MUSTANG ROUNDUP
By: Rudy Brandl
Sean McCarthy fell one batter short of complete perfection, but the Manville High junior pitcher still fired a perfect game last Thursday afternoon in Roselle.
McCarthy needed only 55 pitches to strike out 14 of the 15 batters he faced in a five-inning gem that included some amazing feats. McCarthy struck out the first 10 batters, induced a ground ball out to third baseman Robert Snyder and mowed down the final four to wrap up Manville’s 17-0 blowout victory.
The MHS pitcher, affectionately dubbed "Mad Dog," made economical use of his pitches. He never reached three balls in any count and completed a perfect nine-pitch third inning with three consecutive strikeouts.
"I was just throwing strikes and keeping ahead of the hitters," said McCarthy, who had previously fired a perfect game as a 12-year-old in a Franklin Township Little League game. "I threw mostly fastballs but I used my slider for a second strike pitch. Then I came back with another fastball."
McCarthy knew he was working on a special achievement but kept sailing along confidently. There was no way he was giving up a hit or a walk in this game and he only had to rely on his defense once.
"By the third inning, your confidence just takes over," he said. "You don’t think they’ll be able to hit you."
McCarthy (3-1) was almost as dominant at the plate, ripping three doubles and a single in five at-bats. He drove in two runs and scored twice.
He also received plenty of help from his teammates, who pounded out 18 hits. Eddie Gryzeski went 3-for-4 with a three-run triple that highlighted an 11-run third inning.
The Mustangs also completed a season sweep of Oratory Prep with an 8-1 road victory last week. Senior catcher Jimmy Thomaszfski led the offense with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Thomaszfski got things rolling with a solo home run in the top of the first when MHS took a 4-0 lead.
McCarthy laced two more extra-base hits, a double and a triple. Steve Anderson and Glen Liszczak also belted doubles for the winners, who finished with 14 hits.
Gryzeski improved to 4-0 with the victory on the mound. The junior right-hander scattered four hits and gave up one earned run.
Girls respond with
two more blowouts
The MHS softball team made a quick recovery from its first loss of the season, outscoring New Providence (9-1) and Rosele (21-0) by lopsided margins.
Manville suffered a tough extra-inning loss to Montgomery, which won the game on a wild pitch in the bottom of the ninth. That was the only run of the day in a fantastic pitcher’s duel between Manville’s Amy Ortman and Montgomery’s Amanda Heller.
The next day, the Lady Mustangs put their hitting shoes back on against New Providence. Sarah Ortman, who split time in the circle with her sister, did most of the offensive damage with a double and a triple. Manville broke open a close game with seven runs in the home half of the sixth inning.
The Ortman sisters combined on a no-hitter, with Amy pitching the first three innings with five strikeouts and Sarah finishing up with four strikeouts in four frames. Manville played errorless ball behind them.
Thursday’s game featured an assault by the Killer Bs, with Becky Borawski, Jenna Breslow and Stefanie Bocchino doing serious damage with their bats. Borawski went 3-for-4 with three RBI, Breslow was 4-for-4 with three RBI and Bocchino cranked out a double and a triple.
Lisa Lavenia contributed two doubles to the team’s 22-hit assault. Winning pitcher Sarah Ortman (4-0) added her third homer of the year for the winners.

