By Matthew Rocco
After an upset loss to open the Shore Conference Tournament, the Monmouth Regional High School baseball team did something they normally wouldn’t do. The Falcons called a team-wide meeting, and the message was clear: The season is far from over.
“We had a good talk with our seniors, and they had a chance to speak up. Between that and the practice we had, we got our minds prepared and got ourselves refocused on our goals,” head coach Paul Crivello said. “We wanted to win the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT), but we also want to win a state championship. We had to get back on track.”
The loss to Freehold Township High School in the SCT’s first round, along with a quarterfinal exit from the Monmouth County Tournament, threatened to derail Monmouth Regional’s postseason hopes. The Falcons, the second seed in the conference tournament, fell to 18th-seeded Freehold Township, 9-1, with only a few days to put it behind them before taking the field for their first state playoff game.
But bounce back they did, riding a first-inning, two-run homer by Paul Birzin all the way to a 2-1 victory over Robbinsville High School in the first round of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Central Jersey, Group II playoffs.
The Falcons had to get their offense working again, so Crivello shook up the lineup.
“Paul has been our four hitter. I moved him to the two hole, and sure enough, Justin [Scotto] hits a single to lead off and Paul hits a two-run homer. In the end, that’s all we needed,” Crivello said.
Charlie Kelly gave the Falcons a strong outing on the mound. Kelly pitched a complete game, giving up seven hits and striking out two batters to earn his fourth victory of the season.
The Falcons advanced to the sectional quarterfinals, where they were set to face Bernards High School May 26.
Monmouth Regional (17-6) already has one title to its credit this season. The Falcons clinched their first division title outright since 1996.
The Falcons went 11-3 in division games, one game ahead of Wall High School in the Class B North standings. Manasquan High School finished third.