Knights advance in CJ III baseball
By: Bob Nuse
This time it was Pete Kelly.
And another day it might have been Kevin Maselli. Or maybe it might have been a combination of Matt Fania and Charlie Carluccio.
No matter what the game, someone always seems to come through with a big hit for the West Windsor-Plainsboro North baseball team. On Friday, Kelly came through twice, delivering two-out, two-run hits to help the Knights to an 8-3 win over Moorestown in the quarterfinals of the Central Jersey Group III tournament.
With the win, the top-seeded Knights advanced to today’s CJ III semifinals, where they will host fourth-seeded Ocean at 4 p.m. WW-P North is 22-4 after its win over Moorestown, while Ocean will bring a 21-4 mark into the game.
"Pete Kelly had some big two-out hits for us," said WW-P North coach Bob Boyce, whose team received a complete-game pitching performance from Greyson Van Dyke. "Talk about clutch, he had four RBIs with two outs today. That’s the kind of thing that wins ballgames. That’s the way our team has been all year. And it’s not always the same guys. All through our lineup we have guys that have been coming through with clutch hits all season long. It’s almost like they take turns coming up with the big hits."
Kelly, like so any of his teammates, relishes the opportunity to come to the plate with men on base. Put two outs on the scoreboard and he’s even more locked in.
"We know that in the state tournament we have to be at our best against every opponent," said Kelly, who was one of five Knights with at least two hits in the game. "It felt good to get those hits. I love being up in those situations where we need a two-out hit to get some runs. It feels great to come through in that kind of a situation."
Against Moorestown, the Knights backed the strong performance of Van Dyke on the mound with an offense that produced 13 hits. North scored three times in the first when Carluccio singled in one run, then Kelly knocked in two more with a two-out single.
Moorestown had battled back to tie the score, 3-3, when Fania delivered a two-run double to make it 5-3 in the third. Van Dyke singled in a run in the fourth, and Kelly capped off the scoring by delivering a two-run double with two outs in the sixth.
The offense backed the pitching of Van Dyke, who scattered nine hits and struck out 13 batters.
"Greyson was really on today," Kelly said. "They scored some runs, but he was in control most of the game. He had a lot of strikeouts. He’s been like that all year. He just keeps getting better and better. He makes the right pitches in the big spots and gets the outs.
"We’re trying to make a run in this tournament and this is a great atmosphere to play in. We’re here in front of our own fans and that’s the best part of being the No. 1 seed. We’ve never been in this position before as the No. 1 team. We won a game last year, but then Nottingham beat us in the bottom of the seventh. This year, we know Ocean is a real tough team and it’s going to be a tough game for us. We’re happy to be playing the game at home."
Ocean, which beat Nottingham in the quarterfinals, will present another challenge for the Knights. But more often than not, they’ve risen to the challenge this year.
"I’ve heard Ocean is very good, but so are we," Boyce said. "We’re looking forward to the game. This is our first time in the semifinals, so we’re just one win away from getting a chance to play in the finals.
"Either Carluccio or Bachner will have to step it up on the mound. I’m not sure who will pitch, but whichever one we use will probably be facing the best lineup they’ve faced all year. Although Charlie did pitch against Steinert once this year."
In the other CJ III semifinal today, sixth-seeded Allentown will play at No. 2 Wall. The final is scheduled for Friday at the home of the higher seed.