Jurkowski looks good in first mound appearance

Baseball ace gets win in 11-1 victory over St. Mary’s

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   Justin Jurkowski made a triumphant return to the baseball diamond in last week’s game against St. Mary’s of Elizabeth.
   The Manville High senior, in his first mound appearance since undergoing shoulder surgery four months ago, fired three solid innings to earn the victory in his team’s 11-1 triumph. Jurkowski (1-0) gained the personal win because the game only lasted five innings, but that statistical fact never entered MHS skipper Steve Venuto’s mind.
   "I’m just happy to see him out there," Venuto said after his club improved to 4-0 on the young season. "I don’t want to take any chances because we need him down the road. He’s coming off surgery and there’s no point risking anything."
   Jurkowski didn’t allow a hit in his three-inning stint, during which he faced 12 batters. He walked two and one reached on a fielder’s choice. Jurkowski struck out five men in his season debut.
   "I did alright, but I’m not where I want to be yet," Jurkowski said. "When I get where I want to be, I’ll be a lot better."
   Jurkowski estimated that he’s operating at 70-75 percent of his ability at this point in the season. He hopes to get closer to 100 percent as the Mustangs progress into May and the more important games.
   "This was my first time on the mound," he said. "I felt like I was putting the balls in the right spots. My fastball isn’t where I want it to be yet."
   Jurkowski received plenty of support from his teammates, who peppered St. Mary’s starter Phil Felicio for 13 hits in four frames. The Mustangs continued to jump on teams early, scoring three runs in the first and five in the second for an 8-0 bulge.
   Eddie Gryzeski opened the game with a hard single to left, John Saladin walked and Robert Snyder blooped a single to center to load the bases. Jurkowski plated the game’s first run with a fielder’s choice. Jimmy Thomaszfski sent a slow roller toward third and beat it out for a two-out RBI single. Courtesy runner Steve Anderson, hustling all the way on the play, beat the throw home for a 3-0 lead.
   "When teams score runs in the first inning, it kills the morale of the other team," said Snyder, who went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI. "Everybody’s getting hits and scoring early is a great way to keep the other team down."
   Manville kept pouring it on in the home half of the second. Tommy Marshall started the surge with a double to left-center field. Marshall moved to third on Gryzeski’s one-out single to right field. Saladin blasted a booming two-run double to the left-center field fence. Snyder followed with an RBI single to center for a 6-0 lead.
   MHS did the rest of the damage with two outs. Sean McCarthy singled to right field to put runners at the corners and promptly stole his way into scoring position. Thomaszfski capped the scoring with a two-run single up the middle.
   The Mustangs started thinking about a five-inning game but still needed two runs to go home early. That number increased by a run after St. Mary’s avoided the shutout with an unearned run in the fourth against McCarthy, who did a splendid job in relief.
   McCarthy allowed a two-out RBI hit by Lewis Collier but was dominant for the rest of his two innings. He mowed down six St. Mary’s batters by strikeout, including three in a row in the top of the fifth when he slammed the door.
   Manville scored the necessary two runs to create the 10-run deficit in the bottom of the fourth. McCarthy was hit by a pitch and scored on Thomaszkski’s double off the left-center field fence. Thomaszfski, who went 3-for-3 with a game-high five RBI, scored when Glen Liszczak reached on an error.
   The victory extended Manville’s win streak and kept the team perfect in the Sky Division. Upcoming games against Dayton and Bound Brook should test the Mustangs more than their first four outings, which they’ve won by a combined 44-7 margin.
   "4-0 is 4-0," Venuto said. "When you’re talking playoffs, it’s based on winning percentage. It doesn’t matter who you play."
   While he was happy with the victory, Venuto was more pleased with the return of Jurkowski, who could play a prominent role in the team’s title hopes this spring.
   "We just want him to get stronger for the rest of the season," Venuto said. "We’re going to need him."