By CHRIS MALEY
www.cliftonparkworldseries.com
CLIFTON PARK – Facing elimination, Atlantic Shore, NJ kept their title hopes alive Monday with a 6-1 victory against Jasper, IN at the World Series Field in Clifton Park.
With the win, Atlantic Shore advances to 2-2 in the American Division and is forced to rely on a tiebreaker to be able to advance to the quarterfinals.
Jasper falls to 1-2 with one game remaining in pool play.
Atlantic Shore starting pitcher Kyler Pikus was dominant for most of the contest, as he did not surrender a run until the final inning. That was the only run Pikus gave up in the complete-game, five-hit victory.
Jasper starting hurler T.D. Nottingham was solid, allowing only four base runners in four innings.
Matt Morgan led Atlantic Shore with two hits and two runs batted in. Kyle Gerace went 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
For the Ohio Valley Champs, shortstop Craig Shepherd led the squad with two hits.
The Mid-Atlantic Champions jumped out to an early 2-0 lead due to sloppy play in the field by Jasper. After leadoff batter Anthony Boselli reached base on an error and Gerace singled, Indiana’s second basemen overthrew firstbase on Cody Sairmelli’s dribbler. While attempting to gun down the runner going to second, Jasper’s first-basemen proceeded to overthrow second base. The team was charged with two errors on the play, three errors in the inning, and two runs crossed the plate.
Atlantic Shore scored later in the inning on Nick Droboniku’s RBI-single to make the score 3-0.
Meanwhile, Pikus was cruising. After allowing an infield single to start the game, he retired 13 consecutive batters before hitting Tate Blessinger with a pitch in the top of the fifth.
“I was just trying to be repetitious, and repeat everything I do,” Pikus said.
His only trouble occurred in the final frame, when Jasper’s Wendholt knocked an RBI-single to center with two outs. Pikus shut the door for the final out.
“Early my curveball was really nice. It just broke and the umpires gave me some calls,” Pikus said. “Later I threw cutters, changeups, fastballs down and away and they were working.”
The game was broke open in the bottom of the fifth when first-basemen Matt Morgan laced a double to left, knocking in two runs and increasing Atlantic Shore’s margin to 5-0.
The Mid-Atlantic champs tacked on a run later on Zach Newman’s RBI-groundout.
With Pikus on the mound, six runs was more than enough breathing room.
“When (Tyler) pitches, we are a different team. The team expects to win,” Atlantic Shore manager Mike Gill said.
“He’s just a step above most of the kids his age. He’s so polished, doesn’t walk anybody, and is well composed.”
The Mid-Atlantic Champs have to rely on other game outcomes now, Gill possesses confidence in his squad’s chances.
“We’ve had this situation happen before,” he said. “If we get into the quarterfinal round, we might just be the team others don’t want to match up against.”
Jasper is slated for 5 p.m. Tuesday against Glen Allen, VA in a must-win situation, while Atlantic Shore waits to see how the other games unfold.

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