Tough breaks, calls, missed chances doom team
By: Rudy Brandl
BRIDGEWATER Losing to Immaculata is never much fun for the Hillsborough High baseball team, but last Friday night’s Somerset County Tournament semifinal heart-breaker was even harder to take than usual.
The Raiders (13-5) squandered numerous opportunities, couldn’t catch a break and didn’t receive any help from the umpires in a 4-3 loss in 11 innings. A few strange plays and a couple of controversial calls played a role in deciding a classic ball game that extended well beyond three hours at Commerce Bank Park.
Immaculata (15-2) advanced to the SCT final with a run in the bottom of the 11th after surviving two bases-loaded threats from the Raiders in extra innings. Mike Backus drilled a long single to the left-center field gap to score Matt Marquis with the winning run.
While the Spartans were celebrating, the Raiders were left to ponder what might have been. Veteran skipper Norm Hewitt consoled his players and reminded them there’s still plenty of baseball left in this season. It wasn’t an easy pill for the Raiders to swallow, but they’ve been bouncing back all season.
Last Friday’s performance was a huge improvement over the 10-0 loss the Raiders suffered at Immaculata in April. This game was up for grabs and could have gone Hillsborough’s way with one key break or call.
"We had our opportunities but we didn’t take advantage," Hewitt said. "We deserved to be here and I’m proud of my kids. I couldn’t ask for any more of them. We put on a great game today."
The Raiders wasted two great opportunities in extra innings. They loaded the bases in the ninth and 11th innings but came away empty.
Matt Sadin singled, Rocky Palumbo bunted for a hit and Ricky Schwalje walked to load the bases with one out in the ninth. The Spartans pulled in their infield and third baseman Chas Crane was in the perfect spot to snag a line drive by HHS catcher Marc Zamarin. Crane robbed Zamarin of a double and stepped on third base to complete an inning ending double play.
Tim Fedroff opened the 11th with a monster triple to the left-center field wall. He remained stranded there when Anthony Giralo and Corey Swickle grounded back to pitcher Sean McKeown. Palumbo struck out on a pitch in the dirt but beat the play to first to keep the inning alive. Schwalje walked on four pitches to load the bases but Zamarin fouled out to end the threat.
Immaculata built an early 3-0 lead but the Raiders stormed back with three runs in the top of the fourth. Corey Towey and Fedroff set the table with infield hits and stood at the corners when Sadin came to bat. Sadin smacked a hit-and-run RBI single to left to put the Raiders on the board against Immaculata starter Kyle Morrison.
Hewitt put on another hit-and-run with Swickle and he reached on an error by shortstop Tom Burke, whose wild throw allowed two runners to score and tie the game. The game remained at 3-3 for the next six innings.
Hillsborough had a great chance to take the lead in the fifth but a controversial call helped stop the rally. Matt Zygmund singled to right and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Andy Pogorzelski. Nobody was covering third base so Zygmund alertly sprinted there and was safe. Crane was late getting to the bag and couldn’t handle the throw from across the diamond, so the ball got away and rolled down the third-base line.
Zygmund started toward home plate but realized he was going to be thrown out so he tried to get back to the bag. Left fielder Frank Florio was backing up the play and he raced to third base and tagged out Zygmund, who couldn’t get back quickly enough because he was blocked by the pitcher. Hewitt argued with the umpires who called a conference but didn’t change the call.
"You can’t lay on a kid," Hewitt said. "That’s interference. I thought that call hurt us."
HHS senior Rob Kumbatovic struggled early but recovered to pitch one of the finest games of his career. The big right-hander fired 150 pitches and struck out 13 batters. He walked four and scattered nine hits but escaped many jams with key strikeouts.
"I felt better as the game went on," Kumbatovic said. "I had a lot more control. I tried to keep them off balance as much as possible."
Kumbatovic blanked the Spartans in the last six innings he pitched and retired the last 12 men he faced. He only walked one batter after the third inning and struck out the side in the eighth. It wasn’t easy to leave the game but Kumbatovic had thrown a ton of pitches.
"I had all the confidence in Timmy (Fedroff)," Kumbatovic said. "If there’s anybody I want out there, it’s him."
Fedroff also isn’t a bad guy to have up at the plate. He launched what would have been a home run at any high school field to lead off the 11th, but the stadium wall kept it in play.
"I definitely thought we were going to score," Kumbatovic said. "We just didn’t come through."
"We didn’t catch any breaks," Hewitt added. "We stranded too many people. We should have gotten Timmy home from third. I feel bad for Rob and Timmy. They did everything they could."