MHS diamond teams wait for state brackets

MUSTANG ROUNDUP

By: Rudy Brandl
   Some losses may not hurt in the division standings, but they could make an impact on where a team is seeded in the Central Jersey Group 1 playoffs.
   Manville High’s baseball and softball teams have dropped several non-division games recently. While those setbacks haven’t hurt the Mustangs in their quest for Sky Division championships, they may have hurt the team’s chances of earning a high seed and home field advantage in the playoffs.
   This was particularly evident for the MHS baseball team, which dropped three straight games last week to hit the state cut-off with a 9-5 mark. The Mustangs were looking at the possibility of taking a 12-2 record into the seeding process, which would have given them a very high ranking and several post-season home games.
   The MHS softball team opened the season 7-0 with six wins coming in Sky Division play. With the team playing more games against tougher competition outside of the league and in the Somerset County Tournament, a few more losses have dropped the record all the way to 10-5.
   The NJSIAA will release the seeds later today (Thursday) and both the Manville baseball and softball teams figure to be ranked somewhere in the middle of the pack in CJ 1.
First losing skid
for baseball team
   
The MHS baseball team played poor defense, committing a season-high eight errors in last week’s 6-5 loss to North Plainfield. After falling behind 5-0, the Mustangs rallied and nearly pulled it out in the seventh inning.
   Jeff Opachinski, who went 3-for-4 to lead the offense, drilled a two-run double to make it 6-5 in the seventh inning. The Mustangs ended the game with the tying run on third base.
   Robert Wood, Dennis Petrone, Pat Horner and Anthony Palovick all had one hit to round out the seven-hit attack. Wood’s RBI single in the fourth inning started the team’s rally back into contention.
   Palovick (0-1) struck out seven and allowed only four hits, but the errors prevented him from posting his first varsity victory.
   Six different players picked up base hits at Gill St. Bernards but the Mustangs fell by a 7-2 score. Tommy Rock, Opachinski, Petrone, Wood, Horner and Shane Jurkowski stroked singles but Gill lefty John Stroney fanned seven and allowed only two runs in the third inning.
   Wood and Horner scored runs and Horner and Opachinski recorded RBI in the frame. Wood (4-2) struck out seven but suffered the loss.
Softballers give away
close game to rivals
   
It’s never a good thing when the number of errors is higher than hits. The Manville girls found that out in last week’s 4-3 road loss at Bound Brook.
   Manville was trying to avenge a 4-1 home defeat and was in position to do so after scoring three times to take a 3-2 lead in the top of the sixth inning. Bound Brook rallied to tie it in the seventh and won the game in the eighth.
   The Lady Mustangs managed only four singles against Courtney Wood but committed five errors and lost a heart-breaker.
   MHS bounced back with a doubleheader sweep of Hillside the next day to take command in the Sky Division. Bound Brook competes in the Valley Division in softball.