BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer
SCOTT PILLING staff Above, Sayreville’s Ed Goldman successfully steals second base during the Bombers state tournament win over Freehold Township on May 27. At left, third baseman David Donner gets set to make the long throw to first after fielding a ground ball. The Sayreville High School baseball team capped a successful spring with a run to the semifinals of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tourney, where they lost to Steinert.
And although coach Mike Novak’s team will lose several seniors to graduation, the future looks bright for the Bombers.
Sayreville went 15-12 overall and won the Greater Middlesex Conference’s White Division. Along the way, the Bombers put together a nine-game winning streak. One of the biggest highlights came in the ninth inning of the CJ Group IV quarterfinal against Freehold Township when Andrew Rice laid down a perfect bunt on a suicide squeeze.
Throughout the campaign the Bombers’ pitchers got the job done. Brandon Aich was the team’s ace, compiling an 8-4 mark (7-0 in the White Division) to go with a 3.05 ERA. In 62 innings, Aich struck out 62 opponents.
Gritty Tim Ballard went 4-4 with a 3.11 ERA while using sharp control to help keep his team in games. Freshman Tom Berardi also did well, posting a 3-1 mark to go with a 2.77 ERA.
Catcher Rob Arvanites led the team in batting with a .417 average, while driving home 17 runs.
Sophomore center fielder Ed Goldman hit .368 with three homes and 20 RBIs, and Ballard was right behind at .367 with 22 RBIs, tops on the team.
Aich contributed at the plate as well, batting .358 overall and blasting a two-run homer against Steinert, and fellow senior Tom Posik hit .303.
In addition to Goldman, who will also pitch next spring, the top returnees include third baseman David Donner, who batted. 349; shortstop, Brian Martinez, .268; and second baseman Mike Klauter, .249. All are juniors and all three are excellent defensive players.
“We just had a great group of players this year and some of our younger guys really stepped up, too,” Novak said. “I’m proud of them and I know we have the nucleus to pick up where we left off next season.”