By: Sean Moylan
"Our kids believe they can win every game they play," said Joe Sprague, whose Bordentown Regional High School boys’ varsity baseball team will play for its first Sectional title in over two decades at Cranford on Friday.
Danny Sasso and the Scotties clobbered Burlington Township, 8-3, in an away game Tuesday afternoon to advance to the Central Jersey Group II title contest.
"Danny (Sasso) . . . he dominated the game again," said Sprague, whose senior star held the hard-hitting Flacons to just three runs in seven innings. He walked two while striking out four. However, his greatest strength in the contest was getting batters to pop up. It was his third victory of the post season.
"Danny (Sasso) is playing (American) Legion with some of those guys over there (Burlington Township). So he knew what some of those guys could hit and what they couldn’t hit," said Sprague.
"He’s 9-2 and we’re 14-1. He’s stepped up his game."
Nonetheless, the Scotties found themselves down 3-2 until they scored six runs in the fifth.
Brandon Fraser smoked a two-out, two-run bases-loaded double in the inning. After Kevin Malloy re-loaded the bases with a walk, Sean Malloy ripped a 3-2 fastball over the center fielder’s head for a double which cleared the bases.
S. Malloy was 3-for-4 with four RBI while his brother K. Malloy was 3-for-3 with a walk. Fraser had two hits and Kenny Eckelmann was 2-for-3 with a run scored. Taylor Martucci also had a hit and drove in a run. Mike Medina (2-for-4 with a double and a run) also was very productive at the plate.
"It’s unbelievable!" said Sprague. "We were 1-4 to start the season and to think that we’d be in this position right now is so gratifying."
Last Friday Sasso hurled a 4-0 seven-hit shutout over Spotswood.
"Danny (Sasso) impressed me so much," said Sprague of his ace who dominated the team that beat him in the playoffs last season.
Martucci (three hits), Fraser (two hits) and K. Malloy gave Sasso all the support he would need.
Martucci led off the first with a single and then he stole second, before being driven in by a Kevin Malloy hit.
In the second inning Bordentown added another run when Martucci knocked in Joe Eckelmann (HBP) with a single.
Martucci collected his third hit of the day in the fourth and moved to third on a Fraser double. K. Malloy chased them both across the plate with a clutch triple.
"Kevin Malloy is only a sophomore, but right now he’s probably our best hitter," said Sprague, who was more than happy to have a four-run lead with Sasso on the hill.
Sasso got out of a jam with two outs and two on in the bottom if the seventh to win it.
Then again, ever since he was a Little Leaguer, Sasso has always created great theater. But his defense held up too. In fact, Martucci and Fraser teamed up to gun down a guy at the plate. After years of hard luck, things gave really turned around for the Scotties. Hopefully, their luck and their talent will hold up in tomorrow’s title game at Cranford. Kevin Malloy is scheduled to start the contest. But Sprague will have everyone ready to hurl an inning if it means winning a championship.
