The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association claims it's hemorrhaging money, the result of lower ticket prices and expensive tournament hosting fees for the state wrestling championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.
Now, the association is bidding out the wrestling tournament for 2013 and beyond, along with creating more football championships. Director Steve Timko has officially pressed the panic button and says he's now doing things in the best financial interest of the NJSIAA.
What about doing the best for high school sports? If finances are killing the NJSIAA, then a good starting point on how to curb expenditures is cutting back on salaries for its own employees. For too long, this regime has padded its own salaries, while collecting publicly-funded pensions on top of the cake.
Remember Timko's predecessor, Boyd Sands? He resigned from the NJSIAA in January 2006 with a tidy little retirement package of $549,000. Maybe Sands would like to make a charitable contribution to his former employer? Don't hold your breath.
Memo to Timko and the NJSIAA: Don't start making knee-jerk decisions that hurt athletics across the board.
Why do we need additional state titles in football? Twenty weren't enough, so now we need 24? Forget about scaling back and playing to one state champion in the four (now five) Groups like they do in other sports. That ain't happening now.
Starting this fall, we go from 128 schools to 160 that qualify for the sectional football tournaments. You don't have to be a math major to figure 32 more schools paying entrance fees adds up to more money for the NJSIAA.
Timko recently told the Philadelphia Inquirer that "We've cut to the bare bones." Really? Is the NJSIAA taking pay cuts? Are they taking unpaid furloughs like my brethren in the newspaper business? Timko claims they have frozen salaries, along with not replacing the retired Bob Baly's position. It's not enough to freeze already overblown salaries.
The NJSIAA even contradicts itself when blaming things on the reduced ticket prices that started in 2010. The association reportedly lost nearly $1 million between 2006 and '07 (thanks largely to Sands' retirement windfall), yet business administrator Gary Zarrilli gave this response: "It all comes down to ticket prices," to the Inquirer as to why the association was losing money.
How is this so, when this group was operating in the red prior to 2010?
Don't get me wrong. I like Timko and feel he's done a lot of positive things for athletics since Sands shuffled off in 2006. Timko has always been very approachable and genuinely cares about the concerns of coaches, athletes, media and fans.
But the NJSIAA has to start getting real and cutting back where it needs to. Otherwise, it may not be around much longer.
But don't make the ultimate mistake of destroying high school sports on the way out the door.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Baseball: Tietz, Pope John walk off against Sparta
Pope John's baseball team has shown a penchant for come-from-behind wins this season, which has been somewhat of a Groundhog Day nightmare for cross-town rival Sparta,.
Shortstop Matt Tietz capped a three-run inning with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Lions a 5-4 walk-off victory over Sparta on Wednesday in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference clash in Sparta.
Pope John (12-6) also rallied for an 8-4 win on Sparta's home field back on April 18. In that one, the Lions erased a 4-2 deficit with a five-run fifth.
"We've been in a little bit of a slump and losing this game would've been terrible," said Tietz, who came up short in the same situation on Saturday when he popped up with runners on first and second in the 11th inning of an eventual 6-5 loss to Phillipsburg in 12 innings. "This will definitely boost our confidence.
Sparta (11-9), which has lost three straight, was three outs away and seemingly headed for its first win in this rivalry since a 4-3 victory in 10 innings on May 19, 2009. That season, coach Sam Slobodzian's team won all three meetings between the Sussex County rivals, including a win in the county tournament.
Pope John has now won four of the last five in this series, as the teams played to a 9-9 tie due to darkness in the first of two contests in 2011.
Starter Kevin Foulds got through six innings relatively unscathed, but the tall right-hander allowed at least two runners to reach in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. After back-to-back doubles by Glenn Gavan and Mike Young to open the seventh, Slobodzian handed the ball to Jason Postorino, who walked Eder Rivera to load the bases. Young, who had a pair of doubles on the day, plated Gavan with his hit to cut the lead to 4-3.
That set the stage for Tietz, who laced a single that left fielder Matt Chemis attempted to make a sliding catch on. The ball squirted past him, as both Young and pinch-runner Jay Sanford rumbled home with the tying and winning runs. Until the seventh, Pope John had been 0-for-7 in the game with runners in scoring position.
"[Postorino] wasn't throwing strikes, and right away I was looking for something perfect or I wasn't swinging," said the Rutgers-bound Tietz, who recalled only other walk-off moment at the plate in his outstanding four-year career. "He kind of hung the last curveball and I waited on it, and just drove it."
Pope John had lost two of its last three coming in, including that tough loss to Phillipsburg in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals at home on Saturday. Needless to say, this one was huge for a number of reasons, most importantly from a conference standpoint.
"We aren't playing well, but we battled back," said longtime coach Bello, whose team is locked in a first-place tie with Jefferson atop the Amercian Division standings, each at 10-1 in division play. "I knew one of these guys, Tietz, or [cleanup hitter Ryan] McNally, at some point was going to get it going. Hopefully, maybe this one springs us on the in NJAC race."
Freshman lefty Matt Piwko got the win with 3 2/3 innings of solid relief. Piwko (2-2) came on in the fourth and inherited runners on first and third. Piwko allowed one run on one hit, while walking two and striking out a pair.
Pope John starter Dan Cunico struggled for the second straight outing, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) while walking two and striking out six.
"Piwko pitched great, and so did Danny," Bello said. "I might have had a quick hook with Danny, but I felt we needed a change at that point. I was really happy with the way Piwko pitched -- a freshman in a Sparta-Pope John game. We didn't have to use [Gavan who went five innings in relief on Saturday] and that was big for us."
Sparta's defense had preserved the lead in the sixth, when second baseman Austin Unglaub made an amazing diving stop on Zach Leach's grounder up the middle with a runner on third. Unglaub flipped the ball to shortstop T.J. Estanislau for the force at second to start a 4-6-3 double play that ended the frame.
The Spartans had tacked on a run the top half on Chemis' sacrifice fly to right that made it a two-run game. Chemis also executed a perfect suicide-squeeze bunt to cap a three-run fourth inning. A passed ball and an RBI single by Postorino helped Sparta grab a 3-1 lead.
Gavan, after a tough game against P'burg, finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. He scored PJ's second run when Tietz hit into a fielder's choice to third for the second out in the fifth. Third baseman Postorino made a nice play on ball, but his throw to second pulled Unglaub off the bag and allowed Gavan to race home on the error.
The Lions struck first on Sam Redwood's RBI grounder in the second after back-to-back walks by McNally and designated hitter Rob Sanders to start the inning.
Pope John, which only had this game scheduled for the week, gets a chance to rest up before hosting Morris Hills on Monday in another key American Division game.
"This was a good team win," Bello said.
SPARTA (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Ruddy cf, 3-0-0-0, Estanislau ss 4-0-1-0, Livingston c 4-0-0-0, Dilger 1b 4-1-2-0, Tappen dh/Unglaub 2b 2-1-0-0, Forman 2-2-1-0, Foulds p-3b 1-0-0-0, Aromando cr 0-0-0-0, Postorino 3b-p 2-0-1-1, Chemis lf 1-0-0-2. Totals: 23-4-5-3.
Shortstop Matt Tietz capped a three-run inning with a two-run single in the bottom of the seventh to give the Lions a 5-4 walk-off victory over Sparta on Wednesday in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference clash in Sparta.
Pope John (12-6) also rallied for an 8-4 win on Sparta's home field back on April 18. In that one, the Lions erased a 4-2 deficit with a five-run fifth.
"We've been in a little bit of a slump and losing this game would've been terrible," said Tietz, who came up short in the same situation on Saturday when he popped up with runners on first and second in the 11th inning of an eventual 6-5 loss to Phillipsburg in 12 innings. "This will definitely boost our confidence.
Sparta (11-9), which has lost three straight, was three outs away and seemingly headed for its first win in this rivalry since a 4-3 victory in 10 innings on May 19, 2009. That season, coach Sam Slobodzian's team won all three meetings between the Sussex County rivals, including a win in the county tournament.
Pope John has now won four of the last five in this series, as the teams played to a 9-9 tie due to darkness in the first of two contests in 2011.
Starter Kevin Foulds got through six innings relatively unscathed, but the tall right-hander allowed at least two runners to reach in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. After back-to-back doubles by Glenn Gavan and Mike Young to open the seventh, Slobodzian handed the ball to Jason Postorino, who walked Eder Rivera to load the bases. Young, who had a pair of doubles on the day, plated Gavan with his hit to cut the lead to 4-3.
That set the stage for Tietz, who laced a single that left fielder Matt Chemis attempted to make a sliding catch on. The ball squirted past him, as both Young and pinch-runner Jay Sanford rumbled home with the tying and winning runs. Until the seventh, Pope John had been 0-for-7 in the game with runners in scoring position.
"[Postorino] wasn't throwing strikes, and right away I was looking for something perfect or I wasn't swinging," said the Rutgers-bound Tietz, who recalled only other walk-off moment at the plate in his outstanding four-year career. "He kind of hung the last curveball and I waited on it, and just drove it."
Pope John had lost two of its last three coming in, including that tough loss to Phillipsburg in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals at home on Saturday. Needless to say, this one was huge for a number of reasons, most importantly from a conference standpoint.
"We aren't playing well, but we battled back," said longtime coach Bello, whose team is locked in a first-place tie with Jefferson atop the Amercian Division standings, each at 10-1 in division play. "I knew one of these guys, Tietz, or [cleanup hitter Ryan] McNally, at some point was going to get it going. Hopefully, maybe this one springs us on the in NJAC race."
Freshman lefty Matt Piwko got the win with 3 2/3 innings of solid relief. Piwko (2-2) came on in the fourth and inherited runners on first and third. Piwko allowed one run on one hit, while walking two and striking out a pair.
Pope John starter Dan Cunico struggled for the second straight outing, allowing four hits and three runs (two earned) while walking two and striking out six.
"Piwko pitched great, and so did Danny," Bello said. "I might have had a quick hook with Danny, but I felt we needed a change at that point. I was really happy with the way Piwko pitched -- a freshman in a Sparta-Pope John game. We didn't have to use [Gavan who went five innings in relief on Saturday] and that was big for us."
Sparta's defense had preserved the lead in the sixth, when second baseman Austin Unglaub made an amazing diving stop on Zach Leach's grounder up the middle with a runner on third. Unglaub flipped the ball to shortstop T.J. Estanislau for the force at second to start a 4-6-3 double play that ended the frame.
The Spartans had tacked on a run the top half on Chemis' sacrifice fly to right that made it a two-run game. Chemis also executed a perfect suicide-squeeze bunt to cap a three-run fourth inning. A passed ball and an RBI single by Postorino helped Sparta grab a 3-1 lead.
Gavan, after a tough game against P'burg, finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored. He scored PJ's second run when Tietz hit into a fielder's choice to third for the second out in the fifth. Third baseman Postorino made a nice play on ball, but his throw to second pulled Unglaub off the bag and allowed Gavan to race home on the error.
The Lions struck first on Sam Redwood's RBI grounder in the second after back-to-back walks by McNally and designated hitter Rob Sanders to start the inning.
Pope John, which only had this game scheduled for the week, gets a chance to rest up before hosting Morris Hills on Monday in another key American Division game.
"This was a good team win," Bello said.
SPARTA (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Ruddy cf, 3-0-0-0, Estanislau ss 4-0-1-0, Livingston c 4-0-0-0, Dilger 1b 4-1-2-0, Tappen dh/Unglaub 2b 2-1-0-0, Forman 2-2-1-0, Foulds p-3b 1-0-0-0, Aromando cr 0-0-0-0, Postorino 3b-p 2-0-1-1, Chemis lf 1-0-0-2. Totals: 23-4-5-3.
POPE JOHN (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Young lf, 4-1-2-1, Sanford 2b-cr, 1-1-0-0, Rivera ph-3b 1-0-1-0, Tietz ss, 4-0-1-2, McNally cf, 2-1-0-0, Sanders dh/Cunico p/Piwka p, 2-0-1-0, Cassarra 1b, 3-0-2-0, Redwood rf 3-0-1-1, Leach c, 3-0-0-0 Gavan 3b-2b 3-2-2-0. Totals: 26-5-10-4.
E -- Leach; Postorino. DP -- Sparta (Unglaub, Estanislau, Dilger). LOB -- Sparta 6, Pope John 6. 2B -- Young 2, Gavan. SB -- Foulds; McNally. Sac -- Chemis, Postorino; Sanford. SF -- Chemis.
Foulds, Postorino (7) and Livingston. Cunico, Piwka (4) and Leach. W -- Piwka (2-2). L -- Postorino (3-3). SO-BB -- Foulds 1-2, Postorino 0-1; Cunico 6-2, Piwko 2-2. WP -- Cunico. PB -- Livingston; Leach. Balk -- Fould. HBP -- Foulds (by Cunico).
Monday, May 7, 2012
Baseball: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex rankings
We're getting down to the good stuff on the local scene. Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals are slated for Saturday and the state cutoff date is Friday, meaning the sectional playoffs are right around the corner. The regular-season slate over the next two weeks will be light since there have been very few rainouts wrecking havoc with front-loaded schedules.
Keep checking in here as I will try to keep you abreast off all that's happening in the tri-county area.
We've still got divisional races to decide in both the Skyland and Northwest Jersey Athletic conferences.
Hopatcong is one win from clinching at least a share of the NJAC Freedom, while Pope John and Jefferson enter the week tied atop the American Division standings.
In the Skyland, Hunterdon Central is battling for the top spot in the rugged Delaware Division at 7-2 in conference play along with Immaculata (7-1) and Watchung Hills (7-3). Voorhees (6-3) entered the week trailing Pingry (6-2) by one-half game atop the Raritan standings with three games to play.
Here are this week's set of rankings with some changes at the top following Phillipsburg's 6-5 win in 12 innings over Pope John in the HWS quarterfinals.
1. Hunterdon Central (13-3) -- Red Devils keep on keeping on with wins in eight of their last nine, including Sunday's 8-7 win over Voorhees in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals. Coach Mike Raymond's club has reached the semifinals in all three years of the tournament, winning the title in 2010 and falling in the 2011 title game. Central entered the week riding a five-game win streak and handed Immaculata its first loss, 8-5, on Thursday. Jeremy Ake was red-hot last week, going 7-for-10 with a double, a triple, two homers and six RBIs in three victories. Kenny Wilson had two doubles, a homer and six RBIs last week. Ake is batting .490 with 19 RBIs, while Wilson is hitting .400 with 15 RBIs. Brett Bonn is hitting .471 with a team-high six homers and 19 RBIs. Bonn went deep twice against Voorhees.
Up next for the Red Devils -- Warren Hills at home on Monday; Phillipsburg at home on Tuesday; at North Hunterdon on Thursday; High Point at home on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
2. Phillipsburg (9-7) -- Stateliners finished last week in style with a 6-5 win in 12 innings over previous No. 2 Pope John in the HWS quarterfinals. Coach Dave Hinkle's team is the first in program history to reach the tournament semifinals. Junior righty Tyler Woscek came out of nowhere to fire five no-hit innings in relief to earn the victory against the Lions. P'burg dropped its other two games last week, 4-3 to Montgomery on Thursday and 11-1 at Ridge on Monday. Chris Trent went 3-for-5 with an RBI against Pope John and drove in the only run against Ridge.
Up next for the Stateliners -- at Hunterdon Central on Tuesday; at Hillsborough on Wednesday; at North Hunterdon on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
3. Voorhees (8-7) -- Vikings are really playing well of late, falling 8-7 to Hunterdon Central on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals to snap a four-game win streak. Coach Spark Mattson's club had leads of 5-1 and 7-2 before Central put up a four-spot in the fourth. The Vikes also posted two Skyland Conference Raritan Division wins -- 4-2 over North Plainfield on Tuesday and 2-0 at Franklin on Thursday. Tyler Duplaga continued his amazing season, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and an RBI against Central. He also earned the win on the mound with six K's against North Plainfield.
Up next for the Vikings -- at Princeton on Monday; at Somerville on Tuesday; Pingry at home on Thursday.
4. North Hunterdon (9-11) -- Lions kept their county tournament title hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Sparta on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals. Ace Ben Stine lost his no-hit bid by allowing a homer in the top of the seventh. Stine (4-3) finished with one-hitter. Derek Jenkins added an RBI double in the victory. Coach Mike Kane's team suffered a pair of tough one-run losses -- 2-1 at Watchung Hills on Tuesday and 1-0 at Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday. The Lions' pitching staff has really done a job, allowing a total of six runs in the last five games entering the week.
Up next for the Lions -- Immaculata at home on Tuesday; Hunterdon Central at home on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
5. Pope John (11-6) -- Lions fall three spots following Saturday's extra-innings loss to Phillipsburg in the tri-county quarterfinals. Coach Vin Bello's team, which also fell into a first-place tie atop the NJAC American Division with Thursday's 4-0 loss to Jefferson, rebounded with a 3-1 win over Hoboken on Sunday. Shortstop Matt Tietz had a solid week at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a double against P'burg, while adding an RBI double against Hoboken. Lefty Ethan Collins (3-1) earned the win on Sunday.
Up next for the Lions -- Sparta at home on Wednesday.
6. High Point (8-7) -- Wildcats vault back into the rankings after a 2-1 week that included wins over Sparta (7-6 on Monday) and Warren Hills (6-4 in the HWS quarterfinals). The only blemish was a 4-0 loss to Pope John on Tuesday. Ryan Schulok went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Kyle Adams was 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs against the Blue Streaks. Winning pitcher Ryan Conklin improved to 4-0. Conklin went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs against the Spartans.
Up next for the Wildcats -- at Morris Hills on Monday; at Newton on Tuesday; Montville at home on Wednesday; Vernon at home on Friday; at Hunterdon Central on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
7. North Warren (9-3) -- Patriots won both of their games last week -- beating Warren Hills, 11-2, on Monday and Blair Academy, 6-2, on Saturday. Garret Becker belted a double, a homer and two RBIs, while Joe Frankosky (4-1) got the win on the mound against Blair. Frankosky went 2-for-4 with an RBI and also got the win over the Blue Streaks. Coach Jim Haupt's team is still in the hunt for the Skyland Conference Valley Division title at 4-1 in divisional play. Oddly, the Pats have yet to face first-place Bernards (7-0).
Up next for the Patriots -- at Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg (Pa.) on Monday; Gill St. Bernard's at home on Tuesday; at Manville on Thursday; Kittatinny at home on Saturday.
8. Warren Hills (8-9) -- Tough week for the Blue Streaks, who have lost seven of their last 10. The week started on a high note with Tuesday's 7-5 win over Somerville, before back-to-back losses at Pingry (2-1 on Thursday) and High Point (6-4 in the HWS quarterfinals on Saturday). The loss to Pingry all but ends the Streaks' hopes for a Skyland Conference Raritan Division title at 5-4 in divisional play. Mark Apgar went 2-for-4 against the 'Ville and had an RBI double against High Point. Kyle Allen went 1-1 on the hill, beating Somerville and falling to High Point, despite seven K's.
Up next for the Blue Streaks -- at Hunterdon Central on Monday; Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; vs. Ridge at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater on Friday.
9. Sparta (11-7) -- Spartans went 2-2 last week, falling 3-1 to North Hunterdon on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals. A tough 7-6 loss at High Point started things on Monday before wins over Montville (4-1 on Tuesday) and Mount Olive (11-4 on Friday). Derek Tappen had the lone hit against North -- a solo homer to break up Ben Stine's no-hit bid in the seventh. Jason Postorino had an excellent week, belting an RBI double against Montville before a pair of RBIs against Mount Olive. He also struck out five in a complete-game loss to North.
Up next for the Spartans -- West Morris at home on Monday; Vernon at home on Tuesday; at Pope John on Wednesday; at Jefferson on Friday.
10. Hopatcong (11-6) -- Chiefs had a short week due to rain, beating Lenape Valley, 3-2, on Monday in their lone game. Coach Chris Buglovsky's club can clinch at least a share of the program's first NJAC Freedom Division title with a win over Kittatinny on Wednesday. Chiefs, who are 6-1 in divisional play, have won eight of 11 since a 5-2 loss at Lenape Valley dropped them to 3-3 overall.
Up next for the Chiefs -- Kittatinny at home on Wednesday.
On the bubble -- Lenape Valley (9-7); Delaware Valley (7-7); Wallkill Valley (11-10).
Keep checking in here as I will try to keep you abreast off all that's happening in the tri-county area.
We've still got divisional races to decide in both the Skyland and Northwest Jersey Athletic conferences.
Hopatcong is one win from clinching at least a share of the NJAC Freedom, while Pope John and Jefferson enter the week tied atop the American Division standings.
In the Skyland, Hunterdon Central is battling for the top spot in the rugged Delaware Division at 7-2 in conference play along with Immaculata (7-1) and Watchung Hills (7-3). Voorhees (6-3) entered the week trailing Pingry (6-2) by one-half game atop the Raritan standings with three games to play.
Here are this week's set of rankings with some changes at the top following Phillipsburg's 6-5 win in 12 innings over Pope John in the HWS quarterfinals.
1. Hunterdon Central (13-3) -- Red Devils keep on keeping on with wins in eight of their last nine, including Sunday's 8-7 win over Voorhees in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals. Coach Mike Raymond's club has reached the semifinals in all three years of the tournament, winning the title in 2010 and falling in the 2011 title game. Central entered the week riding a five-game win streak and handed Immaculata its first loss, 8-5, on Thursday. Jeremy Ake was red-hot last week, going 7-for-10 with a double, a triple, two homers and six RBIs in three victories. Kenny Wilson had two doubles, a homer and six RBIs last week. Ake is batting .490 with 19 RBIs, while Wilson is hitting .400 with 15 RBIs. Brett Bonn is hitting .471 with a team-high six homers and 19 RBIs. Bonn went deep twice against Voorhees.
Up next for the Red Devils -- Warren Hills at home on Monday; Phillipsburg at home on Tuesday; at North Hunterdon on Thursday; High Point at home on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
2. Phillipsburg (9-7) -- Stateliners finished last week in style with a 6-5 win in 12 innings over previous No. 2 Pope John in the HWS quarterfinals. Coach Dave Hinkle's team is the first in program history to reach the tournament semifinals. Junior righty Tyler Woscek came out of nowhere to fire five no-hit innings in relief to earn the victory against the Lions. P'burg dropped its other two games last week, 4-3 to Montgomery on Thursday and 11-1 at Ridge on Monday. Chris Trent went 3-for-5 with an RBI against Pope John and drove in the only run against Ridge.
Up next for the Stateliners -- at Hunterdon Central on Tuesday; at Hillsborough on Wednesday; at North Hunterdon on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
3. Voorhees (8-7) -- Vikings are really playing well of late, falling 8-7 to Hunterdon Central on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals to snap a four-game win streak. Coach Spark Mattson's club had leads of 5-1 and 7-2 before Central put up a four-spot in the fourth. The Vikes also posted two Skyland Conference Raritan Division wins -- 4-2 over North Plainfield on Tuesday and 2-0 at Franklin on Thursday. Tyler Duplaga continued his amazing season, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and an RBI against Central. He also earned the win on the mound with six K's against North Plainfield.
Up next for the Vikings -- at Princeton on Monday; at Somerville on Tuesday; Pingry at home on Thursday.
4. North Hunterdon (9-11) -- Lions kept their county tournament title hopes alive with a 3-1 win over Sparta on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals. Ace Ben Stine lost his no-hit bid by allowing a homer in the top of the seventh. Stine (4-3) finished with one-hitter. Derek Jenkins added an RBI double in the victory. Coach Mike Kane's team suffered a pair of tough one-run losses -- 2-1 at Watchung Hills on Tuesday and 1-0 at Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday. The Lions' pitching staff has really done a job, allowing a total of six runs in the last five games entering the week.
Up next for the Lions -- Immaculata at home on Tuesday; Hunterdon Central at home on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
5. Pope John (11-6) -- Lions fall three spots following Saturday's extra-innings loss to Phillipsburg in the tri-county quarterfinals. Coach Vin Bello's team, which also fell into a first-place tie atop the NJAC American Division with Thursday's 4-0 loss to Jefferson, rebounded with a 3-1 win over Hoboken on Sunday. Shortstop Matt Tietz had a solid week at the plate, going 4-for-6 with a double against P'burg, while adding an RBI double against Hoboken. Lefty Ethan Collins (3-1) earned the win on Sunday.
Up next for the Lions -- Sparta at home on Wednesday.
6. High Point (8-7) -- Wildcats vault back into the rankings after a 2-1 week that included wins over Sparta (7-6 on Monday) and Warren Hills (6-4 in the HWS quarterfinals). The only blemish was a 4-0 loss to Pope John on Tuesday. Ryan Schulok went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Kyle Adams was 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs against the Blue Streaks. Winning pitcher Ryan Conklin improved to 4-0. Conklin went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs against the Spartans.
Up next for the Wildcats -- at Morris Hills on Monday; at Newton on Tuesday; Montville at home on Wednesday; Vernon at home on Friday; at Hunterdon Central on Saturday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals.
7. North Warren (9-3) -- Patriots won both of their games last week -- beating Warren Hills, 11-2, on Monday and Blair Academy, 6-2, on Saturday. Garret Becker belted a double, a homer and two RBIs, while Joe Frankosky (4-1) got the win on the mound against Blair. Frankosky went 2-for-4 with an RBI and also got the win over the Blue Streaks. Coach Jim Haupt's team is still in the hunt for the Skyland Conference Valley Division title at 4-1 in divisional play. Oddly, the Pats have yet to face first-place Bernards (7-0).
Up next for the Patriots -- at Notre Dame of East Stroudsburg (Pa.) on Monday; Gill St. Bernard's at home on Tuesday; at Manville on Thursday; Kittatinny at home on Saturday.
8. Warren Hills (8-9) -- Tough week for the Blue Streaks, who have lost seven of their last 10. The week started on a high note with Tuesday's 7-5 win over Somerville, before back-to-back losses at Pingry (2-1 on Thursday) and High Point (6-4 in the HWS quarterfinals on Saturday). The loss to Pingry all but ends the Streaks' hopes for a Skyland Conference Raritan Division title at 5-4 in divisional play. Mark Apgar went 2-for-4 against the 'Ville and had an RBI double against High Point. Kyle Allen went 1-1 on the hill, beating Somerville and falling to High Point, despite seven K's.
Up next for the Blue Streaks -- at Hunterdon Central on Monday; Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; vs. Ridge at TD Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater on Friday.
9. Sparta (11-7) -- Spartans went 2-2 last week, falling 3-1 to North Hunterdon on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals. A tough 7-6 loss at High Point started things on Monday before wins over Montville (4-1 on Tuesday) and Mount Olive (11-4 on Friday). Derek Tappen had the lone hit against North -- a solo homer to break up Ben Stine's no-hit bid in the seventh. Jason Postorino had an excellent week, belting an RBI double against Montville before a pair of RBIs against Mount Olive. He also struck out five in a complete-game loss to North.
Up next for the Spartans -- West Morris at home on Monday; Vernon at home on Tuesday; at Pope John on Wednesday; at Jefferson on Friday.
10. Hopatcong (11-6) -- Chiefs had a short week due to rain, beating Lenape Valley, 3-2, on Monday in their lone game. Coach Chris Buglovsky's club can clinch at least a share of the program's first NJAC Freedom Division title with a win over Kittatinny on Wednesday. Chiefs, who are 6-1 in divisional play, have won eight of 11 since a 5-2 loss at Lenape Valley dropped them to 3-3 overall.
Up next for the Chiefs -- Kittatinny at home on Wednesday.
On the bubble -- Lenape Valley (9-7); Delaware Valley (7-7); Wallkill Valley (11-10).
HWS baseball: Lions, 'Liners one for the books
When Phillipsburg's baseball team held a 5-2 lead against Pope John after four innings, little did anyone in attendance realize it would take eight more innings to decide a winner.
For that matter, even less figured that junior Tyler Woscek, a junior varsity pitcher to start the season, would throw five no-hit frames to help the Stateliners advance to the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals with a 6-5 win in 12 innings.
Woscek earned his first varsity win, as ugly as it was at times. The soft-throwing righty walked six and struck out six, retiring eight of the 21 batters he faced with fly-ball outs. Even more amazing was that Pope John had just mounted a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh on three hits to force extra innings.
"My curveball was working great, but my fastball was a little off," Woscek said. "I have to thank [pitcher] Mike Ciesla for teaching me a changeup."
Designated hitter Rob Sanders' two-run single off P'burg starter Anthony Ciavarella tied the game at 2, as the Lions were down to their final strike when Sanders fell behind 0-2 in the count. It was also PJ's final hit of the game. Woscek even twice retired Lions shortstop Matt Tietz in the ninth and 11th innings after Tietz collected hits in his first four at-bats against Ciavarella, the 'Liners ace who finished with 10 K's -- his fourth of five starts this season with double-digit strikeout totals.
Woscek, nicknamed "Hot Wheels" by his teammates due to his lack of speed, delivered one of the gutsiest and most clutch performances I've ever witnessed in high school sports. Moments after the victory, I'm not sure it even set in yet in the right-hander's mind as to what he just pulled off.
"No, not at all," Woscek said when asked if he could've ever imagined this scenario when he entered the game in the eighth inning. "[Pope John] is a good team. We're happy to win and move on."
The head-scratching thing is that the only trouble Woscek ran into was of his own doing. He incredibly worked around six free passes, including three that loaded the bases with one out in the 11th. Shortstop Matt McAnally caught a fly ball behind third in shallow left for the second out, then cleanly fielded Sam Redwood's grounder and stepped on second for the force to end the inning and PJ's last threat.
Woscek fanned the first two in the 12th before issuing a walk to PJ catcher Zach Leach. But Jay Sanford went down swinging for the second straight inning to end the marathon affair, which lasted nearly three hours and 20 minutes.
Here are some other odds and ends from this incredible game:
* Both teams combined for 20 fly-ball outs and 21 strikeouts. P'burg pitchers combined for 16 K's.
* Pope John missed a golden opportunity in that seventh-inning uprising when a runner's interference call on Lions' No. 2 hitter Glenn Gavan couldn't get out of the way of Tietz's single through the right hole. The ball hit Gavan on the left foot as he was caught halfway between first and second. Instead of bases loaded and none out, PJ had first and second with one out. Leadoff man Mike Young had to retreat back to second on the play because a runner can not advance more than one base on an interference. Ryan McNally followed with a walk, which could have forced in another run. Sanders' hit could have very well been a walk-off instead of the tying blow.
* Gavan endured a rough day all-around as he struck out four times at the plate and committed a throwing error in the 12th that led to Bryan Gardner's winning RBI on a fielder's choice. The right-hander did provide three perfect innings of relief -- retiring the first nine 'Liners he faced until running into trouble in the final two innings.
* P'burg coach Dave Hinkle would have been on the hook had Phillipsburg lost this one for a judgment error as the third-base coach in the 11th. McAnally belted a triple to right field, which was misplayed a bit before Redwood and Sanford executed perfect relay throws to the plate to nail McAnally by a wide margin. Hinkle waived McAnally in with the potential go-ahead run, but the right decision would have been to hold the runner with none out. Naturally, Chris Trent, who had three hits on the day, singled with one out and would have given P'burg the lead.
* Pope John reliever Axel D'Addario is becoming quite a rock out of the bullpen for coach Vin Bello. The hard-throwing righty entered the game in the fourth after starter Dan Cunico gave up back-to-back hits to start the frame. D'Addario retired three in a row to end the threat and sent down 12 of the 15 batters he faced -- hitting one, walking another and giving up his lone hit Trent in the sixth. In addition to the four scoreless in this one, D'Addario came on against High Point on Tuesday and worked 2 1/3 scoreless to help preserve a 4-0 win.
* Ciavarella gave the kind of work-horse effort you'd expect from an ace pitcher. The lefty three 133 pitches after laboring early in the game. He faced eight batters in the first, giving up two runs on three hits. From that point on, Ciavarella retired 14 of the next 19, yielding only three hits and striking out the side in the bottom of the sixth, until his final inning. He showed no signs of fatigue before the Lions jumped on him in the seventh.
"You can tell with Ciav when he's tired," Hinkle said. "He paced himself and he's in midseason form. He gave [Sanders] too good of a pitch to hit 0-2 and he barreled up on it."
For that matter, even less figured that junior Tyler Woscek, a junior varsity pitcher to start the season, would throw five no-hit frames to help the Stateliners advance to the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals with a 6-5 win in 12 innings.
Woscek earned his first varsity win, as ugly as it was at times. The soft-throwing righty walked six and struck out six, retiring eight of the 21 batters he faced with fly-ball outs. Even more amazing was that Pope John had just mounted a three-run rally in the bottom of the seventh on three hits to force extra innings.
"My curveball was working great, but my fastball was a little off," Woscek said. "I have to thank [pitcher] Mike Ciesla for teaching me a changeup."
Designated hitter Rob Sanders' two-run single off P'burg starter Anthony Ciavarella tied the game at 2, as the Lions were down to their final strike when Sanders fell behind 0-2 in the count. It was also PJ's final hit of the game. Woscek even twice retired Lions shortstop Matt Tietz in the ninth and 11th innings after Tietz collected hits in his first four at-bats against Ciavarella, the 'Liners ace who finished with 10 K's -- his fourth of five starts this season with double-digit strikeout totals.
Woscek, nicknamed "Hot Wheels" by his teammates due to his lack of speed, delivered one of the gutsiest and most clutch performances I've ever witnessed in high school sports. Moments after the victory, I'm not sure it even set in yet in the right-hander's mind as to what he just pulled off.
"No, not at all," Woscek said when asked if he could've ever imagined this scenario when he entered the game in the eighth inning. "[Pope John] is a good team. We're happy to win and move on."
The head-scratching thing is that the only trouble Woscek ran into was of his own doing. He incredibly worked around six free passes, including three that loaded the bases with one out in the 11th. Shortstop Matt McAnally caught a fly ball behind third in shallow left for the second out, then cleanly fielded Sam Redwood's grounder and stepped on second for the force to end the inning and PJ's last threat.
Woscek fanned the first two in the 12th before issuing a walk to PJ catcher Zach Leach. But Jay Sanford went down swinging for the second straight inning to end the marathon affair, which lasted nearly three hours and 20 minutes.
Here are some other odds and ends from this incredible game:
* Both teams combined for 20 fly-ball outs and 21 strikeouts. P'burg pitchers combined for 16 K's.
* Pope John missed a golden opportunity in that seventh-inning uprising when a runner's interference call on Lions' No. 2 hitter Glenn Gavan couldn't get out of the way of Tietz's single through the right hole. The ball hit Gavan on the left foot as he was caught halfway between first and second. Instead of bases loaded and none out, PJ had first and second with one out. Leadoff man Mike Young had to retreat back to second on the play because a runner can not advance more than one base on an interference. Ryan McNally followed with a walk, which could have forced in another run. Sanders' hit could have very well been a walk-off instead of the tying blow.
* Gavan endured a rough day all-around as he struck out four times at the plate and committed a throwing error in the 12th that led to Bryan Gardner's winning RBI on a fielder's choice. The right-hander did provide three perfect innings of relief -- retiring the first nine 'Liners he faced until running into trouble in the final two innings.
* P'burg coach Dave Hinkle would have been on the hook had Phillipsburg lost this one for a judgment error as the third-base coach in the 11th. McAnally belted a triple to right field, which was misplayed a bit before Redwood and Sanford executed perfect relay throws to the plate to nail McAnally by a wide margin. Hinkle waived McAnally in with the potential go-ahead run, but the right decision would have been to hold the runner with none out. Naturally, Chris Trent, who had three hits on the day, singled with one out and would have given P'burg the lead.
* Pope John reliever Axel D'Addario is becoming quite a rock out of the bullpen for coach Vin Bello. The hard-throwing righty entered the game in the fourth after starter Dan Cunico gave up back-to-back hits to start the frame. D'Addario retired three in a row to end the threat and sent down 12 of the 15 batters he faced -- hitting one, walking another and giving up his lone hit Trent in the sixth. In addition to the four scoreless in this one, D'Addario came on against High Point on Tuesday and worked 2 1/3 scoreless to help preserve a 4-0 win.
* Ciavarella gave the kind of work-horse effort you'd expect from an ace pitcher. The lefty three 133 pitches after laboring early in the game. He faced eight batters in the first, giving up two runs on three hits. From that point on, Ciavarella retired 14 of the next 19, yielding only three hits and striking out the side in the bottom of the sixth, until his final inning. He showed no signs of fatigue before the Lions jumped on him in the seventh.
"You can tell with Ciav when he's tired," Hinkle said. "He paced himself and he's in midseason form. He gave [Sanders] too good of a pitch to hit 0-2 and he barreled up on it."
Sunday, May 6, 2012
'Liners win in 12; 'Cats advance in HWS baseball
Tyler Woscek wasn't listed on the Phillipsburg preseason roster. Heck, his name had to be handwritten on the lineup card for Saturday's Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament contest.
Boy, were the Stateliners glad to pencil him in for this one. The junior right-hander pitched the game of his life, tossing five no-hit innings in relief to help P'burg earn a 6-5 victory in 12 innings over defending champion Pope John in a quarterfinal round game in Sparta.
Phillipsburg (9-7) advances to next Saturday's semifinals and will face North Hunterdon -- a 3-1 winner over Sparta in another quarterfinal. In the other Final Four matchup, High Point, which beat Warren Hills 6-4 on Saturday, will meet the winner of Sunday's Hunterdon Central-Voorhees matchup.
Woscek, who was called up from the junior varsity in mid-April when pitcher Robert Howell was dismissed from the team, kept P'burg in this marathon affair that lasted nearly three hours and 20 minutes. It's the longest contest innings-wise in the tournament's three-year history.
"I just wanted to throw strikes and help our team," said Woscek, who earned his first varsity win. "We were able to get one run [in the 12th] and that was the game."
That winning run came courtesy of a fielder's choice grounder by Bryan Gardner. Tyler Widitz, who led off the 12th with a single, scored after reaching third on an error by losing pitcher Glenn Gavan, whose high throw on Alex Martin's bunt attempt put runners on first and third.
P'burg, which hadn't scored since the fourth inning, went down 1-2-3 in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings. In fact, Pope John pitchers retired 13 in a row until Tyler Plesnarski's leadoff triple in the 11th. Lions reliever Axel D'Addaro threw four scoreless frames after starter Dan Cunico was lifted in the fourth.
Woscek fanned the first two Pope John batters in the bottom of the 12th before walking Zack Leach -- one of six total by the P'burg reliever. But Woscek struck out Jay Sanford for the second time in the game to end the threat.
"The reason [Woscek was in there] was to throw strikes," said coach Dave Hinkle, who is taking a P'burg team to the semifinals for the first time. "These kids battle and they're tough. We have some young kids who are starting to grow up. I'm proud of our kids."
Perhaps no one was more relieved than Hinkle, who would have been kicking himself after making a costly decision as the third-base coach when he decided to waive home Matt McAnally after a leadoff triple to right in the 11th. McAnally was cut down three feet short of home plate when right fielder Sam Redwood and second baseman Sanford made great relay throws in to catcher Leach. With one out, Chris Trent, who was 3-for-5, including an RBI single in the fourth, singled and would have brought McAnally in with the go-ahead run.
"They really picked me up," Hinkle said. "I saw that [Redwood] bobbled the ball and I thought [McAnally] had a shot to score. You're usually not going to get two good throws after a bobble like that. Hindsight is 20-20."
Woscek was pressed into duty after Pope John rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh off Stateliners ace Anthony Ciavarella, who took a 5-2 lead into the final frame. Ciavarella, who three 133 pitches, had just struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth for strikeouts eight, nine and 10.
Pope John's rally started with Mike Young's leadoff single to center. Gavan walked to put runners on first and second, but committed a huge baserunning error when he allowed Matt Tietz's single to strike him in the foot halfway between first and second. The Lions would have had the bases loaded and none out, but settled for first and second with one out.
Ryan McNally then walked to load the bases and Young scored on Redwood's groundout to short. With runners on second and third, designated hitter Rob Sanders delivered a two-run single to center after falling behind 0-2 in the count to tie the game at 5.
In extras, Pope John twice had a runner on third base, including an 11th inning-threat when Woscek walked the bases full, but couldn't cash in.
"That's baseball. We had our opportunities," said Lions coach Vin Bello, whose teams are 5-2 all-time in HWS games. "Hats off to [Woscek]. He kept us off-balance. It was a great [comeback] but we wasted it."
P'burg mounted an earlier rally with a four-run third to wipe out an early 2-0 deficit. Sahil Patel's two-run single capped the scoring as the 'Liners sent nine men to the plate.
McNally gave Pope John an early lead with a two-run inside-the-park homer that struck the top of the center-field fence. From there, Ciavarella settled down as he allowed only five baserunners until the seventh. The lefty has fanned at least 10 in four starts this season and has 37 K's in his last three outings.
It was quite a contrast as the 'Liners went from the hard-throwing Ciavarella and his mid-to-upper 80s fastball to Woscek, who probably topped out around 60 mph.
"It was a huge difference," Bello said. "They are the best team we've played all year."
Phillipsburg (9-7) 004 100 000 001 -- 6 11 1
Boy, were the Stateliners glad to pencil him in for this one. The junior right-hander pitched the game of his life, tossing five no-hit innings in relief to help P'burg earn a 6-5 victory in 12 innings over defending champion Pope John in a quarterfinal round game in Sparta.
Phillipsburg (9-7) advances to next Saturday's semifinals and will face North Hunterdon -- a 3-1 winner over Sparta in another quarterfinal. In the other Final Four matchup, High Point, which beat Warren Hills 6-4 on Saturday, will meet the winner of Sunday's Hunterdon Central-Voorhees matchup.
Woscek, who was called up from the junior varsity in mid-April when pitcher Robert Howell was dismissed from the team, kept P'burg in this marathon affair that lasted nearly three hours and 20 minutes. It's the longest contest innings-wise in the tournament's three-year history.
"I just wanted to throw strikes and help our team," said Woscek, who earned his first varsity win. "We were able to get one run [in the 12th] and that was the game."
That winning run came courtesy of a fielder's choice grounder by Bryan Gardner. Tyler Widitz, who led off the 12th with a single, scored after reaching third on an error by losing pitcher Glenn Gavan, whose high throw on Alex Martin's bunt attempt put runners on first and third.
P'burg, which hadn't scored since the fourth inning, went down 1-2-3 in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings. In fact, Pope John pitchers retired 13 in a row until Tyler Plesnarski's leadoff triple in the 11th. Lions reliever Axel D'Addaro threw four scoreless frames after starter Dan Cunico was lifted in the fourth.
Woscek fanned the first two Pope John batters in the bottom of the 12th before walking Zack Leach -- one of six total by the P'burg reliever. But Woscek struck out Jay Sanford for the second time in the game to end the threat.
"The reason [Woscek was in there] was to throw strikes," said coach Dave Hinkle, who is taking a P'burg team to the semifinals for the first time. "These kids battle and they're tough. We have some young kids who are starting to grow up. I'm proud of our kids."
Perhaps no one was more relieved than Hinkle, who would have been kicking himself after making a costly decision as the third-base coach when he decided to waive home Matt McAnally after a leadoff triple to right in the 11th. McAnally was cut down three feet short of home plate when right fielder Sam Redwood and second baseman Sanford made great relay throws in to catcher Leach. With one out, Chris Trent, who was 3-for-5, including an RBI single in the fourth, singled and would have brought McAnally in with the go-ahead run.
"They really picked me up," Hinkle said. "I saw that [Redwood] bobbled the ball and I thought [McAnally] had a shot to score. You're usually not going to get two good throws after a bobble like that. Hindsight is 20-20."
Woscek was pressed into duty after Pope John rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh off Stateliners ace Anthony Ciavarella, who took a 5-2 lead into the final frame. Ciavarella, who three 133 pitches, had just struck out the side in the bottom of the sixth for strikeouts eight, nine and 10.
Pope John's rally started with Mike Young's leadoff single to center. Gavan walked to put runners on first and second, but committed a huge baserunning error when he allowed Matt Tietz's single to strike him in the foot halfway between first and second. The Lions would have had the bases loaded and none out, but settled for first and second with one out.
Ryan McNally then walked to load the bases and Young scored on Redwood's groundout to short. With runners on second and third, designated hitter Rob Sanders delivered a two-run single to center after falling behind 0-2 in the count to tie the game at 5.
In extras, Pope John twice had a runner on third base, including an 11th inning-threat when Woscek walked the bases full, but couldn't cash in.
"That's baseball. We had our opportunities," said Lions coach Vin Bello, whose teams are 5-2 all-time in HWS games. "Hats off to [Woscek]. He kept us off-balance. It was a great [comeback] but we wasted it."
P'burg mounted an earlier rally with a four-run third to wipe out an early 2-0 deficit. Sahil Patel's two-run single capped the scoring as the 'Liners sent nine men to the plate.
McNally gave Pope John an early lead with a two-run inside-the-park homer that struck the top of the center-field fence. From there, Ciavarella settled down as he allowed only five baserunners until the seventh. The lefty has fanned at least 10 in four starts this season and has 37 K's in his last three outings.
It was quite a contrast as the 'Liners went from the hard-throwing Ciavarella and his mid-to-upper 80s fastball to Woscek, who probably topped out around 60 mph.
"It was a huge difference," Bello said. "They are the best team we've played all year."
Phillipsburg (9-7) 004 100 000 001 -- 6 11 1
Pope John (10-6) 200 000 300 000 -- 5 9 2
PHILLIPSBURG (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Trent cf, 5-0-3-1, Ciavarella p-rf, 5-1-1-0, Grade c, 5-0-1-0, Widitz 3b, 6-2-2-1, Martin rf-lf, 5-1-0-1, Gardner lf-1b, 6-0-0-1, Patel 2b, 5-0-1-2, McAnally ss, 6-0-1-0, Plesnarski dh 5-2-2-0/Ciesla 1b 0-0-0-0, Woscek p 0-0-0-0. Totals: 48-6-11-6.
POPE JOHN (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Young lf, 5-1-1-0, Gavan 3b-p, 4-0-0-0, Tietz ss, 6-2-4-0, McNally cf, 3-1-1-2, Redwood rf, 5-0-0-1, Sanders dh, 5-0-2-2, Kopnik pr 0-0-0-0, Cassarra 1b, 5-0-1-0, Leach c, 5-0-0-0/Gignatelli pr 0-0-0-0, Sanford 2b, 5-0-0-0, Rivera ph 0-0-0-0, Cunico p-3b 0-0-0-0. Totals: 43-5-9-5.
E -- Ciavarella; Tietz, Gavan. LOB -- Phillipsburg 11, Pope John 13. 2B -- Tietz, Cassarra. 3B -- Plesnarski, McAnally. HR -- McNally. SB -- McNally 2.
Ciavarella, Woscek (8) and Grade. Cunico, D'Addario (4), Gavan (8) and Leach. W -- Woscek (1-0). L -- Gavan (1-2). SO-BB -- Ciavarella 10-4, Woscek 6-6; Cunico 1-2, D'Addario 2-1, Gavan 2-0. WP -- D'Addario. HBP -- Ciavarella (by Cunico); Palel (by D'Addario).
In the other quarterfinals on Saturday:
High Point 6, Warren Hills 4 -- Ryan Schulok went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Kyle Adams was 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs as the Wildcats (8-7) used a four-run second to reach the semifinals for the first time in program history. Ryan Conklin (4-0) got the win, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Kyle Allen, Mark Apgar, Ryan Curto and Connor Cruts had doubles for the Blue Streaks (8-9). Allen (4-3) took the loss despite seven strikeouts.
North Hunterdon 3, Sparta 1 -- Ben Stine threw seven innings of one-hit ball and Derek Jenkins had an RBI double as the Lions (9-11) reached the semifinals for the second time in three years. Stine (4-3), who took a perfect game into the sixth before issuing a walk, lost his no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh as Derek Tappen belted a homer for the Spartans (11-7). Stine fanned four and walked one.
In the other quarterfinals on Saturday:
High Point 6, Warren Hills 4 -- Ryan Schulok went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and Kyle Adams was 2-for-4 with a triple and three RBIs as the Wildcats (8-7) used a four-run second to reach the semifinals for the first time in program history. Ryan Conklin (4-0) got the win, allowing three earned runs on eight hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Kyle Allen, Mark Apgar, Ryan Curto and Connor Cruts had doubles for the Blue Streaks (8-9). Allen (4-3) took the loss despite seven strikeouts.
North Hunterdon 3, Sparta 1 -- Ben Stine threw seven innings of one-hit ball and Derek Jenkins had an RBI double as the Lions (9-11) reached the semifinals for the second time in three years. Stine (4-3), who took a perfect game into the sixth before issuing a walk, lost his no-hit bid with two outs in the seventh as Derek Tappen belted a homer for the Spartans (11-7). Stine fanned four and walked one.
Friday, May 4, 2012
Baseball: Lions, Streaks among picks in HWS tourney
Matt Tietz and his Pope John teammates have a little something to prove in this year's Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. The Lions lost most of the key pieces from last year's county championship team, but the Sussex County school feels it has still has the talent to be the first to repeat.
"After losing all those kids [from last year], I think it would pretty big to come back and win it," said the Rutgers-bound Tietz, a senior shortstop and four-year starter. "Phillipsburg is pretty good. A lot of the teams we have to beat are good."
Pope John hosts Phillipsburg in one of four quarterfinals matchups on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m. in Sparta.
Elsewhere, Hunterdon Central, a two-time finalist and 2010 champion in the tourney's inaugural season, hosts fellow Hunterdon County school Voorhees. The winner of that one will face either Warren Hills or High Point in the semifinals on May 12.
In the bottom bracket, Sparta travels to North Hunterdon, with the winner to face either Pope John or P'burg in next weekend's semifinals.
Pope John (10-5), which had won four of five before Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Jefferson, figures to have Dan Cunico (4-0) on the mound on Saturday. P'burg will counter with Anthony Ciavarella (2-2), who has 27 strikeouts in his last two starts -- 14 in last Saturday's 6-1 win over Hopatcong in the opening round.
Coach Vin Bello likes what he's seen from his team this season.
"They're a scrappy bunch and I enjoy being around these guys," said Bello after Tuesday's 4-0 win over High Point in an NJAC American Division clash.
Bello said a second county championship would be sweet considering the heavy graduation losses from a year ago, including Division I players Alex DeBellis (UConn) and Brendan Mayers (Rutgers).
"Sure. Absolutely," Bello said. "We know [Ciavarella] is pretty good. We're excited."
Tietz, a solid all-around player, entered the week batting .465 with five homers and 14 RBIs to go with a .540 on-base percentage and 10 stolen bases. Center fielder Ryan McNally, the Lions' cleanup hitter, entered the week hitting .511 with four homers and 17 RBIs.
Phillipsburg (8-7), which dropped a 4-3 decision to Montgomery on Thursday, has lost three of its last five and has been up-and-down this spring. Coach Dave Hinkle's team is trying to be the first at the Warren County school to reach the semifinals.
Here's a closer look at the quarterfinal matchups (seeds precede teams). Records through Thursday:
5A-Voorhees (8-6) at 1A-Hunterdon Central (12-3), 2:30 p.m.-- Central, which is a tournament-best 8-1 all-time in county games, posted an 11-7 when the teams met earlier this season on April 23. Jeremy Ake, Kenny Wilson and Geggie Russomagno are absolutely on fire at the plate now, as all three played key roles in Thursday's 8-5 win over Immaculata. All three hit homers and combined for seven RBIs. Vikings have gotten back on track, winning four straight since the loss to Central. Tyler Duplaga, a feared hitter, will get the ball for this one. He's 3-1 on the mound.
How they got here: Voorhees beat Lenape Valley, 13-8. Central defeated Hackettstown, 7-1.
The Pick: Hunterdon Central, 6-3.
3A-Warren Hills (8-8) at 2B-High Point (7-7), 4 p.m. -- Blue Streaks traveled to Wantage two years ago and left with a 15-10 victory. This one doesn't figure to be as high scoring, though both teams have a penchant for scoring plenty of runs. The Wildcats feature first baseman/third baseman Brett Fundell, the team's cleanup hitter who has three homers, along with second baseman Ryan Conklin, who figures to get the ball for this one. Conklin struck out five in the team's first-round win over North Warren, the school's first in HWS play. Streaks are led by the pitching duo of Kyle Allen and Mark Apgar, who are also among the team's leading hitters. Allen (4-2) will get the start on the mound. Red-hot Ryan Curto was 10-for-14 with two doubles and eight RBIs in his last four games entering Thursday's contest against Pingry.
How they got here: Warren Hills beat Kittatinny, 6-1. High Point defeated North Warren, 5-3.
The Pick: Warren Hills, 5-4.
3B-Sparta (10-6) at 2A-North Hunterdon (8-11), 2:30 p.m. -- Spartans, who reached the title game in 2010, have won five of seven, including a tough 7-6 loss to High Point on Monday -- a game they let slip away in a four-run bottom of the seventh. Wagner-bound catcher Devon Livingston paces an offense that has produced 43 runs in its last seven contests. Codie Aromando (4-0) has been a rock on the mound and will get the ball for this one. Lions at one time were playing as well as anyone in the HWS area, but first-year coach Mike Kane's team has lost six of its last eight, including back-to-back one-run losses to Watchung Hills and Bridgewater this week. Speedy outfielder Derek Jenkins and ace pitcher Ben Stine (3-3) lead North.
How they got here: Sparta beat Delaware Valley, 8-7. North Hunterdon defeated Wallkill Valley, 4-1.
The Pick: North Hunterdon, 4-3.
4A-Phillipsburg (8-7) at 1B-Pope John (10-5), 2 p.m. -- Stateliners make the long trek to Sparta to face the defending champs. Ace Anthony Ciavarella, who has 27 K's in his last two outings, could be the key to a potential victory. Other than Central, no team left has that kind of shut-down pitcher. The 'Liners will need to come through with the bats, something they've struggled to do at times. They've been shut out twice this season and held to three runs or fewer in four others. Lions can hit and pitch. PJ also has the advantage of being at home. Shortstop Matt Tietz and third baseman Glenn Gavan form a tough left side of the infield, while center fielder Ryan McNally and right fielder Sam Redwood help anchor the lineup.
How they got here: Phillipsburg beat Hopatcong, 6-1. Pope John defeated Vernon, 5-3.
The Pick: Pope John 3-2.
"After losing all those kids [from last year], I think it would pretty big to come back and win it," said the Rutgers-bound Tietz, a senior shortstop and four-year starter. "Phillipsburg is pretty good. A lot of the teams we have to beat are good."
Pope John hosts Phillipsburg in one of four quarterfinals matchups on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m. in Sparta.
Elsewhere, Hunterdon Central, a two-time finalist and 2010 champion in the tourney's inaugural season, hosts fellow Hunterdon County school Voorhees. The winner of that one will face either Warren Hills or High Point in the semifinals on May 12.
In the bottom bracket, Sparta travels to North Hunterdon, with the winner to face either Pope John or P'burg in next weekend's semifinals.
Pope John (10-5), which had won four of five before Wednesday's 4-0 loss to Jefferson, figures to have Dan Cunico (4-0) on the mound on Saturday. P'burg will counter with Anthony Ciavarella (2-2), who has 27 strikeouts in his last two starts -- 14 in last Saturday's 6-1 win over Hopatcong in the opening round.
Coach Vin Bello likes what he's seen from his team this season.
"They're a scrappy bunch and I enjoy being around these guys," said Bello after Tuesday's 4-0 win over High Point in an NJAC American Division clash.
Bello said a second county championship would be sweet considering the heavy graduation losses from a year ago, including Division I players Alex DeBellis (UConn) and Brendan Mayers (Rutgers).
"Sure. Absolutely," Bello said. "We know [Ciavarella] is pretty good. We're excited."
Tietz, a solid all-around player, entered the week batting .465 with five homers and 14 RBIs to go with a .540 on-base percentage and 10 stolen bases. Center fielder Ryan McNally, the Lions' cleanup hitter, entered the week hitting .511 with four homers and 17 RBIs.
Phillipsburg (8-7), which dropped a 4-3 decision to Montgomery on Thursday, has lost three of its last five and has been up-and-down this spring. Coach Dave Hinkle's team is trying to be the first at the Warren County school to reach the semifinals.
Here's a closer look at the quarterfinal matchups (seeds precede teams). Records through Thursday:
5A-Voorhees (8-6) at 1A-Hunterdon Central (12-3), 2:30 p.m.-- Central, which is a tournament-best 8-1 all-time in county games, posted an 11-7 when the teams met earlier this season on April 23. Jeremy Ake, Kenny Wilson and Geggie Russomagno are absolutely on fire at the plate now, as all three played key roles in Thursday's 8-5 win over Immaculata. All three hit homers and combined for seven RBIs. Vikings have gotten back on track, winning four straight since the loss to Central. Tyler Duplaga, a feared hitter, will get the ball for this one. He's 3-1 on the mound.
How they got here: Voorhees beat Lenape Valley, 13-8. Central defeated Hackettstown, 7-1.
The Pick: Hunterdon Central, 6-3.
3A-Warren Hills (8-8) at 2B-High Point (7-7), 4 p.m. -- Blue Streaks traveled to Wantage two years ago and left with a 15-10 victory. This one doesn't figure to be as high scoring, though both teams have a penchant for scoring plenty of runs. The Wildcats feature first baseman/third baseman Brett Fundell, the team's cleanup hitter who has three homers, along with second baseman Ryan Conklin, who figures to get the ball for this one. Conklin struck out five in the team's first-round win over North Warren, the school's first in HWS play. Streaks are led by the pitching duo of Kyle Allen and Mark Apgar, who are also among the team's leading hitters. Allen (4-2) will get the start on the mound. Red-hot Ryan Curto was 10-for-14 with two doubles and eight RBIs in his last four games entering Thursday's contest against Pingry.
How they got here: Warren Hills beat Kittatinny, 6-1. High Point defeated North Warren, 5-3.
The Pick: Warren Hills, 5-4.
3B-Sparta (10-6) at 2A-North Hunterdon (8-11), 2:30 p.m. -- Spartans, who reached the title game in 2010, have won five of seven, including a tough 7-6 loss to High Point on Monday -- a game they let slip away in a four-run bottom of the seventh. Wagner-bound catcher Devon Livingston paces an offense that has produced 43 runs in its last seven contests. Codie Aromando (4-0) has been a rock on the mound and will get the ball for this one. Lions at one time were playing as well as anyone in the HWS area, but first-year coach Mike Kane's team has lost six of its last eight, including back-to-back one-run losses to Watchung Hills and Bridgewater this week. Speedy outfielder Derek Jenkins and ace pitcher Ben Stine (3-3) lead North.
How they got here: Sparta beat Delaware Valley, 8-7. North Hunterdon defeated Wallkill Valley, 4-1.
The Pick: North Hunterdon, 4-3.
4A-Phillipsburg (8-7) at 1B-Pope John (10-5), 2 p.m. -- Stateliners make the long trek to Sparta to face the defending champs. Ace Anthony Ciavarella, who has 27 K's in his last two outings, could be the key to a potential victory. Other than Central, no team left has that kind of shut-down pitcher. The 'Liners will need to come through with the bats, something they've struggled to do at times. They've been shut out twice this season and held to three runs or fewer in four others. Lions can hit and pitch. PJ also has the advantage of being at home. Shortstop Matt Tietz and third baseman Glenn Gavan form a tough left side of the infield, while center fielder Ryan McNally and right fielder Sam Redwood help anchor the lineup.
How they got here: Phillipsburg beat Hopatcong, 6-1. Pope John defeated Vernon, 5-3.
The Pick: Pope John 3-2.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Baseball: Pope John hangs tough against High Point
Defense, timely hitting and solid pitching.
Pope John's baseball team pretty much got all three in Tuesday's 4-0 win over visiting High Point in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference American Division clash in Sparta.
The Lions (10-4, 9-0 NJAC) moved a step closer to securing its second American Division title in three years with the win. Coach Vin Bello's club can improve its advantage in the standings with a victory against second-place Jefferson (12-4, 7-1) on Wednesday -- a team the Lions defeated 9-7 on April 11.
"It feels good to be on top right now," said Pope John shortstop Matt Tietz, who went 1-for-3 with a double in the win over High Point. "[Wednesday's] game should be really competitive and we definitely want to win. [Jefferson] is going to be out for blood after last time."
Tuesday's game was by no means a slugfest.
High Point (7-7, 4-6) didn't get its first hit until Kevin Pettenger's one-out single to left in the fourth, one of only three hits on the day for coach Mickey Thomas' Wildcats. The 'Cats had men on first and second in the fourth and fifth innings, but each time with two out. Pope John starter Ken Mott worked out of trouble in the fourth and reliever Axel D'Addario got the final out in the fifth by getting Pettenger to ground into a fielder's choice.
"We hit the ball hard ... we just couldn't score," said Thomas, whose team left a total of seven men on base. "I thought our pitchers did very well. But if you don't score, you're not going to win."
Pope John, which managed only two harmless singles through the first three innings, finally got to High Point right-hander Alan Waldron in the fourth. Tietz started things with a one-out double and after Ryan McNally flied to center to move Tietz to third, Sam Redwood delivered an RBI single through the right side of the High Point infield.
Redwood scored the second run on Dan Cassarra's single to the exact same spot as Redwood's. The Lions loaded the bases after Zack Leach singled, but Waldron escaped further damage by scooping up Jay Sanford's comebacker for the final out.
"We've been really timely this year," said Redwood, who stole second and third base in the fourth to set up Cassarra. "I was able to get [Waldron's] timing down. We did a pretty good job of scrapping things together."
Bello was happy with his team's all-around effort.
"We did a great job of running the bases, which we haven't done all year, and we got timely hits," said Bello, whose team in the midst of a six games in seven days stretch. "Cassarra had a huge hit [in the sixth] for us to make it four runs. We needed to win [Monday, 11-0 against Vernon] and today to make [Wednesday's game with Jefferson] count. I'm proud of the way they've responded."
Waldron, who was effective early on, gave up six hits and two runs, while walking none and striking out two in four innings.
Pope John tacked on two more runs in the sixth against High Point reliever Kurt Schwander, as Cassarra plated McNally and Redwood with a one-out single over the head of High Point second baseman Ryan Conklin. The side-arming Schwander hit McNally to start the frame and an error on Redwood's sac bunt attempt put runners on second and third with none out.
Mott (1-0) earned the win, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out one in 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. The hard-throwing D'Addario fanned two in 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
The Lions also got a few key defensive plays. Tietz made a nice back-handed stop on Matt Valente's grounder with runners on first and second to end the second inning, while third baseman Glenn Gavan made a nice stab on Pettenger's shot down the line to end the fifth as he stepped on the third-base bag ahead of Conklin for the third out.
"We work on infield and grounders every day," Tietz said. "It's one of our strengths. We definitely had to do the little things today."
High Point (7-7) 000 000 0 -- 0 3 2
Pope John's baseball team pretty much got all three in Tuesday's 4-0 win over visiting High Point in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference American Division clash in Sparta.
The Lions (10-4, 9-0 NJAC) moved a step closer to securing its second American Division title in three years with the win. Coach Vin Bello's club can improve its advantage in the standings with a victory against second-place Jefferson (12-4, 7-1) on Wednesday -- a team the Lions defeated 9-7 on April 11.
"It feels good to be on top right now," said Pope John shortstop Matt Tietz, who went 1-for-3 with a double in the win over High Point. "[Wednesday's] game should be really competitive and we definitely want to win. [Jefferson] is going to be out for blood after last time."
Tuesday's game was by no means a slugfest.
High Point (7-7, 4-6) didn't get its first hit until Kevin Pettenger's one-out single to left in the fourth, one of only three hits on the day for coach Mickey Thomas' Wildcats. The 'Cats had men on first and second in the fourth and fifth innings, but each time with two out. Pope John starter Ken Mott worked out of trouble in the fourth and reliever Axel D'Addario got the final out in the fifth by getting Pettenger to ground into a fielder's choice.
"We hit the ball hard ... we just couldn't score," said Thomas, whose team left a total of seven men on base. "I thought our pitchers did very well. But if you don't score, you're not going to win."
Pope John, which managed only two harmless singles through the first three innings, finally got to High Point right-hander Alan Waldron in the fourth. Tietz started things with a one-out double and after Ryan McNally flied to center to move Tietz to third, Sam Redwood delivered an RBI single through the right side of the High Point infield.
Redwood scored the second run on Dan Cassarra's single to the exact same spot as Redwood's. The Lions loaded the bases after Zack Leach singled, but Waldron escaped further damage by scooping up Jay Sanford's comebacker for the final out.
"We've been really timely this year," said Redwood, who stole second and third base in the fourth to set up Cassarra. "I was able to get [Waldron's] timing down. We did a pretty good job of scrapping things together."
Bello was happy with his team's all-around effort.
"We did a great job of running the bases, which we haven't done all year, and we got timely hits," said Bello, whose team in the midst of a six games in seven days stretch. "Cassarra had a huge hit [in the sixth] for us to make it four runs. We needed to win [Monday, 11-0 against Vernon] and today to make [Wednesday's game with Jefferson] count. I'm proud of the way they've responded."
Waldron, who was effective early on, gave up six hits and two runs, while walking none and striking out two in four innings.
Pope John tacked on two more runs in the sixth against High Point reliever Kurt Schwander, as Cassarra plated McNally and Redwood with a one-out single over the head of High Point second baseman Ryan Conklin. The side-arming Schwander hit McNally to start the frame and an error on Redwood's sac bunt attempt put runners on second and third with none out.
Mott (1-0) earned the win, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out one in 4 2/3 innings of scoreless ball. The hard-throwing D'Addario fanned two in 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.
The Lions also got a few key defensive plays. Tietz made a nice back-handed stop on Matt Valente's grounder with runners on first and second to end the second inning, while third baseman Glenn Gavan made a nice stab on Pettenger's shot down the line to end the fifth as he stepped on the third-base bag ahead of Conklin for the third out.
"We work on infield and grounders every day," Tietz said. "It's one of our strengths. We definitely had to do the little things today."
High Point (7-7) 000 000 0 -- 0 3 2
Pope John (10-4) 000 202 x -- 4 8 2
HIGH POINT (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Schulok cf, 4-0-0-0, Adams ss, 4-0-0-0, Conklin 2b, 3-0-1-0, Fundell 1b-3b, 2-0-0-0/Torppey pr 0-0-0-0, Pettenger dh, 3-0-1-0, Ragnetti rf, 3-0-0-0, Loughery c, 3-0-1-0, Schwander 3b-p, 1-0-0-0, Valente lf 3-0-0-0. Totals: 26-0-3-0.
POPE JOHN (ab-r-h-rbi) -- Young lf, 3-0-0-0/Rivera ph, 1-0-0-0, Gavan 3b, 3-0-1-0, Tietz, ss, 3-1-1-0, McNally, cf, 2-1-1-0, Redwood, rf, 3-2-1-1, Sanders dh, 2-0-0-0, Cassarra, 1b, 3-0-2-3, Leach, c, 2-0-2-0/Kopnik cr, 0-0-0-0, Sanford 2b, 2-0-0-0/Jensen ph 1-0-0-0. Totals: 25-4-8-4.
E -- Adams, Waldron; Gavan, Cassarra. LOB -- High Point 7, Pope John 6. 2B -- Conklin; Tietz. SB -- Redwood 2, Gavan.
Waldron, Schwander (5) and Loughery. Mott, D'Addario (5) and Leach. W -- Mott (1-0). L -- Waldron (0-1). SO-BB -- Waldron 2-0, Schwander 1-1; Mott 1-2, D'Addario 2-0. HBP -- Fundell (by Waldron); Sanders (by Mott), McNally (by Schwander).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)