SAYREVILLE - It’s been years since a Millstone-Roosevelt Little League 12-year-old softball All-Star team has been this good and first baseman Savannah Barry shared a secret to the success.
“There is no offseason. I practice year-round,” Savannah said.
She isn’t alone.
“These girls have been together since 6 years old, from tee-ball,” head coach Erick Simonds said. “It has been amazing to see them come together as they mature.”
Millstone-Roosevelt - after last week winning its first Little League district championship since 1997 - opened the Section 3 Tournament with an 8-3 victory over Sayreville Wednesday.
What’s ahead
The Redbirds have their next game in the double-elimination tournament Friday against either North Wall or Toms River. The section winner will go on to the state Little League tournament.
Millstone’s MO is “keeping runs down and pouring runs on,” Simonds said.
“We dig deep and they finish games.”
The pitching star against Sayreville was Anna Simonds, who struck out five and was also an offensive spark with an RBI single on a full count pitch in the first inning.
Her job is “to be a leader and pitch in the circle,” she said.
It is all business for Anna on the slab, and she keeps her head in the game thinking about the team behind her.
“I think about how important this job is and how I have a great defense and offense as a whole team. It is all about the team. I know that we got this,” she said.
Turning point
Millstone poured it on with four runs in the second inning thanks in large part to an RBI triple from Kaity Zambrio.
Defensively, Barry and her teammates made the sure outs. Savannah said Millstone saw some challenges during the district tournament, preparing them for the game at sectionals.
“We saw a lot of good teams and a lot of good hitting. We knew it was going to be tough coming here,” she said. “We knew our defense had to be stronger because we faced tough teams in districts.”
Playing with each other “her entire life” is the reason the team gels so well, Savannah said.
‘We always pick each other up. We can sometimes be down on ourselves as individuals, but our teammates are always there to pick us up,” Savannah said.
Going deep
Millstone-Roosevelt is also known for strong play in the outfield, where it isn’t a glamorous job - but when the play is coming at you, the pressure is on to make the out, says center fielder Gabby Tate.
“I have to make sure everyone knows what they're doing in the field, and always remember to pick up my teammates whenever they need to be picked up,” she said.
And sometimes that pressure is on her. She said it isn’t easy when the “easy out” is coming down to you. It is “very hard.”
But miscues can happen.
“You have to pretend like nothing happened, and brush it off, because you have to play another game. You have to pick yourself back up right after that play,” she said.
This Millstone players know each other well and have been there, done that - they won a state championship as a 10u team. Winning is what they know.
“The sky’s the limit,” says Coach Simonds.
“We were undefeated then during the state runs and we are undefeated now. We are going to move forward,” he said. “They find a way to win.”
Second game of doubheader: Toms River 3, Freehold Township 2
Defending state champion Toms River won the nightcap of the Section 3 opening day doubheader, turning back Freehold Township 3-2.
Toms River will play North Wall Thursday at 5:30 p.m., followed by Freehold Township against Sayreville at 7:30 p.m.