Baseball
By: Mike Molaro
The Hopewell Valley Central High School baseball team went down to the final inning to qualify for the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association Central Jersey Group II Tournament, but the Lady Bulldogs got the job accomplished.
"We definitely left in a lot of the drama," HoVal coach Jim Reed said after his guys defeated Allentown 8-6 at home last Friday to earn the state tournament berth. "It would’ve been easier on the nerves if we had clinched sooner, but we’re in it and that’s what counts. You can’t win a state championship unless you’re in the tournament, and we are definitely in."
HoVal needed at least a .500 record by last Friday’s cutoff date.
Battling back from a 6-3 deficit, the Bulldogs (9-8 overall, 7-6 in the Colonial Valley Conference) scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and senior Matt Barrett struck out 16 Redbirds, including the last seven in a row, to give HoVal the triumph and a coveted ticket into the CJ II bracket.
Although the pairings were announced after this edition’s deadline, the Bulldogs may grab a No. 9 seed and be on the road for next Monday’s opening-round game.
Ironically, HoVal had the necessary .500 record (8-8) and would’ve qualified for the state tournament had the game been postponed because of inclement weather. As the home team, the Bulldogs had to make the call and decided to play. Allentown, which was 8-9 entering the contest, needed a victory for its own postseason berth.
"It tastes a little better getting into the state tournament this way (playing)," added Reed, who guided the Bulldogs to the postseason in his rookie year. "We decided to play the game, and that was the best decision for both teams. Allentown had to play to have a chance at the states.
"The decision to play and the win says a lot about the guys wanting to play. They had the attitude of ‘Let’s go get them.’ The kids came to play and wouldn’t be denied."
The Redbirds scored four runs in the top of the third to take a 4-3 lead and added two more in the fifth, before HoVal chipped away with a single run in the bottom of the fifth.
"We were battling ourselves, the other team and the officials," Reed said. "There were a couple of calls that I thought should’ve gone our way and didn’t. I turned to my assistant coaches and told them I didn’t think this was our day."
Barrett started the four-run rally in the sixth with a walk, and sophomore Chris Zsenak followed with a double. After senior Chuck Sista walked to load the bases, senior Don Giovacchini drove in a run with a walk. Sophomore Angelo Pagano delivered the key hit with a two-run single to score the winning runs.
Barrett, who didn’t allow any earned runs in his seven innings of work, became more dominating as the game progressed.
"Matt’s curve was falling off the table," added Reed. "His performance reminded me a lot of Bruce Wood, who was the ace of Hopewell’s state championship team of the late 1970s."
Barrett also helped his cause with two runs scored and an RBI, while Giovacchini scored twice, walked three times and drove in a pair of runs; Pagano had two RBIs; junior Rob Salyga was 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored; and Sista and junior Rob Serratelli each drove in a run. Sophomore Mark Yuhas was 2-for-4 and Zsenak walked twice.
With Hamilton having just about locked up the CVC Valley Division and a first-round loss to McCorristin providing a quick exit in the county tournament, the Bulldogs knew the state tournament was their final remaining goal.
"The guys had nothing left to play for," Reed said. "They were up from the first pitch and stayed in the game all the way. Even when we were down 6-3, the guys never lost confidence in themselves."
Prior to defeating Allentown, HoVal on May 7 dropped a 5-3 decision at West Windsor-Plainsboro North. Barrett, Zsenak (double), and Pagano (sacrifice fly) each had an RBI. The Bulldogs had just four hits.
"Two errors really hurt us in this game," added Reed. "Our defense let us down. North got a run in the second they shouldn’t have had. We gave them three walks in the third and committed an error in the fifth. We didn’t have too much on the ball today."
Despite taking the loss, Yuhas did a solid job on the mound.
"Mark pitched a nice game," Reed said. "He allowed five hits and five runs, but we didn’t give him much support either in the field or at the plate."
With games this week at Ewing (Tuesday) and at home against Hamilton (Wednesday) and Princeton (Friday), the Bulldogs know that they don’t have a shot at the Valley Division crown, but they can make some noise in the CJ II bracket.
"The state tournament berth is good for the program and good for the kids," added Reed. "We got the monkey off our backs."

