Ocean County Tournament Champions

Let’s bounce around a bit this morning but let me first say I was invited by Seaside Heights Mayor Bill Akers to meet Prince Harry yesterday but gave my spot to someone else.  I’m in the company of royalty on a regular basis anyway.

Good pitching will stop good hitting and it did in last night’s Ocean County Baseball Tournament championship game.  Ron Marinaccio and Steve Slagmolen combined on a two-hitter as Toms River North upset Jackson Memorial 2-0 to win its first OCT title since 2002 and snap an 8-game losing streak against the Jaguars.

Slagmolen got out of a bases-loaded, no outs jam in the 7^th to secure the victory for the Mariners, who also ended Jackson’s 15-game winning streak.  Carmen Scalfani added two hits and an RBI for North, who collected their third county title.

The powerhouse that is the Toms River East softball program picked up more hardware last night thanks to a 10-0 win over Toms River North in the Ocean County Tournament final.  It was the third straight county title and 9^th overall for Coach Debbie Schwartz, whose Raiders improved to 19-3 on the season.

Jordan Weed tossed a six-hitter, drove in two runs and claimed MVP honors. She did not allow an earned run while winning four games in the tournament.  Catcher Val Hirschfeld added 3 RBI’s for East.

The Southern Regional boy’s lacrosse team saw their 14-game winning streak end with a 14-5 loss to Rumson in the finals of the Shore Conference Tournament at Monmouth University Tuesday.  The championship was the third in-a-row for the Bulldogs, who have appeared in 7 of the 9 finals since the tournament began.  Brendan Mullen had three goals in the loss for the Rams.

For those who like gift auctions then you might want to be at Toms River Intermediate South this Saturday night.  The Beachwood Soccer Club is celebrating its 40^th anniversary with a gift auction with admission costing $15 which includes auction tickets, coffee and dessert and door prizes.  Doors open at 5:30pm and for more information visit beachwoodsoccer.com.

As a follow-up to yesterday’s segment I want to personally thank the six people who thought I was about to retire and said they would miss me.  None were co-workers.