HHS players made Big League contributions

Team New Jersey ousted quickly at regionals

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   Hillsborough High’s baseball players returned from the Big League regional tournament with disappointment, but certainly no regrets.
   The six Raiders, including four recent graduates who are playing college ball, contributed mightily to the Bridgewater Big League team that dominated New Jersey competition en route to the state championship. The Hillsborough contingent even played well when the squad traveled to Delaware to represent New Jersey and was stunned with two consecutive losses in the double-elimination regional tournament.
   Steve Sciaraffo went 2-for-3 in both games and wound up batting almost .500 to lead the team. Kristian Molloy smacked two hits in each regional game and led the Bridgewater club in runs scored and stolen bases. Andrew Wayne had a hit and two RBI in both games in Delaware and finished the summer with a team-high 22 RBI. Ken Betkowski entered the regionals with a perfect pitching record but suffered the loss in the 7-6 elimination setback to Massachusetts so he finished with a 5-1 mark.
   Sciaraffo and Betkowski will continue their playing careers at Rider University, while Molloy (Massachusetts) and Wayne (Moravian) are also playing college ball. Sciaraffo and Molloy didn’t hit with nearly as much consistency during the high school season, while Wayne started fast and tailed off at the end. All three, as regular fixtures in the Bridgewater lineup, hit the ball hard and were among the team leaders in most offensive categories this summer.
   "We’re looking at the positive aspect," Wayne said. "We’re all hitting going into college. I’m very satisfied with my season."
   Wayne would have been even more pleased if he had gotten the chance to deliver a big hit in the regional game vs. Massachusetts. Bridgewater was sent to the loser’s bracket after Delaware posted a 9-4 win in the tournament opener, but the New Jersey reps were ready to start a winning streak.
   Massachusetts took a 7-5 lead into the seventh inning but Bridgewater rallied. Molloy delivered a clutch two-out hit to score Ryan Kane, but Zach Bright remained at second base on the throw home rather than advancing to third. This proved costly when Sciaraffo, the No. 2 batter in the order, ripped a single to center field. Bright tried to sprint home with the tying run but he was gunned down at the plate, ending the game and the Bridgewater season.
   "I thought I was going to get up and win it," said Wayne, who was waiting in the on-deck circle. "We only lost one game all year and then we lose two in a row. That’s pretty devastating. It was a lot of bad luck."
   HHS graduate Dan Miller, a late-season addition to the Bridgewater roster, also competed in the regionals with one hit as the DH. Lefty Jarrod Willis, a likely candidate for the No. 1 pitching role on next year’s Raider varsity team, tossed two impressive innings of relief with four strikeouts in the regionals.
   Despite the sour ending, the Hillsborough boys enjoyed a great summer on this elite team. None of them were embarrassed. They all proved they deserved to be a part of this state championship unit.
   "We wanted to play against better competition," Sciaraffo said. "It’s a more elite group. We wanted to get better. Playing in this environment makes you step up and play at a higher level."
   Bridgewater manager Brian Tripani certainly realized the value of the Hillsborough players.
   "They all do a great job," Tripani said after the state championship sweep of Middletown. "Kris is a tremendous leadoff hitter who steals bases, Andrew Wayne drives in runs and plays a great first base and Steve is a clutch hitting who plays a nice third base. We added Miller because he can hit and Betkowski and Willis are two of the better pitchers on our staff. The Hillsborough guys contributed a great deal."