By
on May 17, 2014 7:53 p.m.
Kyle Moroney was tired of not being mentioned among Middlesex County's best pitchers.
So with South Plainfield facing Old Bridge and star pitcher Zach Attianese in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament semifinals, Moroney knew this was his chance.
He responded by pitching a three-hit shutout as sixth-seeded South Plainfield surprised second-seeded Old Bridge, 2-0, in Old Bridge to advance to the GMCT championship game for the first time since 2011.
“This was my shot to prove to the state and the county how good of a pitcher I am,” Moroney said. “I knew I was facing Attianese and I was ready.”
Both pitchers were outstanding. Attianese allowed one earned run on five hits, walked one and struck out six in six innings. Moroney walked one and struck out four.
After South Plainfield’s Aidan McDermott drove in Bryan Gillen with a single in the first inning and Rob Eggert scored on an error in the second, Attianese matched Moroney with zeroes the rest of the way.
“I tell my team every game, all I need is one,” Moroney said. “You get me one run, I’ll pitch and make sure they don’t get one. I don’t worry about hits, they can get all the hits they want, but they won’t score a run.”
While Moroney was handling business on the mound, South Plainfield’s defense was nearly perfect in the field. After committing seven errors in a 12-11 victory over South Brunswick in the GMCT quarterfinals, South Plainfield had zero. McDermott and Nick Polizzano each made a diving catch in the outfield.
“What you saw against South Brunswick, that’s not us,” Moroney said. “We’ve been a sound defensive team all year.”
With Old Bridge looking to complete a comeback in the home half of the seventh inning, it was that defense that secured the victory. After walking Attianese to bring Chris Weber to the plate representing the tying run, Moroney wen tto a full count before Weber hit a grounder to Bryan Gillen at second base. Gillen quickly flipped the ball to Dickerson, who stepped on second for one, then fired to L.J. Scarpitto at first, who made a lunging grab to end the game.
“I saw that throw coming and I knew I had to get it,” Scarpitto said. “Once I caught it I looked right at the ump and he yelled, ‘Out!’ I was so happy.”
South Plainfield will face St. Joseph (Met.) in the GMCT final, tentatively scheduled for May 27.
After beating Old Bridge and Attianese, Moroney knows he now has a shot at going up against another one of the players on the top-pitching list: Notre Dame-bound Brandon Bielak, St. Joe's ace.
“As soon as we turned two, all I kept thinking was, I want Bielak,” Moroney said. “He’s a great pitcher, going to Notre Dame, I can’t ask for a better opportunity to show everyone what I’ve got.”
http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news/article/-3674567985738268841/old-bridge-0-at-south-plainfield-2-greater-middlesex-conference-tournament-semifinal-round-baseball/
Greg Tufaro,
@GregTufaro
OLD BRIDGE – After watching the South Plainfield High School baseball team’s usually outstanding defense uncharacteristically collapse in the previous round of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, Kyle Moroney never lost confidence in his teammates.
The senior right-hander, throwing on three days’ rest for the first time in his career, pitched to contact, striking out just two batters but benefitting from spectacular defense, including two rally-killing double plays, as he outdueled Old Bridge ace Zach Attianese Saturday for a 2-0 victory.
South Plainfield advanced to the May 27 GMCT championship at TD Bank Ballpark against St. Joseph, which will likely throw ace Brandon Bielak in the tournament final.
Bielak, headed to the University of Notre Dame on a full baseball scholarship, and Attianese, who is committed to the University of North Carolina, are widely regarded among the best hurlers in the state.
Moroney, who improved to 7-0 while lowering his ERA to 0.32 by extending his scoreless innings streak to 17, is a team player who never wants to put the focus on himself but couldn’t help but pitch Saturday with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.
“I was mentally focused and ready for this game,” said Moroney, a first-team Home News Tribune All-Area selection at quarterback who is committed to play football at Rowan University. “I knew it was going to be one of the best matchups for me all year. It was my statement game. Simple as that. I came out ready to pitch against one of the best pitchers in the county, maybe the state. Hopefully, my name is in (that class) now.”
More important for Moroney, however, was helping the Tigers advance.
He pounded the strike zone, scattering three hits while walking just one batter and hitting another. Old Bridge mustered three one-out doubles – one each in the first, third and fifth innings – but advanced just one runner past second base all day.
Unlike Thursday’s dramatic 12-11 GMCT quarterfinal victory over South Brunswick in which the Tigers committed a season-high six errors while digging themselves an early four-run deficit, South Plainfield did not commit a single miscue in the semis.
The glove work of L.J. Scarpitto at first base was brilliant (as it has been all season) and the middle infield combination of second baseman Bryan Gillen and shortstop Kyle Dickerson was equally impressive. Not to be outdone, right fielder Mike Polizzano and center fielder Aidan McDermott each made a spectacular catch.
The Tigers recorded nine groundball outs including a 4-6-3 double play that fittingly ended the game with Scarpitto stretching to dig a ball out of the turf. Moroney helped himself, snaring a line-drive comebacker and doubling a pinch runner off second in the fifth.
“That last game was a fluke,” Moroney said of the quarterfinal. “That’s not us. That’s not the real South Plainfield. I go into every game I pitch and tell my team I just need one run. I got that early.”
After Gillen singled and stole second with one away in the first, he scored on McDermott’s single to center, staking Moroney to a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers added an unearned run in the second off Attianese, a sophomore left-hander who was also pitching on three days’ rest for the first time in his career. Rob Eggert drew a leadoff walk, took second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on Scarpitto’s two-out infield single and scored on an infield error.
Attianese retired nine of the next 10 batters before allowing consecutive singles to McDermott and cleanup batter Justin Marks in the fifth. The Tigers mustered just four hits and stranded six runners. They compensated for a lack of timely hitting with glove work.
“We have pride in our defense,” South Plainfield coach Anthony Guida said. “It didn’t show (in the quarterfinals, but it did show today.”
http://www.mycentraljersey.com/story/sports/high-school/baseball/2014/05/17/defense-backs-moroney/2231924/
