TAPinto SOUTH PLAINFIELD
Massaro Hits for the Cycle in South Plainfield's 14-4 Win over JFK-Iselin
SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ — Dom Massaro keeps setting or tying school records, overshadowing exceptional performances by his teammates and making an emphatic case for a first-team all-state candidacy.
The senior center fielder became just the third player in South Plainfield baseball history to hit for the cycle on Thursday in the Tigers' 14-4 victory over JFK-Iselin on Thursday.
Massaro barreled up four loud line drives, hitting — in order — a single, a double, a home run and a triple. He finished the day 4-for-4 with a walk, five runs scored, three runs batted in and two stolen bases.
Massaro's five runs on Thursday gave him 109 runs scored for his career, another school record.
If it weren't for another spectacular game at the plate for South Plainfield's all-time career hits leader, more of the spotlight might be shining on senior first baseman Aiden McCarthy's 4-for-5 performance that included three doubles and two RBI, including the game-ending single in the bottom of the sixth inning that pushed the Tigers' lead to 10 runs and invoked the mercy rule.
Senior right-hander Aidan Kaplan made the start, got his first career victory and struck out a career-high six batters. Kaplan allowed four hits and two runs in five innings pitched.
Massaro joined Phil Aiello and Brandon Downes as the only South Plainfield batters ever to hit for the cycle. Massaro's RBI double in the second inning gave South Plainfield (11-8) a 4-0 lead before he stole third and came home on a wild throw to make it 5-0. In the third inning, he rifled a vicious line drive over the left-field fence with two out for a two-run homer to make the score 7-2.
The triple is usually the most difficult hit to get in a cycle, but Massaro said that when he hit a line drive into the gap in left-center field in the fifth inning, he got some extra encouragement.
"When the count got to 3-1, I told myself, 'I'm swinging here, no matter what'," said Massaro, who now has 144 career hits. "When I hit it and got to second base, everybody was yelling, 'Three! Three!' I'm playing on a little bit of a bad quad right now, but I've been keeping it tightly wrapped, and I made it."
Massaro's four-hit day boosted his batting average to an even .600 (42 for 70) this season. The home run was the eighth of his career, and the triple the fifth of his career.
Massaro is on the short list of the very best players in the Greater Middlesex Conference, and he and the rest of his teammates are now awaiting where South Plainfield will be seeded in the GMC Tournament on Friday morning. The Tigers should receive a top-five seed.
"I'm looking forward to it, and we're pumped," Massaro said of the tournament. "We're finally getting into a rhythm as a team and looking better."
South Plainfield has won three games in a row and four of its last five.
"We're battle-tested now," South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus said. "We're looking to finish the week strong and then be ready to go for Monday. We think we should be in the top five (in the GMCT seedings)."
After preliminary-round games on Saturday, the first round of the tournament is scheduled for Monday.
Shortstop Max Espejo had a big day for JFK-Iselin (6-12), going 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. The Mustangs' center fielder Grant Lorentzen went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks and two runs scored. Lorentzen, who will play both baseball and football at The College of New Jersey, inched closer to the 100-hit mark for his career. He has 92 hits now, and is batting .462 this season (24 for 52).
Espejo's batting average is up to .417 this season.
JFK-ISELIN (6-12) 002 002 -- 4 6 4
SOUTH PLAINFIELD (11-8) 322 223 -- 14 14 1
WP-Kaplan
LP-Peralta
