The Rutherford Americans won the District 5 Little League baseball championship by edging their cross-town rivals, the Nationals, in the first all-Rutherford tournament finale.
It marked the first time in 14 years that a Rutherford team has made it to the district finals and the only time in the 27-year history of Rutherford Little League that both local squads were represented.
The Americans triumphed, 9-7, in the game which was played at Carlstadt. They jumped to a 6-1 lead and then increased it to 9-1. But the Americans had to fight off a last-inning National League six-run rally that fell two short.
Gus Boisits got his second tournament victory for manager Bill Indyk’s Americans but he needed help from Guy Indyk, who came on to get the final out after a grand slam home run by Joe Papenberg had narrowed the margin to two runs. Boisits allowed only three hits but walked 10.
Wildness also was a problem for manager Dan Mariano’s Nationals. Starting pitcher Pete Kelly and reliever Bob Witterschein gave up six runs in the first inning on four walks, a two-run double by Nick Tria, an infield out by Tom Ferullo and run-scoring singles by Keith Klein and Dave Lambie.
The other American League runs came in the fifth on a single by Pat Blanchfield, a walk to Boisits and a three-run homer by Ben Calvitti over the right centerfield fence.
Meanwhile, Boisits allowed the Nationals only one run and gave up just two first-inning singles by Sam Ferretti and Bob Jennerich before running into control problems in the sixth. The Nationals rallied for six runs in that inning on five walks, an error and Papenberg’s two-out grand slammer before Indyk put out the fire.