With three more wins last week, the Father & Son Senior Legion team remained unbeaten through 14 games. The team settled for a draw after its game against St. Joseph’s ended in a 5-5 tie and heads into this week’s action 13-0-1.
“The goal has never been to go undefeated,” Father & Son head coach Tim Banos said. “The goal is to win a couple of championships. Maybe the tie will fire the guys up a bit. We have a big week ahead of us.”
Father & Son will certainly have its hands full this week with back-to-back games against Clara Barton and North Brunswick. Clara Barton pays a visit today at 5:45 p.m. with North Brunswick in town tomorrow for another 5:45 p.m. contest.
The team’s draw with St. Joe’s was shortened to eight innings due to darkness, but it was an exciting game from start to finish. Father & Son starting pitcher Jared Shukis got off to a rocky start, allowing three runs in the second and another in the third. Reliever Michael Banwer did a nice job to stop the bleeding with a scoreless fourth before handing the ball to Julian Laguna. With Banwer and Laguna thwarting the St. Joe’s hitters, Father & Son fought back and tied the game in the fourth. Shukis delivered the big blow in the inning, a three-RBI double.
Both teams put a run on the board in the eighth, but neither could gain an advantage and had to settle for a tie.
“We definitely had some chances to win the game,” Banos said. “St. Joe’s got some solid pitching, and we couldn’t capitalize on our opportunities.”
Last week’s wins came over Milltown, South Plainfield and South Brunswick. Like it did against St. Joe’s, Father & Son fell behind early and was forced to claw its way back against a good South Brunswick team.
Dario Santangelo of Bishop Ahr was the starting pitcher for Father & Son, and his inability to find the strike zone in the first led to four South Brunswick runs. Santangelo issued four walks, and his team was down 4- 1 after an inning of play. However, Santangelo settled in to pitch four consecutive scoreless innings to help his team remain within striking distance. In the fifth, Shukis and Lee Cavico delivered big hits for Father & Son, and the team tied the score with three runs in the frame.
Reliever Tom Burke allowed two runs in the sixth, and South Brunswick regained the lead. In the seventh, Father & Son recaptured the lead for good by drawing walks and getting a timely RBI-single from Steve Nappe.
“We drew a couple of walks, had some good at-bats, and was helped by a wild pitch,” Banos said. “This was a good win for us because it showed we can play through some adversity.”
Alberto Ruiz went 3-for-4 for Father & Son in the win, and teammates Burke and Dylan Laguna each had a pair of hits.
Against Milltown, starting pitcher Sean Renner improved to 5-0 on the season after the team’s 9-5 victory. Burke and Cavico delivered the big hits. Burke finished the game 2-3 with a solo homer while Cavico put on a hitting clinic going 4-4 with three round-trippers and four RBIs.
The team’s other win last week was a 12-0 win over South Plainfield in five innings. Nick Errico led the team with a 2-2 night at the dish with a home run and two RBIs. Teammate Kevin Ryan also left the yard with a homer and three RBIs.