Baseball's Best

Jackson is one of four teams playing in the New Jersey State Little League Tournament, which opens tonight in Clayton with the winner heading to the Mid Atlantic Regional in Bristol, Connecticut. Managed by Bill Young, the Jackson 12-year olds play South Vineland tonight at 8pm after Randolph East takes on Rutherford National in the double elimination tournament.
Jackson has gone 12-1 while winning the District 18 and Section 3 tournaments for the first team in league history.

In Babe Ruth Baseball’s Cal Ripken Division, the Point Pleasant All-Stars split their games Thursday on the opening day of the Middle Atlantic Region Tournament in Bridgewater. The 12-year olds lost to host Bridgewater in the morning but came back to edge Queensbury, New York 3-2 and stay alive in the double elimination tournament. Point Pleasant plays Amherst, New York today with a win sending them to the semifinals.

Being far from home I’m sure Toms River’s Todd Frazier and Jimmy Principe are looking forward to this weekend when the high school rivals face each other for the first time as pro baseball players. The 21-year olds are playing in the Pioneer League and Frazier’s Billings Mustangs host Principe and the Missoula Osprey for three games beginning tonight in Montana. Todd was an All-State player at Toms River South and All-American at Rutgers before being a 2nd round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds last month. In his first 12 games with Billings the shortstop is batting .286 with 2 home runs and 9 RBI’s. Principe was a standout at Toms River East and had two outstanding seasons at Brookdale Community College before signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks in June. An outfielder, he’s batting .276 with a homer, 4 RBI’s and 14 runs after 19 games. I’m sure the two, who are good friends, will have a lot to talk about.

After winning three of the first four games Ocean County takes a 5-game losing streak into Sunday’s 10th Annual Shore High School All-Star Hockey Game at the Red Bank Armory. Hosted by Jim Dowd’s Shoot for the Stars Foundation, proceeds from the game will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ocean County. Dowd, who hopes to be playing with the Devils again this season, is a Brick native and Point Pleasant resident who has raised thousands of dollars for organizations and individuals with the game which starts at 6pm. Travis Foster of Toms River East, last year’s Ocean MVP, will be among the players lacing up his skates Sunday.