Co-Championship.

BULLETS 5 - YANKEES 1 (game 1)
Wendell Rodriguez struck out 10 in 5 innings to lead the Bullets to a 5-1 win over the Bergen Yanks in game 1 of a double dip. Brett Ashley had 2 RBI. DJ Psarras had 2 hits for the Yankees

BULLETS 11 - YANKEES 2 (game 2)
In game 2, the Bullets banged out 14 hits and clinched a share of the Met League regular season championship with a 11-2 win

TROAST CLUB 9 - BREWERS 2
The Hackensack Troasts finished out the regular season with a 9-2 win over the West Orange Brewers Sunday night. Rich Guillod had 4 RBI. Kevin Thompson got the win with one inning of relief of Dan Rattacasa who started and went the first 3. Kenny Roder earned a 3-inning save, striking out 5.

MARAUDERS 2 - BULLETS 1
The Allendale Marauders knocked off the South Bergen Bullets Saturday morning by the score of 2-1 in Westwood. Kevin Ladner allowed only 2 runs, 1 earned, through 6 innings, but the Bullets offense could only muster 3 hits. 

TROAST CLUB 10 - YANKEES 2
In the 2nd game of back-to-back night games in Bergenfield between the 2 teams, Hackensack rebounded after the Yankees win last night with a 10-2 victory. The Troasts scored 5 runs in the 2nd and cruised behind Benny Mejia who struck out 13 in a 6-inning complete game. Mejia also helped himslef at the plate going 2 for 4 with 3rbi. Five Troasts had a multi-hit game and Rich Guillod and Butch Bellenger both collected 2 RBI. Bobby Wallum had 2 hits including a homer for Bergen.

REDS 4 - MARAUDERS 0
The Reds picked up their 6th win in a row on combined shutout by started Steve Coral and Jacinto Gonell. Coral scattered 6 hits over 5 innings with 4 strike outs and 1 walk. Gonell got the save throw 2 hitless innings of relief striking out 5 of the 6 batters he faced. Marco Baratta was 3 for 4 with an RBI for the Red and Nick Ramagli was 2 for 4.

YANKEES 4 - TROAST CLUB 2
Ricky Merola fired a complete game to lead the Bergen Yankees past the Hackensack Troasts 4-2. Merola allowed only 5 hits and stuck out 3. Bobby Wallum had 2 hits for the Yanks and Billy Malley smashed a towering homer in the 2nd. Sisco Ramirez had a 2rbi double as the bright spot for Hackensack.

REDS 4 - BULLETS 1
In a battle of two 15 win teams the Reds came out on top. Mike Garcia, who improved to 4-1 scattered 5 hits and gave up 1 unearned run over 6 strong innings. Dan O'Neil picked up the save tossing another 1-2-3 7th while striking out 2. Of the Reds 6 hits 5 were doubles. Roland Goodman led the Reds going 2 for 3 with a double, 2 RBI,s and a run scored. Mike Cassese and Marco Baratta each added and RBI for the Reds. Tyler Courter threw a complete game for the Bullets striking out 6.

TROAST CLUB 3 - SWAMP RATS 1 (game 1)
Butch Bellenger went 2 for 2 with a double, Rich Guillod drove in 2 and Nick Urbanovich scored twice to back a solid 6-inning pitching performance by Eric Katzman to push Hackensack past the Bergen Swamp Rats 3-1 in game 1 of a double-dip in Hackensack. Dan Rattacasa pitched a clean 7th for the save. Anthony Kaplon scored when he stole home on a failed squeeze attempt in the 5th for the lone Rats' run.

TROAST CLUB 13 - SWAMP RATS 7 (game 2)
Bellenger followed up a 2 for 2 in game 1 to go 4 for 5 in game 2, including a Grand Slam in the top of the 7th with the score tied at 7, leading the Troasts to a 13-7 seesaw win and the sweep. There were 7 lead changes in the game and the Rats entered the 7th with a 7-6 lead, but the Troasts would fight back, as both teams did all game long, to tie it and then load the bases for Bellenger. Sisco Ramirez (2 for 2, 3 RBI, 3 runs) started the 7th being hit by a pitch and scored the tying run, added a 2-RBI double to blow it open and cap the 7-run 7th. Ryan Lobban earned the win with 6 innings on the hill and Dan Rattacasa finished up with another scoreless 7th in the bottom half. Guillod chipped in with 2 hits and RC Renshaw had a key 2-RBI single in the 4th and also executed a perfect sac bunt to set up the tying run in the 7th. Matt Kaplon and Rex MacMillan had 2 hits each for the Rats. 

BULLETS 2 - MARAUDERS 1 (game 1)
Wendell Rodriguez pitched a complete game three-hitter and the Bullets plated a run in the eighth and held on with an incredible defensive play to defeat Allendale, 2-1 in eight inning. In the eighth, Gregg Nickels led off with a single and pinch-runner Mike Martucci moved to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single by Brett Ashley. In the bottom of the eighth, the Marauders loaded the bases with one out and attempted to squeeze in the tying run when first baseman Tyler Courter made a diving catch and threw to second to complete the game ending double play.

BULLETS 1 - MARAUDERS 0 (game 2)
Zeph Walters and Peirce Marston combined on the first no-hitter in the history of the South Bergen Bullets as the Bullets defeated the Marauders 1-0. Walters pitched the first five innings, striking out 5 and walking four. Marston earned the win with two innings of relief, striking out two. The Bullets plated the game's lone run in the seventh. Anderson Minyetty walked to lead off the inning, moved to third on a hit and run single by Mike Martucci and scored on a single by Ryan Kiczek.

REDS 7 - BREWERS 0 fft
REDS 7 - BREWERS 0 fft

MARAUDERS 8 - YANKEES 1
The Allendale Marauders put up a 4-run 2nd inning and cruised to a 8-1 win Saturday afternoon at Grandstand Field over the Bergen Yankees.

BULLETS 9 - BREWERS 0
Adam Corbin and Gary Boardman combined on a one-hit shutout as the Bullets topped the Brewers 9-0. Corbin started and stuck out one in one inning of work. Boardman threw the final six striking out 8. At the plate, Bubba Jasinski drove in three runs and Joe Torre drove in two.

TROAST CLUB 3 - MARAUDERS 2
The Troasts put up 10 hits on the night but it was an errant throw that allowed the winning run to score in the bottom of the 7th as Hackensack snuck by Allendale 3-2. Kevin Montelbano doubled to tie the score at 2 on batter before he scored the winner on the poor throw on an infoeld ground ball. Mike Wassong went 5 innings, striking out 10, but UNeconomically walked 9. Billy Grupenhof was 2 for 2 and Butch Bellenger and Angel Roman also had 2 hits for Hackensack. Allendale's Jack Flemming pitch a great game and held the Troasts to only the 1 run through the first 6 innings but fell victim to tough luck in the 7th in his valiant complete game effort.

YANKEES 2 - BREWERS 1
DJ Psarras no-hit the West Orange Brewers, leading the Bergen Yankees to a 2-1 win. Psarras walked only 2 and struck out 13 and allowed only an un-earned run. The Yankees offense only mustered 3 hits themsleves, but it was enough behind Psarras. Sergio Delgado had the games lone RBI in the win for the Yanks.

SWAMP RATS 3 - TROAST CLUB 2 (8 innings)
The Rats and Troasts exchanged the lead 3 times on Tuesday, but the Rats ended up on top with a 3-2 win in eight innings over the Troasts. Matt Kaplon was hot from the plate for the Rats. Kaplon went 3-4 and scored two runs. He doubled in the fifth inning and singled in the first and eighth innings. Kap represented the game winning run, scoring on a 1 out bases loaded single to right off the bat of Matt Moschovas who was 0 for 3 with 3 k's coming into the at bat. Ian Steepy got it done on the bump on the way to a win. He tossed two innings of shutout ball. He struck out none, walked one and surrendered one hit. The top of the first saw Troasts take an early lead, 1-0. Bellenger doubled to ignite the Troasts' offense. Montelbano singled, bringing home Urbanovich. The Rats answered with two runs of its own in the first. The Rats grabbed the lead scoring runs on a groundout by Bob Miskura and an error.

REDS 11 - MARAUDERS 1
The Reds had 11 hits on the night for a 11-1 victory. Mike Cassese, Zac Rose (3 RBI's) and Kurt Hommen each had two hits. Marco Baratta had a triple and 2 RBI's. Andrew Coco picked up the win yielding no runs on 3 hits over 4 1/3 innings.

REDS 5 - BREWERS 0
Mike Garcia threw 6 scoreless innings yielding only 3 hits for the win. Closer, Dan O'Neil pitched another 1-2-3 7th with 1 strikeout. Mike Casssese and Steve Nappe each had two hits for the Reds. Cassese had 2 RBI's and Nappe 1 RBI.

BULLETS 8 - YANKEES 1
Pierce Marston fired a complete game five hitter, striking out six as the Bullets defeated the Yankees 8-1. 
Bubba Jasinski, Anderson Minyetty and Bret Ashley drove in two runs apiece. Anthony Packer had three hits in the win. Bobby Wallum homered in the loss for the Yankees.

ALL-STARS TEAM ACKERMANN 6 - ALL-STARS TEAM CIFALDI 1
North Haledon's Municipal Park hosted the Metropolitan League All-Star game Sunday night to showcase the league's best players in a game that featured 4 to 6 players from each of the seven league teams split up amongst two rival managers: South Bergen Bullets' Matt Ackermann and North Haledon Reds' Angelo Cifaldi. Ackermann would waste no time in the top of the first by loading the bases with no one out and taking an early 1-0 lead on an RBI groundout by Bergen Yankees third baseman Steve Tellian that scored Hackensack Troast Nick Urbanovich. The Cifaldi team would answer and tie the game in the 3rd on an RBI single by Stephen Nappe of the Reds that would score Yankees' DJ Psarras who earlier walked. Team Ackermann would jump back ahead in the 5th and not look back with a 4-run outbust that featured back-to-back RBI doubles by Ryan Kiczek of the Bullets and Allendale's Rob Milevski. Connor Kimmel of the West Orange Brewers would cap the scoring in the 5th with an RBI single and give his side a 5-1 lead. Troast Matt Dawkins, who scored 2 runs on the day and also stole a base, scored the final run of the game on another RBI single by Kimmel in 7th, givnig the Ackermann's a 6-1 lead. Kimmel, the Brewer shortstop finished 2 for 3 on the day with 2 RBI and earned the game's MVP honors. Cifaldi would attempt a 7th inning rally, loading the bases with 1 out, but Bullet's closer Mark Poinsette would get the final 2 batters for the save. Other highlights: Urbanovich finished the game with 2 hits; Nappe went 3 for 4 on the night; Allendale Marauder, Chris Dichairo had 2 hits; Troast Kenny Roder struck out 2 and Jon Padilla of the Brewers pitched a 1-2-3 inning for team Cifaldi; NH Red and starter Steve Coral and winning pitcher Ricky Merola of the Yanks also fired 1-2-3 innings, as did Kyle Beldoch of the Bergen Swamp Rats in the bottom of the 5th; Cifaldi pitchers hit 5 Ackermann batters with pitches. 

The Met League All-Star game is set for Sunday night, July 6th, in North Haledon at 7pm. Congratulations and thanks to all the players and coaches and umpires selected and participating in the game. It should be a great event. The league's all-stars were divided into 2 evenly matched teams (team Cifaldi managed by Angelo Cifaldi of Noth Haledon & team Ackermann managed by Matt Ackermann of the South Bergen Bullets), and players from each team were divided amongst the two squads. The rosters are as follows:

TEAM CIFALDI: Angelo Cifaldi NH - mgr, Ed Mooney BY, Sean Kelly WO

PITCHER - John Belt SR, Troy Tabor AL, Gary Boardman SB, Kenny Roder HT, Mike Garcia NH, Jon Padilla WO, DJ Psarras BY

CATCHER - Matt Kaplon SR, Joe Salerno NH

OUTFIELD - Anderson Minyetty SB, Michael D'anbrosia BY, DJ Psarras BY, Ryan Gallo HT

FIRST BASE - Stephen Nappe NH, Evan Gettle AL

SECOND BASE - Justin Ferreira SR

SHORTSTOP - Chris Dichairo AL

THIRD BASE - Butch Bellenger HT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TEAM ACKERMANN: Matt Ackermann SB - mgr, Rich Mohr AL, Rob Neilley SR

PITCHER - Kyle Beldoch SR, Billy Taylor AL, Kevin Ladner SB, Mark Poinsette SB, Pierce Marston SB, Steve Coral NH, Adam Miller WO, Ricky Merola BY

CATCHER - Peter Pena BY, Daniel Lopez WO

OUTFIELD - Pete Milevski AL, Ryan Kiczek SB, Matt Dawkins HT

FIRST BASE - Bob Miskura SR, Billy Malley BY

SECOND BASE - Nick Urbanovich HT, Jordan Farbar WO

SHORTSTOP - Connor Kimmel WO

THIRD BASE - Steve Tellian BY

TROAST CLUB 12 - REDS 5
The wind was blowing and the ball was flying around the yard at Foschini Park in Hackensack Tuesday night as the Troasts and Reds pounded out a combined 21 hits and 17 runs with Hackensack getting the better end with a 12-5 victory. After spotting North Haledon early 3-run leads of 3-0 and 4-1 in the first and second innings, the Troasts would tie the game in the 2nd and then take control with 4 in the 3rd for an 8-4 lead. Winning pitcher Tom Crohan entered the game for Hackensack with no outs in the 4th inning after the Reds cut the lead to 8-5 and promptly shut down the Reds' hot bats and their attempt to get back into the game. Crohan would retire 9 straight Reds and allow only 1 hit and 1 walk in the 7th. He struck out 4 in his 4 total innings. Matt Dawkins drove in 4 runs for the Troasts, including a 2-run triple. Tyler Garguillo, Nick Urbanovch and Rich Guillod, who had 3 hits and 3 runs scored, all had a a pair of RBIs each. Angel Roman and Kevin Montelbano had 2 hits apiece. For the Reds, Mike Cassese was 2 for 4 and scored twice and Mike Rizzo belted 2 run-scoring doubles and also was 2 for 4 on the night.

REDS 6 - SWAMP RATS 2
Andrew Coco threw 5 strong innings giving up 1 run on 2 hits. He struck out 6. The big hitter on the night for the Reds was Joe Salerno who was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and 3 RBI's with a home run and a double. Mike Casses for the Reds chipped in with 2 RBIs.

TROAST CLUB 5 - BULLETS 1 (game 1)
The Hackensack Troasts pulled within a game of first place with a 5-1 win in game 1 of a doubledip in Hackensack. Mike Wassong allowed only an infield single and an unearned run in a complete game performance. He struck out 10 Bullets and walked 4. Rich Guilliod's 2-run double in the first gave Hackensack the early lead. The Bullets would rebound in game 2 with a 3-1 win to reaffirm their hold on first place.

BULLETS 3 - TROAST CLUB 1 (game 2)
Gary Boardman scattered seven hits over 6.2 innings as the Bullets split a doubleheader with the Troasts. Bubba Jasinski's RBI double keyed a three run second inning for the Bullets. Bret Ashley had two outfield assists in the win and Adam Corbin earned the save as he induced a groundout with the tying run on base. Kenny Roder struck out 4 in 2 innings of scoreless relief for Hackensack and Mike Guadango collected 4 hits for the Torasts in the 2 games combined.

BULLETS 6 - MARAUDERS 3
Tyler Courter and Zeph Walters combined on a four-hitter as the Bullets edged the Marauders. Courter hurled the first 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs and striking out one. Walters entered with the tying run on first in the sixth and set down the final four hitters, including three strikeouts. Bubba Jasinski had two hits to pace the Bullets offense.

BREWERS 3 - SWAMP RATS 1 (game 1)

BREWERS 5 - SWAMP RATS 2 (game 2)

TROAST CLUB 4 - BREWERS 2
Behind efficient and economic pitching of Bob Klapisch and Tom Crohan, the Hackensack Troast Club beat the West Orange Brewers 4-2. The Troasts scored single runs in innings 1,2,5 & 6, with Sisco Ramirez leading the way with 2 hits and 2 RBI. Nick Urbanovich and Jon Rodriguez each scored a pair of Troast runs. The story of the night was the pitching of Hackensack's Klapisch, who kept the Brewers hitters off balance all night, going 5 solid innings and allowing only 1 run and scattering 5 hits and getting 10 ground ball outs and striking out 3. Crohan struck out 4 in the final 2 innings to earn the save, including the final batter after a couple of Troast errors put the potential tying runners on base. Jordan Farbar led the Brewers offensively, going 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI in the loss.

REDS 2 - MARAUDERS 0
In a very tight game in North Haledon three Reds pitchers combined to shutout Allendale. Josh Greenstein pitched the first 4 giving up 4 hits and recording 4 strike outs. Jack Purcell threw the next two giving up one hit. Dan O'Neil picked up the save striking out the side in the 7th. The Reds got the only run they would need in the 4th when Zac Rose executed a suicide squeeze to score pinch runner Tom Shimchak. Felix Colarte picked up the insurance run for the Reds in the 5th with a sacrifice fly.

MARAUDERS 10 - BREWERS 6 
The Allendale Marauders bats broke out against the West Orange Brewers as they put an end to a losing streak and won 10-6. Jack Fleming had a solid start and Eric Pfisterer notched the save.

REDS 3 - SWAMP RATS 0
The Reds shut out the Rats 3-0 to get back on the winning track in North Haledon. Matt VanRiper threw 5 1/3 shut out innings giving up 3 hits and striking out 6. Dan O'Neil preserved the shut out with 1 2/3 innings of 1 hit ball. The Reds got the only run they need on an RBI single by Zac Rose with 2 outs in the bottom of the 4th. The Reds added two insurance runs with RBI's by Felix Colarte and Nick Ramagli in the bottom of the 6th. Tom Dolaghan threw 5 strong innings for the Rats.

TROAST CLUB 4 - YANKEES 2
The Troasts got a needed victory and stopped a 2 game skid by coming from behind with 2 in the 5th and 2 in the 6th to upend the Bergen Yankees 4-2. Bergen Yanks' starter Ricky Merola, fired a complete game and held Hackensack in check and to only 1 hit until the 5th when the Troasts tied it on Rich Guillod's RBI triple and a Kevin Thompson sac fly. Merola allowed only 4 hits on the night in a strong outing. Angel Roman's RBI single in the 6th would break up the tie and give Hackensack the lead. Thompson also got the win on the mound with 2 scoreless innings of relief behind a solid start by Ryan Lobban, who went 5 and struck out 7. Guillod finished with 2RBI. Adam Ferlando had 2 hits for Bergen.

BULLETS 6 - REDS 2
Bret Ashley and Taylor Perez each drove in a pair of runs as the Bullets topped the Reds 6-2. Pierce Marston pitched 6 innings, striking out 4 and allowing 2 unearned runs. Lance Kirschenbaum scored twice and drove in a run in the win. Mike Cassese had two hits in the loss for the Reds.

YANKEES 4 - BREWERS 1
DJ Psarras (4 innings, W) and Jaad Schmeltzer (3 innings) struck out 13 in a combined effort vs. West Orange Brewers on Sunday to lead the Yankees to a 4-1 win. Sergio Delgado had 2 RBI for the Yanks, as they scored 2 in the 6th and 2 in the 7th to grab the win.

SWAMP RATS 4 - MARAUDERS 2 (game 1)
Zach Tondi went 2-2 as the Rats took home a 4-2 victory over Allendale in seven innings at Grandstand on Sunday. He doubled in the fourth inning and singled in the sixth inning. Corey Martinez worked out of four difficult moments for the Rats. He pitched 7 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on six hits. Corey faced his toughest moment in the fourth inning.

SWAMP RATS 5 - MARAUDERS 3 (game 2)
The Rats would not relinquish the lead as Allendale was unable to weather a three-run seventh inning deficit. Allendale scored one run in the seventh on an RBI single by #23. Despite its efforts, Allendale couldn't get over the hump. Zach Tondi was solid at the plate for the Rats. Zach went 3-4, drove in one and scored one run. He singled in the first, second, and sixth innings. John Belt got the win for theSwamp Rats. He allowed two runs over five innings. John struck out four, walked one and gave up six hits. Closer Tom Dolahan put away the final three outs to record the save. The Rats jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Zach singled to ignite the Rats offense. A single by Anthony Kaplon then moved Zach from first to third. Matt Kaplon singled, plating Zach . After a quick strike from the Rats, Allendale responded with two runs in the first. Allendale scored on an RBI single by #11 and an error. Rats never surrendered the lead after the fourth inning, scoring two runs on an RBI double by Ed Spitalleta and an RBI single by Anthony.

REDS 6 - TROAST CLUB 3
Steve Nappe had a 3 RBI double in the 3rd inning to propel the Reds to a 6-3 victory over the Troasts. He had 4 RBIs on the night. Steve Coral picked up the win throwing 6 innings scatering 6 hits and giving up 3 runs. He had 4 strike outs. Make Cassese had a solo homer for the Reds in the 7th. The Reds won their 5th straight, while the Troasts, who wasted a 10 hit attack, lost 3 of their last 4.

SWAMP RATS 4 - YANKEES 0 (game 1)
It was a good day at the plate for Bob Miskura. Bob went 2-2 and scored one run. He doubled in the third inning and singled in the fifth inning. Sam Elias kept the Bergen Yankees off the scoreboard for all seven innings he was on the mound. He pitched a shutout, allowing no opposing players to cross the plate on five hits while ringing up nine. The Rats scored one run in the second inning, and then followed it up with one more in the third. In the second, the Rats scored on an RBI single by Anthony Kaplon, plating Matt Moscovas.

YANKEES 4 - SWAMP RATS 3 (game 2)
The Bergen Yankees salvaged the split with a game 2 4-3 win over the Rats. The Yankees scored all their runs in the top of the first and held on behind the arm of Mike Brizzolara, who fired a complete game with 6 strikeouts. Billy Malley had 2 hits for the Yanks.

BULLETS 1 - TROAST CLUB 0
Thanks to the dominance of their starting pitcher Kevin Ladner, the South Bergen Bullets needed only the one unearned run they scratched across in the 5th off Hackensack's Ryan Lobban to win 1-0 and take over 1st place in the standings. Ladner allowed only 2 baserunners in 6.1 innings of work (one walk and one hit) and struck out 6 Troasts. Pierce Marston came on to get the final 2 outs of the game to earn the save. Lobban was equally as impressive going the distance in the loss, striking out 10 and allowing only 3 hits. After a Bullets' double and a sacrifice bunt in the 5th, the lone Troast error proved to be costly as an errant throw allowed the run to score, which was the difference behind Ladner's brilliance.

REDS 4 - SWAMP RATS 3
Trailing by 3 the Reds scored three in the bottom of the 6th to tie the score on Steve Nappe's 3 RBI double. The Reds won it in the bottom of the 7th when Marco Baratta singled home pinch runner Tom Shimchak with one out. Matt VanRiper threw the first 5 innings for the Reds. Jack Purcell pitched a 1-2-3 6th and Josh Greenstein, back after a year off for his marriage, picked up the win throwing a scoreless 7th.

YANKEES 12 - MARAUDERS 2
DJ Psarras and Michael DiAmbrosio each had 3 hits, while Jose Padilla homered and drove in 4, as the Bergen Yankees won 12-2 in a 5-inning final over the Allendale Marauders.

REDS 3 - MARAUDERS 1
Andrew Coco pitched a complete game 3 hitter to lead the Reds over a tough Allendale Club. Coco had 5 strike outs. Nick Ramagli drove in the ultimate winning run with a 1 out double in the 5th. Mike Rizzo also added an RBI in that innning. Mike Ciarmello was 2 for 3 with a double for the Reds. Milevski tripled for the Marauders.

TROAST CLUB 4 - SWAMP RATS 3 (9 innings)
The Hackensack Troasts scored an unearned run with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th on a slow roller to third by John Digirolamo which plated Billy Grupenhof for the walk-off win over the Bergen Swamp Rats. Dan Rattacasa got the win with 3 scoreless innings of relief. Rex MacMillan had a 2RBI base-knock off the 3rd base bag in the 5th to give the Swamp Rats a 3-1 lead. The Troasts came back in the bottom of the frame to tie it at 3 on an RBI single by Butch Bellenger after a stolen base by Tyler Garguillo and an errant throw cut the lead to 3-2. Rats reliever Kyle Beldoch induced a bases loaded, 8th-inning-ending, game saving at-the-time double play to force the 9th inning, where the Troasts finally won it.

REDS 6 - YANKEES 1
Steve Coral gave up 1 run and 5 hits over 6 innings in another fine outing. He had 5 strikeouts and no walks. Nick Ramagli (2 RBIs) and Mike Ciarmello (1 RBI) each had two hits for the Reds. Dan O'Neil threw another scoreless 7th. Peter Pena had 2 of the Yankees 4 hits.

BREWERS 6 - MARAUDERS 2

REDS 3 - BULLETS 0
The Reds shut out the first place Bullets 3-0 Sunday night in North Haledon. Mike Garcia pitched 6 strong innings giving up no runs on 3 hits with 4 strikeouts. Dan O'Neil picked up the save with a scoreless 7th. Rob Stern was 1 for 3 with 2 RBI's. Zac Rose also had an RBI. The Bullets starter Gary Boardman pitched well giving up only 3 hits in 6 innnings.

YANKEES 2 - TROAST CLUB 1
The Bergen Yankees also tripped up the first place Troasts in Bergenfield SUnday night 2-1. Joe Jiminez went the distance for the Yanks for the complete game win. Michael Diambrosio's 2 RBI single in the first inning held-up behind Jiminez, who stuck out 4 and kept the Troasts off balance all night. RC Renshaw had 2 hits for Hackensack.

SWAMP RATS 10 - MARAUDERS 1
Rats get one on the left side! Allendale had a tough outing on Sunday, as the Swamp Rats dominated in a 10-1 win in seven innings at Grandstand. The Rats scored three runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Jeff Caputo, an RBI single by Mike DiDonato, and a sacrifice fly by Anthony Kaplon. Matt Schwartz was hot from the plate for the Rats . Matt Schwartz went 3-5, drove in one and scored one run. He singled in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Sam Elias looked sharp on the rubber. Allendale managed just two hits off of Elias, who allowed no earned runs, walked none and struck out three during his three innings of work. The Rats went up for good in the first, scoring one run on an RBI double by Bob Miskura. The Rats got three-run rallies in the second inning and the fifth. In the second, Swamp Rats scored on an RBI single by Anthony, scoring Ed Spitalleta.

BULLETS 3 - REDS 2
The Bullets scored three runs in the second inning and held on for a 3-2 win over the Reds. Joe Torre, Denis Ackermann and Anderson Minyetty registered RBIs in the inning, which was keyed by a one-out bunt single by Matt Glassman. Peirce Marston (3--1) notched the victory and Kevin Ladner registered the save. Steve Coral was the tough luck loser for the Reds, who stranded 13 runners on base.

YANKEES 4 - BREWERS 0
The Bergen Yankees shutout the West Orange Brewers 4-0 Tuesday night in Bergenfield. Ricky Merola completed a complete game shutout 3-hitter for the Yanks, and striking out 7 Brewers in the process. DJ Psarras tripled and drove in 2 and Michael Diambrosio had 2 hits while also collecting a couple RBIs. West Orange is still looking for it's first win while the Yanks evened their record at 3-3-1.

MARAUDERS 3 - YANKEES 1 (game 1)
In Allendale Sunday, the Marauders economically scored single runs in the 3rd, 5th and 6th innings to edge the Bergen Yankees 3-1. Joe Jimenez went the distance in a valiant but losing effort for the Yanks allowing on 2 earned in the 6-inning complete game.

YANKEES 6 - MARAUDERS 4 (game 2)
Mike Brizzolara fired 4 hitless, scoreless innings to get the win in relief for the Bergen Yankees as they grabbed a split in the double header with a 6-4 win in game 2. The Yanks scored 3 in the 1st and 3 in the 2nd and held on the rest of the way behind Brizzolara. Sergio Delgado, Peter Pena, and Steve Tellian each had 2 hits.

BULLETS 3 - SWAMP RATS 1
Ken Meerendonk's two-run sixth inning homer was the difference as the Bullets defeated the Swamp Rats, 3-1. In the sixth, Matt Glassman led off with a double and, after a pitching change, Meerendonk slammed the second pitch over the left-cernterfield fence to break a 1-1 tie. The homer backed a stellar pitching performance from Gary Boardman (2-0) who went the distance striking out seven and allowing only four hits. The Rats took the lead in the first inning on a one-out double by Matt Kaplon, who had two hits in the game. The Bullets tied it in the fourth when Ryan Kiczek's single scored Meerendonk from second. John Belt started for the Rats and went four innings, striking out six and allowing one unearned run. With the victory, the Bullets swept the season series against the Rats.

TROAST CLUB 5 - BREWERS 1
Ryan Lobban made his season debut on the mound for Hackensack with 3 innings of hitless pitching to earn the win as the Troasts beat the Brewers 5-1. Kenny Roder earned the save, closing the game out by firing the final 3 innings. Nick Urbanovich and Butch Bellenger (3 doubles) both scored twice. Alex Muggeo had a 2 RBI single in the 5th to cushion the Troast lead to 5-1.

BULLETS 3 - SWAMP RATS 0 (game 1)
Peirce Marston allowed only two hits over 6.2 innings as the Bullets shutout the Swamp Rats 3-0. Marston struck out seven and allowed only a bloop single to Zach Tondi in the first inning and a double by Bobby Miskura in the seventh. Mark Poinsett recorded the final out for his second save of the season. Anderson Minyetty had three hits in the victory. Anthony Packer had an RBI and two hits and Ryan Kiczek added two hits.

BULLETS 8 - SWAMP RATS 5 (game 2)
Anthony Packer's fourth inning triple tied the game and he scored on an error to give the Bullets their first lead of the game as the Bullets came from behind to sweep a doubleheader. Kevin Ladner earned the victory out of the bullpen with four innings of two-hit relief. Gregg Nickels two-run single in the fifth broke the game open. Anderson Minyetty had three hits and scored twice for the Bullets. Zach Tondi's two-run double keyed a three-run second inning for the Swamp Rats.

REDS 10 - BREWERS 2
Mike Cassese led the Reds at the plate going 3 for 4 with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored and 2 RBI's. Zac Rose was 3 for 4 with 1 RBI and Steve Nappe was 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored and 2 RBIs. Mike Garcia picked up the win going 5 innings and giving up 2 runs on 5 hits with 6 strike outs. Matt Marc-Aurele pitched a scoreless 6th.

TROAST CLUB 5 - MARAUDERS 2
After Allendale scratched a run each in the 4th and 5th innings, Hackensack scored 4 un-earned runs in the bottom of the 6th, and then held on to win 5-2. Benny Mejia was impressive in the start for the Troasts striking out 7 in 3 innings, but did not factor in the decision. Tom Crohan got the win pitching a scoreless 6th and 7th. Butch Bellenger doubled twice and scored 2 runs. Angel Roman and Sisco Ramirez both drove in a pair.

RED 13 - YANKEES 5
Steve Nappe led the Reds at the plate with 4 RBI's. Nick Ramagli, Mike Rizzo and Roland Goodman each chipped in with 2 hits. Andrew Coco picked up the win yielding 2 earned runs on 5 hits with 4 strike outs. Matt VanRiper picthced a 1-2-3 last inning.

YANKEES 7 - SWAMP RATS 4
The Bergen Yankees got their first win of the young season with a 7-4 victory over the Swamp Rats Sunday afternoon. Down 1-0, the Yanks erupted with a 5-run fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Sergio Delgado had 2 RBI and also scored twice, and Brendan O'Brian chipped in with 2 hits. Ricky Merola got the win with 4 quality innings of relief.

TROAST CLUB 2 - BREWERS 0
In a pitcher's duel, three Hackensack hurlers edge the efforts of Brewers' Adam Miller, who fired a 6-inning complete game 2-hitter in the loss. Troast starter Dan Rattacasa went 4 strong innings, earning the win and striking out 7. Rattacasa also provided the only scoring play of the night with a 2-rbi single in the 2nd inning. Mario Sencion struck out the side in his only inning of work and Mike Wassong registered the save with 2 innings to close out the game with 5 straight strikeouts. 

MARAUDERS 4 - TROAST CLUB 3 (game 1)
A scoreless game through 6 innings got real exciting in the 7th in the first of two games in Allendale on Saturday afternoon. Hackensack finally broke though with a 3-run inning in the top of the 7th and appeared to be poised to remain undefeated. However, the Marauders of Allendale mounted a dramatic 4-run rally to walkoff with a 4-3 win. Troast starter Eric Katzman was dominant over 5 innings, striking out 8. 

TROAST CLUB 15 - MARAUDERS 4 (game 2)
Hackensack erupted in game 2 with 15 runs on 15 hits and cruised to a 15-4, 6-inning win to earn the split. Five Troast players had a multi hit game, led by Butch Bellenger who was 4 for 4 with 4 runs, 4 RBI and 3 doubles. John Digirolamo scored 3 times and also tripled while Ryan Gallow and Sisco Ramirez chipped in with 2 RBI apiece. Kenny Roder earned the win, striking out 6 over 4 innings, and Frankie Colasante notched the save with 2 scoreless innings of relief.

BULLETS 2 - SWAMP RATS 1 (8-innings)
Taylor Perez lined a single that caromed off Swamp Rats pitcher Kyle Bedoch's face and into foul territory to plate the winning run as the Bullets won in a 2-1 walkoff. Ken Meerendonk lined a one-out double off the center field fence and scored on Perez's single. Zach Tondi lined a home run for the Swamp Rats to tie the game in the sixth. The game was a classic pitcher's duel as the Bullets Gary Boardman and Michael Gomez combined on a four-hitter over 7.2 innings, striking out 10. Sam Elias tossed seven innings and struck out 10 for the Rats. Mark Poinsett earned the victory with a third of inning of relief to close the top of the eighth.

TROAST CLUB 2 - REDS 1
The game was scoreless until the 7th inning and neither team could get a hit with runners in scoring position, with Hackensack stranding 10 and Haledon 11 baserunners. Angel Roman finally produced the 2-strike, 2-out, 2-rbi hit that would propel the Troasts to the 2-1 win. Troast rookie Ryan Gallow started the rally in the top of the 7th with a one-out single, followed by a hit by John Digirolamo. Both would later score on Roman's 2-out hit. Three Hackensack pitchers would hold the Reds off the scoreboard all night with Tommy Crohan earning the win by pitching the final 2 frames, allowing only an unearned run in the bottom of the 7th. Bob Klapisch started and fired 2 hitless innings, while Brendan Lobban bridged the gap to Crohan with his 3 scoreless IP with 4 strikeouts. Steve Coral pitched a tremendous game for the Reds on the bump, going 6 2/3 innings, but took the tough luck loss. Joey Mazzo had 2 of the Reds 4 hits. 

TROAST CLUB 4 - BULLETS 2
Hackensack got 2 key doubles from Sisco Ramirez, who also scored twice, drove in a run and stole a base. Rich Guillod capped off the 3-run Troast 5th inning with a big, 2-out single to make it 4-1. Kevin Thompson got the win with 2 innings of stellar relief, allowing only an unearned run and fanning 4. Mike Wassong notched the save with a 1-2-3 7th inning, striking out the side. Ryan Kiczek went 2 for 2 for the Bullets. 

SWAMP RATS 1 - YANKEES 1
In Bergenfield, the light curfew halted action after the 7th inning with the game knotted at 1 between the Swamp Rats and the Yankees, resulting in an official game tie. Despite multi-hit games from Matt Kaplon, Zach Tondi and Al Krause, the Rats couldn't muster the hit to push across a 2nd run. Billey Malley had 2 hits for the Yanks, which got a quality pitching effort from starter Joe Jiminez.

BULLETS 2 - YANKEES 0
Gary Boardman fired five scoreless innings and Mark Pointsett recorded a five-out save as the Bullets defeated the Yankees in their inaugural game. Boardman scattered three hits and struck out three. Pointsett entered in the sixth with the tying run on second and recorded five straight outs, including four strikeouts to earn his first save. Denis Ackermann and Brian Hennelly each drove in a run during a two-run second inning as the Bullets registered all the offense they needed off of tough-luck lose DJ Psarras.

REDS 5 - SWAMP RATS 4 (8 innings)
Roland Goodman picked up the go ahead RBI in the top of the 8th and then picked up the save pitching a scoreless bottom of the 8th. Reds starter Andrew Coco, who did not figure in the decision, went 6 strong innings yielding 1 hit and striking out 10. The Swamp Rats scored twice in the bottom of the 7th to tie the score. Steve Nappe and Marco Baratta were both 2 for 4 on the day.

MARAUDERS 6 - SWAMP RATS 5
In the opening game of the 2014 season, the Allendale Marauders, the newest expansion team in the Met League, squeeked by the Bergen Swamp Rats, who begin their 2nd season in the league, 6-5 at North Haledon Municipal Park. These 2 teams are the youngest in the Met League and will prove to be fiesty and disruptive to the rest of the league. The Met League looks forward to these young teams building long lasting franchises in the league.

BULLETS 1 - BREWERS 0
Marston Masterful as Bullets Beat Brewers - Pierce Marston fired six scoreless innings as the Bullets defeated the Brewers 1-0 in the opener for both teams. Marston allowed only three hits and struck out six in the victory. Adam Miller was eaqually masterful for the Brewers, allowing only four hits in a complete game effort. The bullets scored the game's lone run in the 3rd inning when a Taylor Perez groundout plated Mike Martucci, who registeres three of the Bullets four hits. Dan Green registered the save with an inning of scoreless relief. The Bullets, one of the league's top teams the last few years will look to continue to improve and will challenge for Met League supremacy. The West Orange Brewers , in their 3rd year in the league are also much improved and will certainly challenge to become a top team in the league.

TROAST CLUB 5 - REDS 3
The Hackensack Troast Club edged the North Haledon Reds in the night cap of opening day with a 5-3 win in a tightly contested game between 2 of the pre-season favorites. Lefty Eric Katzman started and went 4 strong innings in earning the win allowing only 1 run and striking out 6. Dan Rattacasa notched the save, closing out the game with 2 innings of scoreless relief. Rich Guillod had 2 hits and scored twice for the Troasts. Four different Troasts each had an RBI. Mike Rizzo and Mike Cassese each smacked 2 hits for the Reds.

OPENING DAY IS HERE!

Sunday, May 18th at North Haledon Municipal Park hosts a full slate of Met League action:

12:30pm - Allendale Marauders vs. Bergen Swamp Rats
5:30 pm -  West Orange Brewers vs. South Bergen Bullets
8:00 pm - Hackensack Troasts vs. North Haledon Reds

The Bergen Yankees, who drew the bye on opening day round out the field of 7 solid teams competing in the Met League this season. Each team will play a 24 game schedule with a league tournament to follow begining on July 21st!

The full league schedule has been posted on this website with some adjustments and changes being finalized this week.

Other Important League dates include:

5/19 - Met League Opening Weekend in North Haledon

7/6 - All Star Sunday

7/20 - End of Regular Season

7/21 - League Playoffs Begin

7/31 - AABC Regional Tournament Weekend 

8/7 - NABF Regional Tournament Weekend

The Met League is gearing up for another year of great amateur NJ baseball. This year guarantees to be full of exciting baseball!

Check out this phenomenal book on the history of amateur baseball in NJ. Our very own Bob Klapisch is a contributing writer in the book and he talks about glory days of the Met League. Troast captain Johnny Digirolamo is quoted in the book and there is also a photo of the 2011 regional champion Hackensack Troasts. Grab a copy. It'll make a great Christmas gift for any baseball player or fan!

Covered Wooden Grandstands