A 12-year-old Little League player who was suspended from the New Jersey state final after a bat-flip celebration was cleared to play Thursday.<\/p>\n
Judge Robert G. Malestein ruled in favor of Marco Rocco, who tossed his bat after hitting a two-run homer at the top of the sixth inning in a July 16 game, according to NJ.com<\/a>. Rocco was ejected from that game and received a one-game suspension. That prompted his family to take legal action, as the suspension\u00a0would have kept him out of the championship round that started Thursday night between his Haddonfield team and Elmora.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that the easy answer for the court is that there is immediate and reparable harm that would befall this youth. He can\u2019t get this game back,\u201d Malestein said.<\/p>\n Malestein\u2019s decision came hours before the first pitch Thursday night, following an emergency temporary restraining order filed by Rocco\u2019s father, Joe, in the Gloucester County Chancery Division to try to reverse the suspension.<\/p>\n Rocco started the game on the bench but was later inserted at third base, the Associated Press reported. He batted in the bottom of the first inning but struck out, while Haddonfield went on to lose 10-0 in the team\u2019s first game of the double-elimination tournament. Haddonfield plays its second game Friday night against Ridgewood. The winner of the state championship round advances to regionals and earns a chance to advance from there to the Little League World Series.<\/p>\n \u201cLittle League International respects, and will uphold, the Gloucester County Superior Court of New Jersey Chancery Division judge\u2019s decision to allow a Haddonfield (N.J.) Little League player to participate in the Little League Baseball New Jersey State Tournament and beyond following an ejection caused by unsportsmanlike conduct last week,\u201d a spokesperson for Little League International said in a statement obtained by The Athletic. \u201cWhile we continue to follow any orders governed by the court of law, Little League is extremely disappointed that time, energy, and attention were diverted away from our volunteers and communities who are creating positive experiences for all players and families throughout the International Tournament.\u201d<\/p>\n Little League has promoted videos of bat flips<\/a> in the past. According to NJ.com, Brian Berkley, an attorney representing the Rocco family, pointed to those examples in the hearing.<\/p>\n