Post 401 wins three straight after suffering first loss
By: Rich Fisher
The bad news is, South Brunswick Post 401 won’t be going undefeated this season.
The good news is, rather than start to slide as they have done in year’s past, the locals followed their first loss of the season with three impressive victories to run their record to 12-1.
After dropping an 8-0 decision to Milltown last Thursday, South Brunswick rolled past Morrisville/Yardley (Pa.), 10-2, last Friday, then swept Roselle in a Sunday doubleheader, 4-3 and 15-4. After that, the weather cooled the locals as rain cost them Monday’s game with Old Bridge and a wet field hijacked Tuesday’s contest with South Amboy.
"We didn’t play a really good game against Milltown, but they’re a good team," manager Tony Cosumano said. "You have to play your A game to beat them and we didn’t do that. But the kids didn’t lay down after we lost, and that’s a real good sign."
Assistant coach Monty Forthun seconded that notion.
"One of the interesting things is that, unlike past years when things have kind of fallen apart as the season progresses, these guys are having a lot of fun playing baseball and it’s showing on the field," Forthun said. "They all get along so well, it’s fun to watch them play. They’re really baseball junkies."
In the Morrisville/Yardley game, Mike McCormick went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI, Mike Doros cracked a three-run triple, Nick Alberino had two hits and two RBI, Ryan Webb had two hits and an RBI, Devon Quaglietta drove in a run and Jared Jimenez tripled. Webb threw 4Ò innings for the win, while Mike Koller notched the save with 2Ò innings of relief.
"We were just a better team than them, and it was reflected in the score," Cosumano said. "They were a little improved from last year and they’re a pretty good team in their league, but we were just the better team."
It was a different scenario on Sunday, as Post 401 met a perennial state tournament team in Roselle, which carried a 7-2 mark into the doubleheader.
"The first game was like a state tournament game," Cosumano said. "They were beating us 2-0, we got two in the bottom of the fifth and two in the bottom of the sixth. They got one in the bottom of the seventh.
"Those are the kind of games you play in the state tournament. You don’t like to fall behind, but it was kind of good to get behind and then come back. We needed to experience doing that."
The comeback started in the fifth when Tim Barnshaw singled, Webb tripled and Nick Alberino singled to tie it. In the sixth, McCormick singled, Doros singled, Russ Grimes dropped a sacrifice, and Mark Povlosky hit a sacrifice fly to right. The catcher made an error on the throw home, allowing Doros to score what proved to be the winning run.
"That was a heads up play on Doros’s part," Monty Forthun said. "None of us saw him sneak in, he just kind of trotted in."
Tyler Chromey pitched five innings, allowing two runs and five hits. Winning pitcher Matt Forthun allowed three hits and a run in two innings.
"Chromey pitched well, that’s one of the best pitched games we’ve had all summer," Cosumano said.
In the nightcap, Roselle was missing several players but still jumped to a 4-0 lead. But South Brunswick exploded after that, putting the game away in the fifth inning by stringing together seven straight hits.
Smart went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and three runs, and Povlosky and McCormick were each 3-for-4. Alberino had a two run double. Doros was the winner in his first start of the summer, and Koller finished up with 1Ò scoreless innings.
"We’re kind of spotting Koller, and he’s done well for the limited time he’s getting," Cosumano said. "He’s young, he’s a sophomore, so it’s kind of a learning experience with him playing with us.
"We’re kind of deep with pitching, and he’s maybe not getting as much time as he’d like, but he’s taking advantage of the time he’s getting."
POST TOASTIES: Post 401 is without two of its top hitters this week, as Jimenez is at football camp and Quaglietta is at baseball camp . . . In last Wednesday’s 7-0 win over Hightstown, Smart allowed two hits and no runs in five innings, while McCormick yielded one hit and no runs in two frames. Smart helped his cause with two hits, two runs and an RBI, Koller and McCormick each had a hit and RBI and Alberino drove in a run . . . South Brunswick had its Monday game with Old Bridge rained out. It played South Amboy Tuesday, Perth Amboy Wednesday and visits Iselin today (Thursday).