Old Bridge I n what was expected to be a rebuilding year following the graduation of eight starters from last year’s Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) championship squad, the Old Bridge High School baseball team has more than held its own.
The Knights improved their record to 9-7 on Monday with an 8-3 triumph over Red Division rival Piscataway, giving Old Bridge its third successive win and second straight victory over the Chiefs.
Old Bridge’s inexperience has shown at times, but coach Mike Anastasio’s team made a statement on opening day that they planned to compete hard. The Knights came from behind to down St. Joseph of Metuchen as Chris Chiodo smacked a three-run double and Nik Remshifski’s double plated another run.
“If you told me at the beginning of the season that our team would be 9-7 at this point, I’d have taken it,” the coach said. “But this team has progressed very quickly, and now I look back at the games we let get away. We could easily have a couple more wins.”
Nevertheless, the Knights have proved to be a tough team to play. With a team batting average of .328, Old Bridge has averaged five runs per game thanks to some timely hitting. The speedy Chiodo leads the team with a .487 average and has also contributed seven RBIs. Sophomore center fielder Brandon Abdul is at .400, despite a recent slump, and leads the Knights with 13 RBIs.
Shortstop George Pagan, who has been solid defensively, has settled into the No. 3 spot in the order, where he is batting .404 with a homer and eight RBIs. Sophomore catcher Eugene Quirk is coming off a huge week that saw him go 6-13 at the plate with eight RBIs, raising his average to .375.
Junior first baseman Sean Blair is at .324 with nine RBIs, while left fielder Tom Garvey is batting .321 and third baseman Vincent D’Acunto is just under the .300 mark. D’Acunto has also been strong in the field and has contributed several sacrifice bunts as well as a suicide squeeze.
On the mound, freshman Jordan Fetterman has been a pleasant surprise, posting a 3-0 mark with a 1.15 ERA. Junior Joe Neri is 2-2 and Nick Benigno is 1-3 with a save.
“Our pitching has really helped keep us in games,” Anastasio said. “They don’t strike out a lot of hitters, but they throw strikes and make them earn their way on base. They’ve done a good job.”
The coach believes his team is peaking in time for the GMC Tournament and also expects the Knights to do well in the NJSIAA Central Group IV tourney.
“Our guys have battled all season, and they put themselves in a position to win games,” he said. “We have some great teams in our conference, but we match up pretty well them.”