Monroe 10, South Plainfield 0 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:13 p.m. EDT April 27, 2016 Senior right-handed Robbie Peto, a University of North Carolina signee, hurled the second no-hitter of his career, striking out 12 in a game shortened to six innings via the mercy rule.
With three no-hit innings in his last outing against Seton Hall Prep on Saturday, Peto extended his string of innings without allowing a hit to nine.
Monroe (9-2), which has not lost a conference game, outscored its last four division opponents 43-2. Peto, who had two no-hit bids spoiled in the seventh inning of games last season, complemented a fastball that topped out in the low 90 mph range with a devastating changeup.
He skillfully positioned his feet on different parts of the pitching rubber for specific offerings to vary the angles of his deliveries to hitters.
Throughout his career, Peto has gotten stronger and more effective as the season progresses, a pattern that appears to be repeating itself.
“Once he settles into the spring, his velocity start to pick up, his location starts to (improve) and I think his offspeed stuff really shows up in late April and early May,” Monroe head coach Pat Geroni said.
Geroni credited Peto and batteryamte Anthony Tagliaferro with calling a good game. Tagliaferro contributed two hits and four RBI to the victory.
Rico Viani’s two-run single with the bases loaded (a third runner scored via an error on the play) in the second inning spotted Peto an early lead.
Chris Perdoni, who has been on a tear of late, collecting eight hits in his last 10 at-bats, went 2-for-3 against the Tigers.
He also made a couple of nice defensive plays, including one on a groundball up the middle on which he flashed great range, to keep Peto’s gem intact.
Piscataway 7, South Plainfield 3 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:16 p.m. EDT April 28, 2016 Chris Corvil went 3-for-3 with a double for the Chiefs (4-12), who have won two of their last three. Corvil doubled in the sixth and singled in the fifth and seventh innings.
Brian Jeziorski contributed a singled, an RBI, a walk and two runs to the victory. Piscataway scored single runs in the first, third, sixth and seventh innings. They rallied for three runs in the fifth. Zach Merring highlighted the outburst with a two-run single that scored Corvil and John Swier.
Nick Plate had an RBI single for the Tigers (6-9), who have lost five in a row and six of their last seven. Teammate Nick Polizzano went 2-for-4.
Piscataway pitcher Jacob Vitalico allowed no earned runs, walked one and fanned three over two and two thirds innings. Joe Maisano got the win in relief for Chiefs. Maisano pitched three innings and allowed two runs.
Mike Stanczak was charged with the loss. He lasted two and two thirds innings, walked one, struck out two and allowed five runs.
Eight different Chiefs recorded at least one hit apiece. The Tigers were outhit 10-5.
Monroe (7) at South Plainfield (0) By The Star Ledger on April 25, 2016 9:41 PM
Eric Heatter pitched a two-hit shutout, allowing one walk with 10 strikeouts for Monroe, No. 4 in the NJ.com Top 20, as it defeated South Plainfield, 7-0, in South Plainfield.
Chris Perdoni was 4-for-4 for Monroe, which out-hit South Plainfield, 11-2. Rico Viani was 3-for-4.
Monroe 7, South Plainfield 0 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:28 a.m. EDT April 26, 2016 With its 7-0 victory over South Plainfield on Monday, the Monroe High School baseball team clinched its third consecutive Greater Middlesex Conference White Division championship. Monroe owns an 8-2 overall record and a 7-0 division mark. Woodbridge (9-4 overall, 4-3 division) is the lone division member with a chance to mathematically tie the Falcons for first place in the division.
But even if the Barrons win their three remaining division games and Monroe loses its three remaining division games, the Falcons hold the tiebreaker between the schools and would win the title outright because they swept Woodbridge in the regular-season series. According to league rules, the only time a division title is shared is when three or more schools finish with identical records.
Monroe’s only losses this season are out of conference to perennial state powers Toms River North (8-5 defeat) and Seton Hall Prep (3-2 setback in eight innings).
The Falcons have outscored division foes by a combined 51-10 margin of victory. Junior left-hander Eric Heatter, a Rutgers University commit, struck out 10, allowed two hits and walked one.
Chris Perdoni went 4-for-4 and scored once, while teammate Rico Viani went 3-for-4 and scored twice. Matt Sorrento, Shawn Eldridge (two runs), Kenny Sysyn and Heatter had one hit apiece.
Monroe scored once in the first and twice in the second to build a 3-0 lead. The Falcons rallied for four runs in the sixth to produce the final margin.
Losing pitcher Jake Alba, a Stony Brook signee, allowed five earned runs on 10 hits. He fanned four and walked two.
Kevin Czapelski was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs and two RBI as Millburn defeated South Plainfield, 14-1, in an Autism Awareness Challenge game in North Brunswick.
Richie Schiekofer, Nick Minter and Peter Serruto each drove in a pair of runs for Millburn, which broke it open with 11 runs in the third inning. Brian Lannino allowed one run on one hit and two walks over five innings, striking out four to pick up the win.
Millburn 14, South Plainfield 1 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:15 a.m. EDT April 24, 2016 Dylan O’Connor’s bunt single was the lone hit for the Tigers (6-6), who have dropped three of their last four and been outscored 26-1 in their last two outings.
South Plainfield was outhit 9-1 and allowed 11 runs in the third inning. O’Connor helped stop the bleeding with two innings of solid relief.
O’Connor singled, stole second and score South Plainfield’s lone run on an infield error.
J Mack Rembisz was 3-for-4 with three runs for Westfield as it defeated South Plainfield, 12-0, in South Plainfield.
Devin Anderson was 2-for-4 for Westfield, which scored five of its 12 runs in the sixth inning and out-hit South Plainfield, 13-2. Steve Karmakian was 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Kyle Bythell and Nick Polizzano had one hit each for South Plainfield.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:17 p.m. EDT April 21, 2016 Westfield 12, South Plainfield 0
The Tigers, who had won five of their previous six, were limited to two hits.
Kyle Bythell (sacrifice bunt) and Nick Polizzano each had a single for South Plainfield (6-5), which stranded six runners over the first three innings.
Losing pitcher Ryan Stankan lasted two and two thirds innings
Jean Sapini threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts and one walk for South Plainfield in its 10-0 victory over Woodbridge in South Plainfield.
Jared Marks and Jack Gillis added two hits and one RBI each for South Plainfield, which scored six runs in the fifth inning to break a scoreless tie and added four runs in the sixth inning. Kyle Bythell chipped in with a two-run single in the victory.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:58 p.m. EDT April 19, 2016
The Tigers (6-4), who have won five of their last six, rallied for 10 runs over the fifth and sixth innings on the way to a mercy-rule victory.
Winning pitcher Jean Sapini struck out 10 and allowed just one hit, a disputed triple in the second inning on which center fielder Jack Gillis laid out and appeared to make a spectacular diving catch. The base umpire, however, ruled the ball off the bat of Kyle Mortensen a hit.
Jared Marks snapped a scoreless deadlock in the home fifth with an RBI single that ignited a six-run rally. Gillis followed with an RBI single.
Sapini capped a four-run rally that invoked the mercy rule in the sixth with a two-run walk-off single. Making his second start on the mound this season, Sapini walked just one batter. Marks went 2-for-3 and Gillis finished 2-for-4. Woodbridge (7-4) had a three-game winning streak snapped.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:43 p.m. EDT April 18, 2016
Following are the Home News Tribune’s Top 10 Greater Middlesex Conference baseball rankings for games played through April 17. 1. Monroe 5-1: The Falcons had their five-game winning streak snapped in an 8-5 loss against Toms River North at Diamond Nation on Sunday night. Monroe previously defeated three consecutive opponents in close games, edging Spotswood 4-3 and Woodbridge 2-1 after defeating the Barrons 5-2 in 10 innings. Monroe’s victories – including a series sweep of Colonia – have come by a total of 11 runs or 2.2 per game. Toms River North, the defending Shore Conference Class A champions, opened the year No. 5 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10, but has since dropped out of the rankings.
2. East Brunswick 7-0-1: The Bears went 3-0 last week with a sweep of St. Joseph and a 6-5 win over Perth Amboy. After defeating the Falcons 3-2 in the opener, East Brunswick beat its Red Division rival 7-2. Three of the Bears’ last four victories have come in their final at-bat.
3. South Brunswick 7-2: The Vikings have their three-game winning streak snapped with a 4-3 loss to Piscataway last Tuesday. The game was the first of six over a span of five days for South Brunswick, which won four in a row before falling 6-1 to Rutgers Prep on Saturday after it had defeated Ewing 7-5 earlier in the day. The Vikings swept a series from Edison – winning 3-2 and 5-0 – and also posted their second mercy-rule defeat of J.P. Stevens with a 17-0 thumping.
4. Old Bridge 6-2: After dropping a 1-0 decision to Sayreville last Tuesday, the Knights rebounded to win three in a row before falling 2-1 on Saturday to Seton Hall Prep, widely regarded as a Top 10 team in the state. Old Bridge’s staff – with Jake Kodros, Luis Cruz, Carlos Lopez and Joe Papeo complementing ace Zach Attianese – has been phenomenal. Excluding last week’s 5-4 win over J.P. Stevens, the Knights have allowed just seven runs in their other seven games. Old Bridge played six games in six days last week, splitting with Sayreville (including a 7-1 win), sweeping J.P. Stevens (winning the opener 11-1) and defeating Perth Amboy (10-2).
5. St. Joseph 4-2: The Falcons sandwiched a 3-1 victory over perennial state power Cranford and a 1-0 win over Paramus Catholic around a pair of losses to East Brunswick. St. Joseph lost 3-2 and 7-2 to the Bears. With the exception of the loss to the Bears, pitching has been outstanding for St. Joseph, with the staff allowing a total of eight runs in its five other games combined.
6. Woodbridge 6-3: The Barrons posted a 3-2 record last week, defeating Perth Amboy 5-3, Plainfield 14-4 and defending Blue Division champion Bishop Ahr 6-2. Woodbridge dropped a season series to Monroe, falling 5-2 in 10 innings and 2-1. The Barrons’ only other loss is to Marlboro, which the Asbury Park Press ranks No. 3 in the Shore Conference.
7. South Plainfield 5-3: After playing without aces Jake Alba (pneumonia) and Jean Sapini (working his way back after surgery to repair a torn meniscus), the Tigers bounced back from getting swept by North Brunswick in a doubleheader by winning four in a row. After sweeping a season series from Colonia by outscoring the Patriots 16-2, South Plainfield used a dramatic three-run rally in the seventh for a 14-13 comeback win over Notre Dame. Billy Keane then earned the win on the mound in a 6-0 blanking of Paramus.
8. Edison (3-5): The Eagles, who will benefit from the return of third baseman John Zanfordino, who missed the start of the season while recovering from an injury, remain a scrappy bunch with four of their losses coming by a total of eight runs. After splitting with J.P. Stevens (rebounding from a 2-1 loss with a 5-4 win), Edison got swept by South Brunswick, falling 5-0 and 2-3. The club’s other losses are to St. Joseph by a combined 9-4 margin.
9. South River 7-2: After helping veteran head coach Mike Lepore Jr. earn his 200th career victory, the Rams endured a 16-4 loss to undefeated Delaware Valley, ranked No. 10 in the Courier News, which covers all of Somerset County as well as parts of Hunterdon, Union and Middlesex counties. The loss snapped a five game-winning streak for the Rams, who had outscored their four previous opponents 47-1, allowing just two hits during that stretch. South River’s wins last week included a season sweep of New Brunswick and a victory over Academy Charter.
10. J.P. Stevens (5-5): A four-game losing streak – during which the Hawks were mercy-ruled by South Brunswick and Old Bridge – nearly knocked them out of the Top 10, but the defending Red Division co-champions will get another week to redeem themselves. J.P. Stevens sandwiched 5-4 losses to Edison and Old Bridge around the aforementioned lopsided defeats. The Hawks opened the year winning five of their first six including a 4-2 victory over Eastern, which one statewide publication ranked No. 10 in New Jersey at the time.
By The Star Ledger on April 18, 2016 7:13 PM Kyle Mortensen hit a walk-off single into left field to score Trevor Cykowski for Woodbridge as it defeated South Plainfield, 4-3, in Woodbridge.
Nick Bradshaw was 1-for-3 with two RBI for Woodbridge, which jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Justin Silva, Zach Joe and Pablo Suriel chipped in one hit each. Harry Rutkowski was 2-for-2.
Jack Gillis was 3-for-4 with one RBI for South Plainfield. Jake Alba pitched a six-hitter, allowing three runs and four walks with six strikeouts.
Woodbridge 4, South Plainfield 3 Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 8:49 p.m. EDT April 18, 2016
Some defensive heroics in the top of the seventh positioned the Barrons for a walk-off win in the bottom of the inning.
Kyle Mortensen’s two-out single to left scored Trevor Cykowski, who walked and took second on a sacrifice bunt to snap a 3-3 deadlock. The Tigers intentionally walked Harry Rutkowski to pitch to Mortensen.
Junior third baseman Justin Silva made a diving stop to save a run in the top of the seventh after which Rutkowski fanned the next batter with runners on second and third to keep the score 3-3.
Rutkowski (3-1), a Rutgers commit, went the distance. He fanned four, walked one and allowed two earned runs on six hits.
Nick Bradshaw went 1-for-3 with two RBI for the Barrons (7-3), who have won three straight after getting swept by White Division leader Monroe last week. Silva and Pablo Suriel each scored a run for Woodbridge.
South Plainfield scored in the top of the third to cut a 2-0 deficit in half. After Woodbridge rebuilt its lead to 3-1 in the fifth, the Tigers scored twice in the sixth to knot the game. Outfielder Jack Gillis went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI for South Plainfield, while teammate Nick Polzzano went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Jake Hoffman also scored for the Tigers.
Jake Alba, a Stony Brook signee, pitched six innings for a no-decision. He struck out six, walked four and allowed three earned runs on six hits. Dave Tavarez took the loss in relief.
Lauren Knego, @laurenknego 4:03 p.m. EDT April 17, 2016
Michael Stanczak hit a two-out, two-RBI bases loaded single to right center in the third to give South Plainfield (5-3) a 3-0 lead. Dylan O'Connor, Nick Plate and Jared Marks each had base hits. Billy Keane improved to 2-0 after he allowed three hits and struck out four in five innings of work
Jack Gillis went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI to help lift South Plainfield to a 14-13 victory over Notre Dame in South Plainfield.
Notre Dame outscored South Plainfield 8-0 in the first inning. After scoring a run in the bottom of the second inning, South Plainfield outscored Notre Dame 5-2 in the fourth inning, and 5-1 in the sixth to tie the game, 11-11. Notre Dame added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning before South Plainfield scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to edge its opponents.
Dave Tavarez allowed three hits over three innings with one walk and three strikeouts, also going 2-for-2 with a run, while Nick Plate allowed four hits over 3 1/3 innings with one walk and three strikeouts. Billy Keane went 2-for-3 with a run and three RBI, while Dave Tavarez went 2-for-2 with a run. Jake Hoffman went 1-for-4 with an RBI, while Nick Polizzano had two RBI for South Plainfield.
Chris Michael drove in Mike Wilson, who tripled in his at bat, but Colonia fell short to South Plainfield, 7-1, in Colonia.
Kyle Rajcevic started and gave up six earned runs on nine hits and four walked over six innings for Colonia. Rajcevic struck out four. South Plainfield improves to 3-3 this season.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 9:35 p.m. EDT April 12, 2016 With one of its aces sidelined and the other making his first start of this season on Monday, the Tigers flexed their pitching depth to complete a series sweep of the Patriots.
Winning pitcher Ryan Stankan hurled five scoreless innings. He struck out five and benefited from a five-run rally in the top of the fourth. Outfielder Jack Gillis (2-for-4) highlighted the outburst with an RBI single.
Jake Hoffman went 3-for-3 with three RBI for the Tigers (3-3), while sophomore Michael Stanczak went 2-for-4 with a stolen base.
Chris Michael had the lone RBI for Colonia (1-4), which was outhit 10-2. Stony Brook signee Mike Wilson, a senior shortstop, and losing pitcher Kyle Rajcevic had the Patriots’ only hits. Rajcevic allowed seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out four before yielding to reliever A.J. Scherb, who pitched a scoreless seventh.
South Plainfield senior right-hander Jake Alba, a Stony Brook signee, has not pitched since opening day after coming down with pneumonia. He is expected to receive some work on the mound in the next few days.
The Tigers’ other ace, Jean Sapini, made his debut on Monday against Colonia, pitching South Plainfield to a 9-1 win. Sapini was eased back into the rotation after undergoing surgery on his meniscus in late February.
Jean Sapini pitched six innings, allowing two hits, one run and no walks with seven strikeouts for South Plainfield as it defeated Colonia, 9-1, in South Plainfield.
Kyle Bythell went 2-for-3 for South Plainfield, which scored six of its nine runs in the fifth inning after being tied, 1-1. Billy Keane was 1-for-4 with three RBI.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 11:15 p.m. EDT April 11, 2016 Jean Sapini, making his first appearance on the mound, allowed just two hits and struck out seven over six innings. He did not walk a batter and the run he allowed was unearned.
The Tigers (2-3) parlayed six hits and seven errors into a victory that snapped a two-game skid. Billy Keane’s three-run double highlighted a six-run outburst in the fifth inning that put the game out of reach. No. 9 batter Kyle Bythell, who finished 2-for-3 with a run scored, ignited that rally with a leadoff double.
Rocco Ferrentino and Kyle Rajcevic each had a hit for Colonia (1-3). Losing pitcher Mike Parry walked four, allowed four hits, fanned two and allowed two earned runs over four and a third innings.
By The Star Ledger on April 06, 2016 10:12 PM Roger Gomez went 2-for-3, highlighted by a three-run home run in the third inning, with five RBI to lead North Brunswick to a 9-1 victory over South Plainfield in North Brunswick. Felix Diaz had a two-run single and Jesse Scher and Justin Garcia each had two hits with an RBI apiece for North Brunswick. Eric Vasquez pitched a six-hitter, allowing an earned run, one walk, and three strikeouts to get the win for North Brunswick.
North Brunswick 6, South Plainfield 3 (GAME 2): The Raiders sealed a double-header sweep of the Tigers with a two-run rally in the seventh. Roger Gomez highlighted the outburst with an RBI single that scored Tyler Petrillo.
Christian “Chich” Petrillo reached base twice for North Brunswick including a fifth-inning single.
Winning pitcher Eric Reardon allowed three runs on seven hits over six innings. He fanned four and walked four.
South Plainfield took a 1-0 lead in the first when Jack Gillis scored on Mike Stanczak’s single. Jan Sapini scored in the second inning to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead.
North Brunswick took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on Reardon’s clutch two-out RBI double. The Raiders built their lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth before South Plainfield responded with Sapini’s RBi single, which closed the deficit to 4-3.
Dylan Martin pitched a perfect seventh innings in relief of Reardon for the save.
Eric Reardon went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to lead North Brunswick to a 6-3 win over South Plainfield in North Brunswick. Reardon gave up three runs (two earned) on seven hits, struck out four, and walked four over six innings to earn the win. Dylan Martin pitched a scoreless seventh inning to close it out. Roger Gomez and Justin Garcia each hit RBI singles, while Neal Gaeta went 2-for-4 with a double and a run.
Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 10:34 p.m. EDT April 6, 2016 North Brunswick 9, South Plainfield 1 (GAME 1): A two-run single from Felix Diaz, an RBI double from Justin Garcia and an RBI single from Neal Gaeta highlighted a five-run fifth inning that enabled the Raiders to pull away from the defending state Group III champions. Roger Gomez collected five RBI for North Brunswick (2-0), whose other victory is over reigning state Group I runner-up Middlesex. Gomez belted a three-run homer in the third and laced an RBI single in the sixth. Winning pitcher Eric Vasquez (1-0) went the distance, allowing one earned run on six hits. He fanned three and walked one. Jesse Scher (2-for-3) helped fuel the offense for North Brunswick, which received at least one hit apiece from eight players. Eric Reardon, a Rutgers signee, was held hitless but reached base twice and scored two runs. Losing pitcher Dylan O’Connor lasted four innings. He walked two, fanned one and allowed three runs. The Tigers (1-2) were outhit 11-6.
Nick Polizzano went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI and Mike Stanczak, Nick Plate and Billy Keane also drove in two as South Plainfield defeated Middlesex, 11-1, in Middlesex. Jack Gillis and Jared Marks each scored three runs for South Plainfield, which broke through with five runs in the third to take a 6-0 lead. Keane tossed five scoreless innings to pick up the win by scattering five hits and a walk while striking out six. Mike Lavenia finished 2-for-3 with a run scored for Middlesex.
South Plainfield traveled to Monroe for a varsity baseball game vs. Monroe High School. South Plainfield's # 25-Nick Polizzano makes the catch of a pop up hit by Monroe's # 4-Willie Levier. (not seen).(Photo: Mark R. Sullivan)
By Greg Tufaro, @GregTufaro 6:08 p.m. EDT April 2, 2016
Senior shortstop Nick Polizzano went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI to lead the South Plainfield High School baseball team to an 11-1 victory over Middlesex on Saturday.
The Tigers (1-1), who were shut out in a season-opening loss to Old Bridge on Friday, scored five runs in the third inning to build a 6-0 lead.
Winning pitcher Billy Keane struck out six, scattered five hits and walked one. Teammates Mike Stanczak (2-for-3) and Nick Plate (2-for-4) had two RBI apiece.
Middlesex (0-2) spoiled South Plainfield’s shutout bid in the sixth on Mike Salerno’s RBI. The Blue Jays were outhit 9-7 and committed three errors.
Mike Lavenia collected two hits for the second consecutive game, while five Blue Jays each recorded a hit. Lavenia scored his team’s only run.
Three Middlesex pitchers combined to allow nine earned runs and walk seven batters while hitting an eighth.
The contest pitted the defending Group III champions against the Group I runners-up.
By Joe Zedalis NJ Advance Media for NJ.com on April 01, 2016 6:42 PM
OLD BRIDGE -- A healthy Zach Attianese flashed the form that made him the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year in 2014 Friday, striking out nine and allowing two hits over six innings and led Old Bridge to a 6-0 victory over South Plainfield in an Opening Day meeting of Greater Middlesex Conference heavyweights.
South Plainfield won the Group 3 title last spring and Old Bridge was the Central Jersey Group 4 winner.
The North Carolina-bound Attianese, who was shut down late last season with arm soreness, threw 88 pitches. He featured a buzzing fastball and wicked breaking stuff. Attianese struggled with command -- mostly with his fastball, which missed up at times. "My breaking ball was the better pitch today," Attianese said. "My command wasn't what I wanted it to be, but for the first day it wasn't too bad."
"Zach threw harder than he did all spring," said Old Bridge head coach Jimmy Freel. Nick Polizzano had both hits for South Plainfield (0-1). He had a lead off double down the left field line in the fourth and an infield chopper over the third base bag for an infield single in the sixth.
Attianese threw six groundball outs in the game. He also helped himself by picking off two South Plainfield runners.
Old Bridge scored all of its runs during an 11-batter third inning. South Plainfield starter Jake Alba, who is usually a strike-throwing machine, threw 43 pitches in the inning.
Old Bridge (1-0) got the first two runners on in the third, then a dropped flyball allowed Sam Allen to score and opened the flood gates. Pete Marottoli drove in a run with an infield single and then an infield throwing error allowed two more runs to score. The Knights also scored a run on a bases loaded walk. Connor Romano also had an RBI hit during the rally.
Attianese was able to summon his best stuff in critical situations. With a runner on third with one out on the fourth, he induced a ground ball then struck out the final two hitters of the inning.
An anticipated pitchers’ duel between two of the conference’s top hurlers unraveled when a routine fly ball that should have resulted in nothing more than a sacrifice fly was dropped, leading to a six-run rally that propelled the Old Bridge High School baseball team to a 6-0 victory over defending state champion South Plainfield on Friday. Senior lefthander Zach Attianese, who has signed with the University of North Carolina, made the third-inning outburst stand, scattering two hits – including an infield single – while striking out nine and walking three over six innings. CHECK IT OUT: Read all about the GMC's other season-opening games Counterpart Jake Alba, headed to Stony Brook University, was the hard-luck loser, as all the runs scored off him, when the Knights sent 11 batters to the plate in the third, were unearned. South Plainfield reliever David Tavarez closed with three hitless innings, but the Tigers were never able to solve Attianese or touch closer Joe Papeo, whose impressive changeup resulted in a perfect seventh inning.
“It’s like any of these games where you’ve got two aces going, whose going to crack the armor first,” Old Bridge head coach Jimmy Freel said of his team reaching Alba. “They misplayed one ball, and it opened the floodgates. It could have happened to us the same way. The kid (Alba) is a great pitcher. He competed his tail off. But to get to a kid like that and get a few runs on him is huge, especially with our guy (Attianese). You give him six runs, you should win the game.”
After Alba issued a one-out walk to Sam Allen (and threw over to first base five consecutive times before offering to the next hitter), No. 9 batter Papeo laced an opposite-field single to right-center, putting runners on the corners. Don Dugan followed with a fly ball to center, which was deep enough for a sacrifice fly to score Allen, who crossed the plate easily when the ball was dropped. Attianese walked on four consecutive pitches, loading the bases for cleanup hitter Paul Marottoli, who barely beat out a slow-roller to shortstop on a 3-2 pitch to score the second run of the inning. Rob Dacunto walked on four consecutive pitches to force home a run. Tom Giasi reached on an infield error for a 4-0 lead before Connor Romano capped the rally with a two-run single up the middle. Alba, who retired the game's first seven batters on 21 pitches, needed 42 pitches to escape the third inning.
Romano, a 1,000-point scorer on the hardwood, played baseball as a freshman at Old Bridge, but spent the next two years focusing exclusively on basketball. With his high school career now complete in that sport, he returned to the diamond, joining his best friend Attianese and filling a void left by the graduation of Tyler Hopman. “I wanted to focus on basketball and work hard to get better at that,” Romano explained. “Once it (the end of hoops season) came around, I wanted to come back to the diamond, work hard and play with my best friend Zach.”
With defending Central Group IV champion Old Bridge having graduated more than 70 percent of its offensive production, Romano was a welcomed addition to a team that may struggle to score runs during the early part of a brutal schedule that features 17 games in 31 days.
“It’s a pleasure to have (Romano) back and be so good,” Freel said. “I personally didn’t think he would have as much of an impact not playing in three years, but he’s just a great athlete. He’s got great tools and he makes it work. He competes in whatever he plays and that makes him a great player. He’s a brilliant kid. He’s the smartest kid on the field, and at all times he’s kind of an energetic leader for us. He communicates with everybody else and he gets us going.”
With the exception of two four-pitch walks – each of which he couldn’t get his fastball down in the zone – Attianese was brilliant. His 12-to-6 curveball was tight and looked as good as he has thrown the deuce throughout his career.
“I felt I had all right stuff,” said Attianese, whose fastball topped out at 87 mph. “My fastball command wasn’t its best. I was missing everything high. I couldn’t really get it down. I felt my curveball was pretty good. I had a good defense behind me.”
After allowing two runners aboard with one away in the first – an inning which has traditionally proved to be difficult for the southpaw – Attianese fanned the next two hitters to escape the jam.
He faced just two batters over the minimum the rest of the way, largely because he erased the two batters he walked on pickoffs at first base, the second of which bordered on a balk but was brilliant in its execution.
Senior shortstop Nick Polizzano, who was stellar defensively, recording five assists, led off the fourth with a double down the third-base line for South Plainfield. He took third on cleanup batter Dylan O’Connor’s groundout but was stranded as the next two batters fanned on a total of seven pitches, mostly curveballs.
“A lot of our guys look fooled on it,” South Plainfield head coach Anthony Guida said of Attianese’s deuce. “He threw it well and he owned it. A guy like that, we tried to break his rhythm (Tigers such as Jared Marks skillfully stepped out of the box) and we couldn’t. It was a well-pitched game on his end.”
Old Bridge assistant coach Matt Donaghue, who stealthily provided the Knights with some key batting tips during the third-inning rally, reminded the team, which did not register a hit in any other inning, that it needs to be more productive offensively.
“One bad play,” Guida lamented, noting that the third-inning miscue changed the entire complexion of the contest. “That’s all it was. They capitalized and exploited that one (misplay). They tacked on runs and made a 1-0 game into a 6-0 game.”
