AMERICAN LEGION STATE PLAYOFFS: Brooklawn Knocked Out by Allentown
Friday, July 30, 2021
WOOD-RIDGE JULY 29, 2021)— Fresh off winning its first Mercer County American Legion League title this summer, the Allentown Legion baseball team went after its first state title Wednesday night (July 28, 2021)at the Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex.
Manager Sahil Thakur’s squad brought home the MCALL’s third state crown since 1997 by defeating the state’s most successful team, Brooklawn Post 72, 5-2.
Minus the 2020 coronavirus-canceled season, the MCALL has placed teams in four straight Final 8 championship games, winning the state title with Hopewell Post 339 in 2017, Broad Street Park Post 313 in 2018 and now Allentown.
Allentown (22-3) will now head to the Mid-Atlantic Regional at McCrary Field in Asheboro, N.C. Aug. 4-8, trying to qualify for the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C.’s Veterans Field Aug. 12-17.
“This is awesome!” said Thakur, whose team had a strong following in the stands, led by his mother, Sapna, who never misses a game. “We started this process in January. All our hard work showed today as everybody contributed.”
Brooklawn, winner of 30 state titles (most recently in 2019), took the early lead when Ian Murphy hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning after Cole Fowler was hit by a pitch.