Brick Township’s Green Dragons are going through some growing pains with a lineup younger than most opponents in the American Legion season.
But the team gained some satisfaction last week when it broke out with a 3-2 victory over rival Brick Memorial.
Just like during the high school season when both teams battled through four games, including three nail-biters, this one went to eight innings in what was a marathon pitching duel between Brick Township’s F.J. Lucchetti and Brick Memorial’s Jay Gordon.
Both went the distance before Pedro Serrano ended it when he lined a two-out single to right center field. It delivered Chris Simon, who reached on a single and advanced to second on an error on the play. Lucchetti was intentionally walked.
Lucchetti, a tall left-hander who won seven games during the high school season, threw just under 100 pitches while allowing six hits with 11 strikeouts and not walking a batter. But he wound up with extra time on the mound when Phil Corde ripped a two-out single in the sixth inning that drove in Jared Page, a courtesy runner for Lucchetti, who singled. Page stole second before scoring.
Kyle Heilbraun and Gordon each slapped two hits for Brick Memorial, which made both Shore Conference and NJSIAA tournaments in a 15-10 spring season.
Brick Township manager Jason Groschel, who also coached the high school team in his first season as head coach this past spring, was pleased that Gordon got only one strikeout on his team.
“The way Gordon pitched, we hit a lot of ground balls and they made the plays and played good defense behind him,” said Groschel.
With the Brick Township high school team hit hard by graduation this spring after going 11-10 and making both tournaments after missing out on qualifying a year ago, Groschel is getting a good look at the young players on the American Legion team and giving them every opportunity he can to gain more playing experience.
“They’re working hard and everybody is doing their best because we’re carrying 17 players and all of them are getting into every game,” said Groschel. “The thing is we have to limit the mental mistakes. It’s a faster game for many of these younger players and they have to think the game and know what they have to do by focusing on plays and limiting mistakes.”
But that was missing early last week when Brick Township lost to Jackson Post 504, 11-1, in a game stopped after five innings by the 10-run rule. And even though Brick Township lost, 6-2, to Toms River South on Saturday morning to fall to 1-3, it showed some signs of ongoing improvement.
This time, Jordan Roshala emerged as the hitting standout with his second double of the game driving in a pair of runs in the fifth inning to pull the Green Dragons to 4-2 before Toms River South regained a comfortable lead with a two-run homer in the next inning. Chris Sorice, who threw the first four innings, took the loss.
The Green Dragons have a busy week with four games, three of them at home. It started Monday at home against Point Pleasant Beach before the team traveled to nearby Lakewood on Tuesday.
There also are home games against the Jackson Jaguars (last night) and the Stafford Rams (Ocean High School’s team) today, starting at 5:45 p.m.
Despite the young lineup, Groschel hopes that it will continue to mature and gain momentum to keep its hopes alive for making the American Legion state tournament after qualifying for it last summer.
Extra bases… Lucchetti warmed up but did not go to the mound in the Carpenter Cup game for the Ocean County team that took a 1-0 loss in the opening round at the University of Pennsylvania early last week.