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Sports

U-12 Bears Having A Summer to Remember

After winning the Edison tournament this week, the squad is preparing to travel to Cooperstown, N.Y., later this month to play teams from across the nation.

The East Brunswick Bears U-12 travel baseball team completed a highly successful season Thursday night when it defeated Jersey City 6-3 to become the champions of the 2011 Edison Tournament.  

This was the second tournament championship for the Bears, who also took the Readington Memorial Day tournament earlier this year, as well as taking second place in two other tournaments. The team's record for the summer was 28-11, which included an invitation to the Cal Ripken State Tournament in Mount Olive.

Thursday's game was highlighted by a four-run first inning, and six-inning complete game by pitcher J.J. Ganzaroli, who struck out seven and added offensive punch with a solo HR in the fourth inning to bring the score to 5-3. Ganzaroli stole two bases in the bottom of the fifth to help generate the sixth run, putting the game out of reach for Jersey City.

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Jersey City played great defense during the championship game, particularly in the fifth, robbing David Paribello of extra bases with a diving catch in left field.  However, the four-run  first proved to be too much for Jersey City, as Ganzaroli dominated with fastballs and well-placed off-speed pitches.

The Bears played tremendous defense throughout both pool play and playoffs of the Edison tournament, and contributors included Jay Marchese (two HR in pool play), and Mason Settembre (2-0 pitching). 

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The team's next challenge comes in three weeks, when they make the trek to Dreams Park in Cooperstown, N.Y., to take part in a 100-plus team tournament with teams from across the nation.

The team includes Jay Marchese, J.J. Ganzaroli, Matthew Nelson, Mason Settembre, Christian Shelley, Josh Brody, David Paribello, Matt Miskanic, Andrew Lee, Evan Dekhayser, Brandon Perez, Sam Bernstein, manager Jay Marchese Sr., and coaches Mike Cherence, Carl Nelson, David Settembre, and Rory Shelley.

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