The North Ward Center’s Little League Baseball team defeated the team from the North Newark League 5-4 to capture the Larry Doby City Championship Tournament.
Cicso Galarza drove in the winning run in the bottom of the fifth with a two-run home run to centerfield. Galarza was also the starting pitcher and his brother, Felix, relieved him at the top of the fourth inning, allowing only two runs.
The championship game was played Aug. 12 at the Stephen N. Adubato Athletic Complex in Essex County’s Branch Brook Park with hundreds of friends, family and fans cheering the teams on. The game was broadcast by Cablevision Channel 18.
The all-city tournament began on Aug. 5 with 12-and-under teams from all of Newark’s Little Leagues. In addition to North Ward and North Newark, the tournament featured teams from Jackie Robinson, Ivy Hill, Central Ward, West Ward, Roberto Clemente and Ironbound.
“We’re proud of our team,” said Rashard Casey, the director of the North Ward Center’s Youth Development and Recreation Program. “They’ve been playing great all spring and summer and never quit. They’re a fantastic group of players.”
The North Ward Center’s team is comprised of the best players from the League, but also requires the players to be good students and upstanding citizens. Many of the members of the team traveled to Puerto Rico in the Spring to play against Guaynabo. The North Ward Center League was founded more than three decades ago.
“We are thrilled that Our Boys of Summer played, but we are more impressed with the way they conducted themselves on the field,” said Adrianne Davis, the executive director of The North Ward Center. “The goal of our recreational program is to foster leadership, teamwork and life skills that can be used off the field as well.”
Stephen N. Adubato, the founder of The North Ward Center, said all the teams that participated in the tournament should be congratulated.
“We started this program many years ago to give our children a healthy and fun alternative to the street,” Adubato said. “I am glad to see it is still going strong after all these years.”
