CRESSKILL − For the first time in 38 years, Hudson County is the nexus of Little League baseball in New Jersey.
And for the first time ever, Bayonne is in the middle of it all.
The Bayonne 12-year-olds defeated Blackwood Kiwanis, 9-3, on Aug. 3 to claim the annual Joe Graziano New Jersey Little League championship in front of an overflow crowd at Crestron Field.
All nine of Bayonne's runs came on six home runs by four different players. Mason Rincon blasted three home runs and collected five RBIs. Pitcher Chase Klimkowski earned the win, going 5? innings with seven strikeouts. Rincon closed it out in the sixth for the save.
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Photos: Bayonne tops Blackwood in NJ Little League championship game
The other home runs came off the bats of AJ Tapia, Owen Feliz and Klimkowski.
"This team has been together since they were 8-year-olds. We added pieces along the way. They won a state championship when they were eight and went to championship games as 10- and 11-year-olds," coach Justin Smith said. "This was the year that matters. They all bought in and they worked hard for this. The kids work hard and they deserve it."
Bayonne is just the fifth Hudson County charter to capture a Little League state title since the tournament was first held in 1957, and the first since Roberto Clemente (Jersey City) in 1988. The West New York Americans won in 1960 and went back to back in 1966-67. Bayonne is the first team out of Section 2 to win a state title since Elmora (Elizabeth) in 2019.
Bayone (10-0), the Section 2 and District 7 champions, will face Connecticut state champion Darien at 7 p.m. on Saturday Aug. 8 (ESPN Plus) in Game 2 of the Metro Region in Bristol, Connecticut. The winner of the Metro Region advances to the 2026 Little League World Series.
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A win on Aug. 8 would push Bayonne into next Monday's winner's bracket at 1 p.m., while a loss would drop it to the loser's bracket in an elimination game on Sunday at 7 p.m.
"I was seeing the ball well today. I was looking to do whatever it takes to make sure the team wins," Rincon said. "At the end of the day, my personal stats don't matter. All that matters is the overall outcome is a win. I just wanted to do my job and do what's best for the team."
Bayonne's path to the state title began with a 12-1 win (4 innings) over Section 3 and District 12 champion Nottingham on July 31. Bayonne needed just the minimum three games of the double-elimination tournament to sweep its way to the New Jersey crown. It was their second win over Blackwood this weekend, defeating the South Jersey team, 7-0 on Aug. 1.
In 10 games this postseason, Bayonne has dominated, outscoring its opponents, 98-16 with three shutouts.
"It's definitely been a journey. Going all the way from the districts, sectional and the states and winning all of them," Rincon said. "I'm so happy to be doing it with this group of guys. I've known them for a while now and it's great to experience it with all of them."