BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer
Going into yesterday’s match with fifth-seeded St. Joseph’s in the quarterfinals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, the Monroe High School baseball team had a 14-7 record and renewed optimism – the latter because of the return of ace pitcher Marc Povlosky, who was sidelined with an injury.
In last Friday’s GMCT opener, Povlosky threw a complete-game 5-2 victory, fanning seven and yielding five hits to lead the fourth-seeded Falcons over 20th seed South River.
“He’d only thrown four innings in about three weeks,” said coach Greg Beyer. “Everything revolves around your No. 1 starter, and when he’s pitching well, it gives everyone a lift.”
Overall, Povlosky is 5-2, averaging about a strikeout per inning. Behind him, Mike Doros has thrown well and compiled a 3-1 record, while Lenny Bergen is 3-0 in just 14 innings, with two of those victories having come in relief. The hard-luck hurler for the campaign is Ryan Cushman, whose 1-4 record belies some fine efforts on the mound.
As for other aspects of the game, Monroe’s defense has been solid, while the hitting has been somewhat inconsistent.
“The big thing is getting the key hits,” Beyer said.
No one is complaining about star catcher Jarred Jiminez, who is slugging out a team-best .468 average, and also leading the Falcons with 35 runs scored and 29 stolen bases. At first base, Matt Kalbach has broken out of a slump to raise his average to .350, having most recently gone two-for-two with a double and a sacrifice fly in the GMC game against South River.
Povlosky, who plays second base when he’s not on the hill, is also hitting around .350, as is the Monroe shortstop, Marc Magliaro. Holding down the hot corner when he isn’t pitching, Doros has shown an excellent knack for getting on base, batting a healthy .408 and already having set a single-season school record for drawing walks, with 23.
In the outfield, the Falcons have a real force in center fielder Nick Alberino, the No. 3 hitter, who is batting at a .450 clip and has set the Monroe record for runs batted in in a season, with 31. One of those RBIs came against South River last week, when Alberino singled and doubled. Over in right field, Rich Feldham is almost as productive, with a .430 batting average and 27 runs scored.
“That’s one of the best totals in school history,” Beyer pointed out.
As for left field, sophomore Bergen, the relief pitcher, gives some pop to the bottom of then lineup, posting a .310 mark while generally batting in the eight or nine spot.
Finally, to round out the starters, Mike Lezzo has done a solid job as designated hitter, with a .330 average to his credit, including a home run in a game against Cherry Hill West.
But that isn’t the end of the story for Monroe. There is a considerable bit of depth coming off the bench. Adam Liebross and Eddie Klecan have contributed, along with Andy Stern and Garret Beyer, who fills in at second base when Marc Povlosky is pitching. Andrew Primiano adds another arm to the hurling staff, along with senior John Ciarkowski and a sophomore, Ryan Clark, who showed a lot of potential in a game against Cherry Hill West. The Falcons were getting blown out when Clark came in and shut CHW down for several innings, allowing one hit, which gave Monroe a chance to mount a comeback.
“We fell short, but we gave them a scare,” said Beyer, who is assisted by Scott Walsh, Gary Snyder, freshman coach Ron Herrick, and the middle school team of Tony Pepe and Eric Manovicz.
With a win yesterday, the Falcons would advance to this weekend’s semifinal round. Among the other teams still alive in GMCT play are South Brunswick and Piscataway, who played yesterday, Edison and South Amboy, and Old Bridge and Spotswood.
The semifinal doubleheader is set for this Saturday at Middlesex County College with the finals slated for June 3 at East Brunswick Vo-Tech High School,.
The GMC Softball Tournament got underway yesterday with first-round games, and will resume on Saturday at South Plainfield High School. The quarterfinals, semifinals and finals are slated for May 24, 27 and 29, respectively.