RIDGEFIELD – In the stands at Veterans Memorial Field in Ridgefield, it seems like every fan brings something to nibble on. Moms bring Hershey’s Kisses. There are sunflower seeds tossed around. A man even walked around offering lollipops.
“They have everything you need,” Ridgefield baseball coach Joe Gambardella said with a laugh. “Wait until you see a night game, it’s even better.”
On the field, the Royals are taking big bites toward a return to the Group 1 championship. Senior right-hander Eamon Catherina tossed a one-hitter, and the bats came alive in a big way as the Royals took down Secaucus, 10-0, Thursday in six innings in the North 2, Group 1 quarterfinals.
Next up for Ridgefield is a sectional semifinal matchup against Dayton, the team the Royals beat in last year’s group semifinals.
It’s hard not to look at this edition of the Royals and think about last season. Gambardella called that team the best in school history, but it ended its season with a 7-1 loss to Shore in the state final.
Everyone in Royal blue remembers.
“You just have to want it,” Ridgefield pitcher/infielder Chris Martucci said. “There are a lot of kids here who don’t know what it feels like and a lot who do. For me, I just don’t want to stop playing baseball. I just want to keep going as far as we can go.”
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