Raiders ended baseball season in style

Victory over Immaculata a great capper

By: Rudy Brandl
   
   If they couldn’t end their baseball season winning the State Group 4 title, then the next-best thing for Hillsborough High’s ball players was beating Immaculata May 30.
   The Raiders were still smiling two nights later at the school’s Senior Athletic Awards Dinner after ending their season with a thrilling 13-11 victory over the Spartans. This rivalry, one of New Jersey’s best in baseball, added some new exciting chapters this spring, including a nine-inning thriller in the Somerset County championship game won by Immaculata. The final entry of the 2007 season left Raider skipper Norm Hewitt feeling very satisfied.
   "It was awesome," Hewitt said. "This game meant everything to these kids. We don’t take any game lightly. We still had a few things to prove and we wanted to win 20 ball games."
   Hillsborough (20-6) showed its spirit, fight and determination repeatedly throughout the season. Playing with only a handful of reserves all year and sometimes short on pitching, the Raiders found a way to prevail. They often won games in difficult circumstances.
   Less than 24 hours after suffering a gut-wrenching loss in a county final that didn’t end until 11 p.m., the Raiders took the field for their first state playoff game. They scored early and often to eliminate North Brunswick.
   Most seasons end with a loss in the state tournament, but the Raiders still had two games to play after Steinert knocked them out in the Central Jersey Group 4 final. They came back the following week and defeated Watchung Hills and Immaculata, two very good opponents and local rivals.
   Although only pride was at stake in the season finale, it lived up to the usual drama of a Hillsborough-Immaculata contest. The Raiders stormed to a 9-0 lead but knew it wasn’t safe against the high-powered Spartans. There was no way Hewitt was calling off the dogs in this one, not after watching Immaculata come from behind against his team six times in the county final.
   "We wanted to pour it on," Hewitt said. "You never have enough distance against those guys. We almost gave it back to them."
   The Spartans scored six runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to cut the HHS lead to 9-7. The Raiders added four big insurance runs in the top of the seventh and Immaculata answered with four in the bottom of the frame.
   Hewitt had to bring back senior right-hander Corey Swickle, who had blanked the Spartans in the first four innings before allowing the late damage. Mark Andrews, the senior lefty who was outstanding as the staff ace for the first seven weeks of the season, couldn’t find the plate in the seventh. Swickle returned and threw strikes but a deep fly ball almost ruined Hillsborough’s day.
   The game ended with a deep fly ball to center with two men on base. At the crack of the bat, Hewitt thought it was going out. HHS center fielder Matt Zygmund made the catch and the game and season ended with a Hillsborough victory.
   Senior first baseman Anthony Giralo led the offense with a monster 4-for-5 day that included a home run off the scoreboard and two runs scored. Giralo also made a huge defensive play to help save the game in the seventh.
   There were many other big hitters for the Raiders, who pounded out 20 hits in the victory. Senior catcher Matt Sadin and Swickle each went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Senior shortstop Corey Towey was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and team-high three runs. Junior Sean MacDonald and seniors Zygmund and Albert DeSanto added two hits apiece, while Mike Hansford and Ricky Schwalje joined the party with one hit each.
   Although the Raiders ended their season with an high-scoring victory, they used pitching and defense to prevail on a more regular basis this spring. Two seniors who didn’t see much mound action last spring combined for 15 victories. Andrews (8-1) carried the pitching staff through the better part of the season but Swickle (7-2) stepped up as the main man in the stretch run.
   Andrews led the team with a 2.02 ERA, but that figure was much lower until his final few outings. The lefty, who made a remarkable comeback from injury, paced the staff with 66 innings and 12 appearances.
   Swickle topped the staff with 51 strikeouts in 55Ð innings and finished with a 3.05 ERA. Take away a few big innings by Immaculata and that number is down around 2.00. Swickle had a rubber arm in the last few weeks of the season, throwing 130 pitches in the finale after hurling more than 150 in two appearances without much rest between the county final and state playoff opener.
   "That kid is a bulldog," Hewitt said. "He’s been the core of our team for the last few years. He’s a leader and his leadership qualities go far beyond the field."
   Swickle, the only remaining starter from the 2005 state and county championship team, enjoyed another productive season at the plate. He led the Raiders with .563 on base percentage and .792 slugging percentage and finished second in batting average (.458). Swickle swatted 13 doubles to tie Sadin for the team lead, smacked three homers and drove in 15 runs. He scored 31 runs to lead the team.
   Sadin had a big year in his first season as the full-time catcher. He showed some offensive power as the DH last spring but proved valuable at both ends in his senior season. He led the Raiders with a .470 batting average and was second in RBI with 25.
   Giralo, who batted .409, was the top man in hits (36) and singles (28). Other offensive leaders for Hillsborough included Towey in triples (2) and stolen bases (12), Hansford in home runs (5), Zygmund in RBI (26), Swickle in walks (18) and MacDonald in sacrifices (7). Swickle, Giralo, MacDonald and Schwalje were the only Raiders to play in all 26 games.
   "We weren’t deep at all but this season proved that our program is very well-balanced," Hewitt said. "Our kids work hard and they fight. They showed there’s no obstacle they can’t overcome. They showed tremendous tenacity this year. We achieved a wonderful illustration of what hard work can do. We gained a lot of respect this year."