RED RAIDER BASEBALL BEATS PASCACK VALLEY IN 14-INNING MARATHON; TEAM WAS ‘BUILT FOR THIS’
By DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP – Ocean City High School’s 2021 baseball team was built for the state championship game that took three and three-quarter hours Sunday afternoon in the scorching heat.
With a college Division I-level roster of pitchers, a surprise hero deep in the batting order, a stingy defense and a team motto of dealing with adversity, coach Andrew Bristol’s Red Raiders went 14 innings against Pascack Valley High School’s team before winning 3-2, earning the first state title in the program’s history.
The game saw scoring in only three of the 14 innings, which was double the regular length of a high school game, but there was plenty of drama and even more scoring droughts in the Group III championship at Bob DeMeo Field at Veterans Park in Hamilton Township near Trenton.
As the visiting team, Ocean City (20-7) was “dodging bullets” consistently throughout the game having to bat in the top of the inning. Pascack Valley (24-6) had multiple opportunities to close things out batting in the bottom of the innings from the seventh to the 13th, but the Red Raider pitching and defense held.
The pitching and defense was intense by both teams. That kept the game neck and neck in the 91-degree sunshine, punctuated occasionally by cool breezes, and kept the game going and going and going. Parents actually ran to the concession stand to buy more water and Gatorade for the parched Red Raiders as the game dragged on.
The only real pitching lapse came in the first inning when Pascack Valley’s Anthony Sodano walked two Red Raider batters after Ben Hoag had singled and Matt Nunan doubled to put runners at second and third. The first walk filled the bases and the second allowed Hoag to stroll home for the 1-0 lead.
Charlie Saul had the biggest hit of the game in the bottom of the inning when he took a Gannon Brady pitch and sent it over the left field fence for a solo homer to tie the game 1-1.
Both teams stranded runners in the ensuing innings, but it wasn’t until the sixth that scoring renewed.
Duke McCarron singled to get on base and then stole second and later third. That’s when Red Raider teammate Jack Perry slammed a double right down the third base line to score McCarron.
Pascack Valley came back with a one-out double by Anthony Rossomando and an MJ Beiner single that moved him to third base. A sacrifice fly by Dylan Criscuolo brought Rossomando home to tie the game 2-2.
The Red Raiders had plenty of intense moments from the seventh through the 13th innings as coach Andrew Bristol made two pitching changes, first bringing in Matt Nunan to relieve Brady and then McCarron to close things out.
Not scoring in the top of those innings gave Pascack Valley the opportunity to win, getting the potential winning run on base in the eighth, 10th, 11th and 13th, but credit heads-up Red Raider defensive plays to end the threat each time. With a man on base in the 10th, McCarron, still in left field at the time, made a diving catch for a third out. In the 11th, a runner at third base in scoring position was caught off base and thrown out. In the 13th, Perry made a huge double play by catching a line drive at third base and then gunning the ball to first before the base-runner could get back to base.
The final run of the game came in the top of the 14th. Mancini got on base on a walk and scrambled to second after McCarron attempted a bunt but missed and the ball got away from the catcher. When the catcher threw to second to catch Mancini, the throw went high and Mancini made it to third base. Perry came up and laid down a perfect bunt. Mancini raced down the third-base line and slid head-first into home for the go-ahead run.
In Pascack Valley’s last chance at bat, McCarron walked the first runner to put the potential tying run on base. He struck out the second batter. The next batter hit to a grounder to second baseman Hoag. On a big heads-up play, Hoag fielded the grounder, tagged the runner on his way to second and threw to first base for the game-ending double play.
And the Red Raider celebration began.