Hoboken, NJ -- The Johnny Bench Division Championship came down to the one and two seeds, 10th & Willow and Hudson River Crossfit respectively, in a rematch of a midseason clash.  Hudson River Crossfit was hoping for a different outcome this time around, but instead would experience déjà vu with a second 14-0 rout at the hands of the repeat champions 10th & Willow.

            10th & Willow started the game with a 2-run first inning, but would do the majority of their damage in the middle innings.  After a scoreless second, they would find their groove and post crooked numbers over the next 3 innings, extending their lead to a daunting 14-0 after five innings of play.  Hudson River Crossfit, on the other hand, could not get anything going at the plate.  They were held to just 3 hits and a walk in a shutout performance by Ryan Reder and the strong defense behind him.  The potent 10th & Willow offense was led by Craig Barrows and Brandon Marucci.  Barrows went 3 for 3 at the plate and knocked in 3 runs while scoring 1 of his own.  Marucci, the MVP of the championship game, also went 3 for 3 at the plate with a pair of 2-run homeruns and scored 3 times himself.  His first homerun broke open the scoring in the first and his second capped off a 5-run third inning for the champs.  Tim Knapp owned the other multi-hit game.  He went 2 for 3 with a solo homerun, 2 RBI’s, and 3 runs scored.

            It was a dominating performance by 10th & Willow, as they put their opponent away early.  They dominated on both offense and defense, and went home with their second consecutive Rec championship.  Congratulations to both teams for two excellent seasons and we look forward to seeing you again in the coming seasons.