Gov. Livingston, on Dan Baroff's 3-run walk-off double, beats South Plainfield in CJ G2 final
By Ryan Morik | For NJ Advance Media
on June 02, 2017 9:57 PM, updated June 02, 2017 11:06 PM
BERKELEY HEIGHTS -- Dan Baroff hit a walk-off, three-run double with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to erase a two-run deficit and give Gov. Livingston a 6-5 victory over South Plainfield in the final round of the NJSIAA/Wilson Sporting Goods Central Jersey, Group 2 tournament Friday in Berkeley Heights.
The Highlanders started the inning with back-to-back singles by Will Jennings and Jack Pedini and a sacrifice bunt by Tyler McColluch. South Plainfield intentionally walked Danny Serretti to face Stephen Reid, who was 3-for-3 at the time but popped out to second to bring up Baroff.
The left-hander was facing southpaw Billy Keane, who was one out away from a complete-game victory, but his 103rd pitch was turned around for the bases-clearing double for Gov. Livingston.
After the Highlanders scored half of their runs on one pitch, the champions mobbed each other by second base after the dramatic victory.
“It’s amazing,” Baroff said. “Being a team captain and carrying my team like that, it’s an amazing feeling. I didn’t want our season to end - nobody did.
“It’s what our team’s made of,” Gov. Livingston coach Chris Roof said. “They’re tough kids, they have great character. It surprised me, but it didn’t surprise me.”
Roof added that his team has “mental toughness,” after it had to fight through some adversity. Dylan O’Connor's two-run home run in the third inning gave South Plainfield a 3-2 lead, which was followed by controversy in the sixth inning.
A disputed call put South Plainfield’s Rob Gonzalez on second base when umpires ruled that the catch of his fly ball was not properly completed. The Tigers continued the rally and bunted for three singles in a row, including safety squeeze bunts by Mike Marrero and Jared Marks that increased the lead to 5-2.
“You have that mental toughness with plays like that,” Roof said. “We had to forget about it and just keep moving forward and that’s what we did.”
Baroff faced some hardships early in the game as well, grounding into a 6-4-3 double play in the first inning and grounding out to first in the third.
“I was swinging too early. My last at-bat, I just sat back and took it the other way,” Baroff said. “It just shows our resilience as a team. We definitely weren’t giving up.”
South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said he liked the match-up between Keane and Baroff.
“He threw well all game, we like the matchup with the lefty. We felt we had the best opportunity with him on the mound instead of putting someone else in,” Guida said. “They played their hearts out, and that’s all you can ask for.”
Baroff did not seem ready to let go of his team's trophy anytime soon.
“I’ve never (got to) feel a state trophy, so it’s really an amazing feeling,” Baroff said.
South Plainfield's Connor Adams takes a lead from second vs Gov. Livingston in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Dylan O'Connor touches the plate after hitting a two-run homer in the third inning against Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Jean Sapini at bat vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Tyler McCulloch (10) tags Gov. Livingston's Nick Cocchia in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield pitcher Billy Keane vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Mike Stanczak makes a play vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield bench makes some noise vs Gov. Livingston in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Mike Marrero vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Rob Gonzalez throws to first for the double play against Gov. Livingston in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
Gov. Livingston shortstop Dan Serretti throws to first for the double play in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final against South Plainfield in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Mike Stanczak, right, dives back to first as Gov. Livingston's DJ Gonnelli takes the throw in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Connor Adams vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Mike Stanczak makes a play vs Gov. Livingston in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Mike Marrero makes a play vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
Gov. Livingston's Dan Serretti, left, and South Plainfield's Rob Gonzalez, right, race to the bag after Gonzalez avoided the tag trying to steal second in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
Gov. Livingston shortstop Dan Serretti reacts after getting the double play in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final against South Plainfield in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
Gov. Livingston's Dan Serretti, left, tags South Plainfield's Rob Gonzalez, right, after Gonzalez initially avoided Serretti while trying to steal second in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Rob Gonzalez yells after making a double play against Gov. Livingston in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield catcher Jared Marks reacts as the Gov. Livingston bench races out to celebrate winning the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Dylan O'Connor yells as he approaches home plate on a two-run homer against Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield's Rob Gonzalez gets Gov. Livingston's Stephen Reid (6) at second and turns the doubleplay in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
Gov. Livingston's Dan Serretti, left, and South Plainfield's Rob Gonzalez, right, race to the bag after Gonzalez avoided the tag trying to steal second in the Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield pitcher Billy Keane vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II baseball final in Berkley Heights on June 2, 2017.
South Plainfield vs Gov. Livingston in Central Jersey Group II Final
(Keith A. Muccilli | For NJ Advance Media)
Baroff's bases-clearing walk off double clinches sectional title for Gov. Livingston
Daniel LoGiudice ,
@danny_logiudice
Published 7:57 p.m. ET June 2, 2017
BERKELEY HEIGHTS – After enduring perhaps the most deflating and demoralizing inning of its season and with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Gov. Livingston High School baseball team’s season was in dire straits. A season with so much promise and expectation was about to end in disappointment and zero trophies.
But the Highlanders had an ace that was just about to step up to the plate. In the biggest moment of his high school career, senior catcher Dan Baroff delivered.
With his team trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning and with the bases loaded and two outs, Baroff ripped a double into center field. There was no doubt the game was tied with Baroff’s double, but could senior shortstop Danny Serretti race around the bases from first base to home for the game-winner?
The question didn’t hang in the balance for long, as Serretti motored around the bases and dove head first into home plate as the top-seeded Highlanders topped second-seeded South Plainfield 6-5 in the Central Group II final on Friday.
“Being a captain, I didn’t want our season to end like that, no one thought it would, but I wanted to make sure it definitely was not going to end, so it’s a big moment and an amazing feeling to carry my team like that,” Baroff said. “At that point, I’m just really excited and hoping (Serretti) crossed home safely and once he did, I just went crazy and hugged all my teammates. It’s one of the most amazing things to happen to me."
The seventh inning rally started with some unsung heroes. Will Jennings, the eighth hitter in the order, led the inning off with a single, and pinch hitter Jack Pedini followed with another single. After a sacrifice bunt by Tyler McCulloch and an intentional walk to Serretti, designated hitter Stephen Reid popped up to second base for the second out of the inning.
On the second pitch of his at-bat and with the game and season on the line, Baroff absolutely cranked one over the outfielder’s head.
“That’s why he hits cleanup, he’s a senior, he’s a co-captain, he’s going to play in college and he epitomizes what a GL baseball player is, and if anyone deserves it, he does,” Gov. Livingston coach Chris Roof said. “It was a total team effort. Will leading off and then Jack with the big hit. Danny Serretti busting his tail, if he didn’t run hard, we wouldn’t have scored.”
Trailing 3-2 in the top of the sixth, the top half of the inning almost broke the Highlanders. McCulloch caught a fly ball for the first out of the inning, but dropped the ball on the transfer to his throwing hand, and the umpires ruled the South Plainfield runner safe at second. The Tigers would eventually load the bases and successfully executed two consecutive suicide squeezes to push their lead to 5-2.
After scoring one run in the bottom half of the inning courtesy of an RBI single by senior Nick Cocchia, the Highlanders set the magic number at three runs, and their confidence never wavered.
‘When there’s a game of this magnitude, you try not to let the little things like that affect you because that’s baseball,” Serretti said. “Whether the ump makes a good call or a bad call, it’s baseball, and it happens. We knew we had to focus, and we knew we could put together three runs like a piece of cake.”
The win was particularly special for Serretti, who also ripped an RBI triple in the first inning. The St. John’s University commit missed all of the 2016 season due to surgery on his right elbow. With a grey-camouflage wrap adoring his arm, Serretti flashed the leather, his bat and his wheels on Friday.
“Last year was tough watching and not being able to contribute,” Serretti said. “I’m glad it’s going pretty well for us this year, and it feels good to be back. I’m glad I could contribute in any way possible.”
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2017/06/02/baseball-baroffs-bases-clearing-walk-off-clinches-sectional-title-gov-livingston/365198001/
