I t has been a trying time for high school baseball teams. The constant rain that has soaked fields has created an air of uncertainty about when and where the next game will be played. The recent stretch of gloomy weather had coaches scratching their head trying to line up their pitching rotations and it had players on edge.
“It can get frustrating,” Manalapan High School shortstop Rich Ricciardi said. “You try and stay positive and do what you can do.”
The Braves handled the delays rather well last week when they resumed action and beat Middletown North, 6-0, in their NJSIAACentral Jersey Group IV state sectional tournament opener on May 24 and followed that up with a 7-3 win over Jackson Liberty in the quarterfinals of the Shore Conference Tournament on May 25.
Manalapan coach Brian Boyce had an easy answer as to why his Braves did not lose their edge during all the rainouts the previous week.
“They’re unflappable,” he said.
Along with being unflappable, the Braves are very good.
In their state tournament opener, played under sunny skies in 80 degree weather, pitcher Kyle Rubbinaccio was on fire. He struck out 10 Middletown North hitters and allowed only two hits in five innings (he left after five innings so that he would be able to pitch in Manalapan’s next state tournament game on May 27, which was played after the deadline for this issue).
“That was the best game I’ve pitched this year,” Rubbinaccio said. “You can tell when you’re in control. My curveball was sharp and I was able to spot it. That’s important because it’s my set-up pitch. It keeps them from sitting on the fastball.”
Rubbinaccio said he was throwing strikes all game and staying ahead of the hitters.
In his previous outing, a win over Christian Brothers Academy, Rubbinaccio did not have control of his curve. He said he went back to the basics and made some adjustments with his delivery to regain control of the pitch.
For the first three innings, Middletown North lefthander Jake McLiraith was matching Rubbinaccio as he dodged one threat after another.
The game was 1-0 heading into the fourth (Marco Ferrante’s run-scoringsingle in third had given the Braves the lead) when Ricciardi helped break the game open. His two-run home run to right field made it 3-0 and sparked a four-run inning.
“I was definitely looking fastball,” said Ricciardi. “They had been throwing me low and outside. I was just looking to hit the ball up the middle like I did the last at bat (a single in the second inning). I got lift on it. I knew I hit it well.”
Nick Kreiger followed Ricciardi’s blast with a single. He moved to second and third on wild pitches and scored on a sacrifice fly by Alex DeCastro. Chris Baird walked and scored on Brian Lamboy’s double for the fourth run of the frame.
The 5-0 lead was more than Rubbinaccio needed to improve to 7-0 with a 1.71 ERA. He struck out two batters in every inning he pitched. He was lifted in the sixth so he would be available for the next state tournament game (at home against Pennsauken). Joe Serrapica pitched two scoreless innings to polish off the 6-0 victory.
Manalapan is the No. 2 seed in Central Jersey Group IV behind Steinert.
Manalapan’s greatest strength was on display the following day (May 25) when the Braves put another ace on the mound, lefthander Jake Winston, in the Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinals against Jackson Liberty. Winston (5-1, 2.29 ERA) struck out six and tossed a complete game three-hitter.
Manalapan hit the Lions for four runs in the first inning and the game had the feel of a blowout. But, Jackson Liberty began to chip away at the lead and the Braves’ bats fell silent in the middle innings.
Jackson Liberty pulled within 4-3 in the fourth inning and more importantly, the Lions began to believe they could win.
That all changed in the bottom of the fifth when DeCastro put a charge into one. His long home run that hit off the scoreboard behind the left field fence with a runner aboard extended the Braves’ lead to 6-3 and demoralized the Lions. DeCastro was 2-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Manalapan added run in the sixth for the final 7-3 margin. Derek Kawa had two RBI for the Braves. The victory was Manalapan’s 21st in a row.
“All of our pitchers are bulldogs,” said Ricciardi. “We know they are going to keep us in the game. We feel we have three aces.”
Kreiger is the Braves’ third ace and he earned the win in the Shore Conference Tournament against St. John Vianney on May 21. Kreiger went four innings and improved to 6-0 with a 1.29 ERA. Billy Gulino pitched three solid innings in relief, allowing just one run.
Baird had three hits and four RBI.
The Braves are the No. 1 seed in the Shore Conference Tournament. They were scheduled to play Red Bank Catholic on June 1 in the semifinals. The championship game is scheduled for June 6 at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood.
Manalapan’s Monmouth County Tournament semifinal game with Red Bank Catholic which was originally scheduled to be played on May 19 was finally played on May 26 and RBC snapped the Braves’ 21- game win streak. The Caseys stunned the Braves (24-2) with a nine-run outburst in the first inning and never looked back, taking the defending champions out of the county tournament with a 13-7 victory.
Marlboro (15-6), enjoying its finest season in more than 15 years, defeated Sayreville, 3-1 in its Central Jersey Group IV state tournament opener. It was Marlboro’s first state tournament win since 1995.
The No. 6 seed Mustangs got a solo home run from Jon Bobrow, an RBI double from Eric Katz and a run-scoring single off the bat of Nick Jensen.
Tom Guinta was in complete control on the mound as he improved to 5-1. He struck out six and walked just one as he pitched Marlboro into the sectional quarterfinals. The Mustangs were scheduled to play Jackson Memorial, the No. 3 seed, on May 27, after the deadline for this issue.
Pitching has been a key for Marlboro as it has had two aces in Matt Lorenzetti (6-2) and Guinta. Scott Donahue has been hitting at .500 or above all season and Jensen is among the Shore Conference leaders in doubles (8).
Marlboro was eliminated from the Shore Conference Tournament in the second round by Jackson Liberty, 5-3.
Freehold quietly rebounded from a slow start to qualify for the state sectional tournament. The Colonials lost on May 23 to Hamilton, 10-3, in the Central Jersey Group III state tournament. Junior Anthony Vazzana scored a run and hit a double for the Colonials.
The Colonials also qualified for the Shore Conference Tournament, where they lost in the first round to Ocean Township, 4-1.
Freehold has gotten a big year out of Vazzana. He leads the team in batting average (.477), hits (31) and RBI (27). Sophomore Jason Lundy is batting .365 with 14 RBI and 19 runs scored. Matt Holtz leads the Colonials with 23 runs scored and is tied for second most hits, 23, with Lundy. Holtz is batting .343.
David Yanez has been the team’s workhorse on the mound. He is 5-4 and has hurled two complete games. His ERA is 3.38.