North Arlington’s Junior League 14U All-Stars started Sunday by making history, then followed it up with a celebration fit for an accomplishment no North Arlington Little League team had ever achieved.
North Arlington won its first-ever state Little League title with a 5-3 victory over Toms River in the NJ State Junior League Baseball final in Secaucus. Shortly after the victory, the players were welcomed home with an impromptu victory parade through town, escorted by the North Arlington Police and Fire departments.
“Our mayor (Daniel H. Pronti) did a great job. He’s been following our journey throughout the whole season and he knew we had something special going on,” North Arlington head coach Javier Cruz said. “As we came home, he let us know that we had a nice little parade set up. We rode through town with our (championship) flags up. Our district, sectional and state title banners were up as we went through town. It was a great experience for the boys.”
It was the culmination of a near-flawless tournament for North Arlington as it won three consecutive games, allowing just five runs total while defeating Haddon Heights on Thursday and then Toms River on Friday and Sunday.
“We have a great pitching staff,” Cruz said. “We have six to eight guys who can throw strikes consistently at a high level.
In Sunday’s clincher, staff ace Maverick Michalski tossed 5.1 scoreless innings, striking out three, while allowing two hits and five walks.
Michalski got all the help he needed when North Arlington erupted for four runs in the top of the first inning. Joshua Figueroa led the offensive attack on the day, going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Owen Alvarez, who got the last two outs on the mound, was 1-for-2 with a hit by pitch and two runs and Noah Vargas went 1-for-1 with a walk, hit by pitch, run and a RBI. Vargas also stole three bases.
Leading 5-0, North Arlington gave up three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning with Toms River getting the tying run onto first base with one out. Alvarez settled down and got the last two outs as North Arlington withstood its first real adversity of its entire run from districts to the state final
After dominating its way to District 5 and Section 1 championships, North Arlington’s state tournament run started with a 2-1 victory over Haddon Heights.
Michalski started and struck out four over 3.2 innings. He allowed one hit and two walks before handing the ball to Figueroa who struck out five in 3.1 hitless innings, allowing one run and two walks to pick up the win in relief.
Figueroa, who was dominant throughout tournament play, was 3-for-3 with a RBI, while Michalski and Vargas each went 2-for-3 with a run scored. Vargas also had an RBI for North Arlington, which broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the sixth.
One night later, Vargas struck out eight over 4.2 innings, allowing one run on three hits and six walks to pick up the 4-1 win over Toms River. Michael Faulk got the final seven outs for the save.
On offense, Vargas was 2-for-2 with a hit by pitch, run and three stolen bases, while Braden Duffy went 2-for-3 with a RBI and two stolen bases. Faulk had a run and an RBI, while Jayden Beauchene and Davian Navarro each drove in a run.
“We knew it was going to be tough,” Cruz said. “These are the best guys in the state, but we knew we were good too and we definitely showed it. “Right now we’re playing so confidently because this team is running on all cylinders. We’re ready to go.
Next up for the group from North Arlington is the East Regional Tournament in Dubois, Pennsylvania, from July 19-24. North Arlington’s first game will be on Saturday, July 19, at 8 p.m. against the Massachusetts state champion.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)