ORANGE, NJ – After spending three days not only hosting the 3rd Annual Monte Irvin Giants Wood Bat Classic baseball tournament, but also winning all three games they played, the Orange Monte Irvin Giants 19U team were not going to let anything go wrong in the Championship game Sunday afternoon, July 30.
The Giants won the title with an 8-5 victory over Jersey City at Monte Irvin field at Central Playground, going 3-0 in the tournament and winning for the second consecutive year.
Angel Soler, who won the Championship Game MVP Award, went 2-for-4 with 3 stolen bases and one run. Diego De Leon also had a big game, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, four runs, one RBI and one caught stealing. Giants’ pitcher Jonathan Toribio pitched a complete game, striking out six. Toribio also went 2-for-4 with one run and a stolen base.
“We were confident coming out of the winners’ bracket and winning a tough semi-final game against Camden 5-3,” said Ross Wright, Co-Head Coach Monte Irvin Giants. “Jersey City is a solid squad and fundamentally they don’t beat themselves. We knew it was going to be a battle, but we were ready for it.”
In addition to the Monte Irvin Giants, participating teams included the North Camden Braves, Newark Rebels, Philadelphia Black Sox, Republic Records (Montclair), and the Jersey City Sharks.
“The whole tournament was like a playoff atmosphere in the summer,” Monte Irvin Giants Co-Head Coach John Boykin said. “Back-to-back is sweet, especially after not making the championship game the first year.”
“What a great weekend of baseball in Orange!” said Wally Boyett, Tournament Director. “Starting Friday night when the Giants scored two in the seventh to beat a very good Republic Records team, 7-5, to the Newark Rebels’ 6-5 walk-off victory over Philadelphia Saturday night, the tournament was full of excitement.”
NOTES – July 14 to July 18, the Giants travelled to Greensboro, N.C. to participate in the MJBL Inner City Classic. The Giants finished 4-2, going 3-1 in pool play, beating Detroit, Charlotte, N.C. and Bridgeport, Conn., and losing to Boston Red Sox prime. Monte Irvin, the No. 2 playoff seed, beat Savannah, Ga. in the first round before losing to Chester, Pa. in the semi-final round.
The Giants will close the 2017 tournament season by participating in the Boston Urban Baseball Classic, August 9-13 in Boston, Mass. For more Monte Irvin Giant information, please visit migiants20.weebly.com or contact Wally Boyett at 908-316-5736.
Photos by Steve Ellmore, Giants vs. Republic Records, Friday, July 28.
Team photo courtesy of Wally Boyett:
Left-to-right standing: Joshua Fields, Diego De Leon, Al Diaz, Coach Ross Wright, Luis Cortes, Darryn Stewart, Enrique Garcia, Jonathan Toribio, and Coach John Boykin. Left-to-right kneeling: Ronaldo Espinal, Elmy Antonio, Damien Echerarria, Shamil Roberts, and Angel Soler.
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