Baseball
By: Mike Molaro
It probably wasn’t the prettiest of victories. But to the Hopewell Valley Central High School baseball squad, Monday’s 9-7 triumph over North Plainfield in the opening round of the Central Jersey Group II sectional tournament was a work of art.
The ninth-seeded Bulldogs (11-10 overall, 8-8 in the Colonial Valley Conference) held a 9-4 lead before the eighth-seeded home team made things interesting by scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh and bringing the tying run to the plate.
HoVal advances in the CJ II bracket to visit top-seeded Carteret on Friday.
"We played good defense in this game," Bulldogs coach Jim Reed said. "North Plainfield had a couple of dinky hits in the seventh to bring them back in the game. It’s been a couple of years since Hopewell has won a state tournament game. This is great for the guys and the program."
Facing Carteret early in the tournament doesn’t faze the Bulldogs.. They’re enjoying every moment.
"You have to face the top seed some time, so Friday is as good a time as any," added Reed, who has done a superb job in his first year as Bulldogs coach. "We don’t know much about them, and they were scouting us against North Plainfield. We’ll go out and give it all we have. The guys, especially the seniors, are having a great time."
HoVal banged out 15 hits, including a solo home run from winning pitcher, senior Matt Barrett (4-3), and a three-run dinger from senior catcher Chuck Sista, who made the score 9-4 in the top of the sixth with his blast.
Senior first baseman Don Giovacchini drove in two runs, had two hits, a double, and scored twice; sophomore third baseman Angelo Pagano was 3-for-4 with two RBIs; junior designated hitter Rob Serratelli was 2-for-4 and drove in a run; and sophomore right fielder Chris Zsenak doubled and scored twice.
"The guys were loose and played pretty well," Reed said. "It’s nice to get a state tournament win. The guys worked hard to get into the state tournament.
"I felt like we should’ve put them away. We left 11 guys on base. But if we can leave 11 guys on base and win the game, I’ll take that any time. We still haven’t put together our best all-around game. Maybe the guys are saving it up. Now would be a great time to do it."
They’ve turned around from 7-17 a year ago to reach the state tournament. Even facing the top-seed doesn’t seem to faze these gutsy Bulldogs.
"We’ll have to come out strong against Carteret," added Reed. "We’re taking it one game at a time. Once you’re in the state tournament, anything can happen. The guys are excited. I’m very proud of them."
The Bulldogs at home last Friday defeated Princeton 5-4 on Zsenak’s game-winning double in the bottom of the seventh after the Little Tigers tied the score in the top of the inning.Sophomore Mark Yuhas threw 4 2/3 innings of no-hit ball before running into trouble in the fifth. Zsenak, who was 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, picked up the victory in relief.
HoVal scored twice in the bottom of the first on Zsenak’s RBI double and Sista’s sacrifice fly. Junior Rob Salyga hit a sacrifice fly in the third, and Sista singled home a run in the fifth.
"Princeton is a scrappy team," Reed said. "I thought we stayed focused today and somewhat relaxed and that’s important heading into the states."
In an 11-4 home setback to Hamilton on May 14, the Bulldogs got two RBIs from Sista, a solo homer from Giovacchini (2-for-4 with a run scored) and an RBI from Yuhas.
"Hamilton played their kind of game," added Reed. "We gave up seven walks, four hit batsmen, and committed two errors. That’s 13 runners we gave them. You can’t do that against a team like Hamilton."
Ewing, which leads HoVal by two games for second place in the CVC Valley Division, downed the Bulldogs 7-3 on May 13. Barrett smacked a solo homer, and Pagano and Serratelli each drove in a run. Salyga and Zsenak were each 2-for-4.
"We have to minimize our mistakes," Reed said. "You can’t do that against good teams. (Sophomore) Dan Hogan did a nice job in relief (4 2/3 innings, two earned runs, four hits, one strikeout and one walk)."
Regardless of what happens Friday at Carteret, the Bulldogs have surprised a lot of people with their season.
"It’s been a couple of years since Hopewell has been in this situation," added Reed. "We’re going to savor this. The guys know it can end with one loss. But they also know anything can happen in the state tournament."
NOTES: Zsenak was 7-for-11 for the week. The Bulldogs hosted West Windsor-Plainsboro North on Wednesday. Friday’s CVC game against Trenton was postponed due to the CJ II contest at Carteret. HoVal is trying to reschedule the Tornadoes for next week.

