Post by Freehold Resident on Jul 5, 2007 9:49:14 GMT -5
Jr. Eagles come back to beat Jr. Colonials
by ED COLLINS
Posted: 2007-06-28
With a roster filled of mostly incoming sophomores, the Post No. 338 Middletown South Junior Eagles showed the girt of an experienced, veteran club against Post No. 54 Freehold Boro. Down by four runs, the Eagles scored three times in both the fifth and sixth innings to defeat the Colonials, 9-7 in a Monmouth County American Legion Junior League game on Monday evening at Walter Woods Field in Middletown.
“The team was down during the first half of the game,” Post No. 338 Middletown South head coach Mike Dooley said. “But they responded [mentally] and battled back. They didn’t give up until the final out.”
It was during the bottom of the fifth when the Eagles started their comeback. Shortstop Darren Alcolea started it off with a leadoff single. He would then steal both second and third before second baseman Jim Gant lifted an RBI single to right to make it a 7-4 game. Pinch hitter Kevin Ens and center fielder Michael Gannon followed up with singles to load up the bases. Extra hitter Matthew Salmonsen’s sacrifice fly plated Gant, as it was now a two run game. Gannon would later score on a wild pitch thrown by Post No. 54 relief pitcher Kevin Litus.
One inning later, Post No. 338 South took the lead. Catcher Tyler Cotterell singled past second to start the inning. DH Robert Marcickiewicz roped a double to left field. On the play, Cotterell’s courtesy runner Eric Hogan scored all the way from first to tie the score at 7-7. Marcickiewicz gave his team the lead on a successful steal of home. Pinch hitter Rick Lovato, who reached on a walk, would also steal home and gave the Eagles an insurance run.
“That was my plan,” said Dooley. “I was trying to get us on base to get least one or two runs [in the sixth].”
Since coming into pitch in the fifth, Drew Rauso held the Colonials in check before giving way to Lovato in the seventh. Before giving way to Lovato in the seventh, Rauso would only surrender three hits and two walks during in two innings to earn the win.
Post No. 54 Freehold Boro took an early 2-0 lead against Eagle starter Steven Macri. Both runs came on RBI singles from first baseman Matt Hohman and second baseman Chris Esola.
Post No. 338 South got on the board during the bottom of the first. Salmonsen walked with one out. One batter later, Hogan smacked an RBI double to right to make it 2-1.
A pair of doubles would extend the Colonial lead during the middle innings. In the third, pitcher Rudy Gregory doubled to right to score Hohman. One inning later, left fielder Marco Recchia ripped a two-run double to right as Post No. 54 Freehold Boro padded its lead to four runs.
But the Eagles made it a game again in the bottom of the fourth against Gregory. First baseman Travis Sodon got it going with a one-out double to center. A Hogan single moved Sodon over to third. Both Sodon and Hogan each scored on separate wild pitches uncorked by Gregory. Post No. 338 South only trailed 5-3.
However, the Colonials added two more runs in the fifth before the Eagles started their rally.
“These games will continue to help us,” said Dooley. “The same thing happened last year. We had a great team and a great bunch of guys. It carries over into the regular season. The JV team this had a great season. And a lot of that carried over from the summer.”
With the win, Post No. 338 South improved their mark to 6-2.
by ED COLLINS
Posted: 2007-06-28
With a roster filled of mostly incoming sophomores, the Post No. 338 Middletown South Junior Eagles showed the girt of an experienced, veteran club against Post No. 54 Freehold Boro. Down by four runs, the Eagles scored three times in both the fifth and sixth innings to defeat the Colonials, 9-7 in a Monmouth County American Legion Junior League game on Monday evening at Walter Woods Field in Middletown.
“The team was down during the first half of the game,” Post No. 338 Middletown South head coach Mike Dooley said. “But they responded [mentally] and battled back. They didn’t give up until the final out.”
It was during the bottom of the fifth when the Eagles started their comeback. Shortstop Darren Alcolea started it off with a leadoff single. He would then steal both second and third before second baseman Jim Gant lifted an RBI single to right to make it a 7-4 game. Pinch hitter Kevin Ens and center fielder Michael Gannon followed up with singles to load up the bases. Extra hitter Matthew Salmonsen’s sacrifice fly plated Gant, as it was now a two run game. Gannon would later score on a wild pitch thrown by Post No. 54 relief pitcher Kevin Litus.
One inning later, Post No. 338 South took the lead. Catcher Tyler Cotterell singled past second to start the inning. DH Robert Marcickiewicz roped a double to left field. On the play, Cotterell’s courtesy runner Eric Hogan scored all the way from first to tie the score at 7-7. Marcickiewicz gave his team the lead on a successful steal of home. Pinch hitter Rick Lovato, who reached on a walk, would also steal home and gave the Eagles an insurance run.
“That was my plan,” said Dooley. “I was trying to get us on base to get least one or two runs [in the sixth].”
Since coming into pitch in the fifth, Drew Rauso held the Colonials in check before giving way to Lovato in the seventh. Before giving way to Lovato in the seventh, Rauso would only surrender three hits and two walks during in two innings to earn the win.
Post No. 54 Freehold Boro took an early 2-0 lead against Eagle starter Steven Macri. Both runs came on RBI singles from first baseman Matt Hohman and second baseman Chris Esola.
Post No. 338 South got on the board during the bottom of the first. Salmonsen walked with one out. One batter later, Hogan smacked an RBI double to right to make it 2-1.
A pair of doubles would extend the Colonial lead during the middle innings. In the third, pitcher Rudy Gregory doubled to right to score Hohman. One inning later, left fielder Marco Recchia ripped a two-run double to right as Post No. 54 Freehold Boro padded its lead to four runs.
But the Eagles made it a game again in the bottom of the fourth against Gregory. First baseman Travis Sodon got it going with a one-out double to center. A Hogan single moved Sodon over to third. Both Sodon and Hogan each scored on separate wild pitches uncorked by Gregory. Post No. 338 South only trailed 5-3.
However, the Colonials added two more runs in the fifth before the Eagles started their rally.
“These games will continue to help us,” said Dooley. “The same thing happened last year. We had a great team and a great bunch of guys. It carries over into the regular season. The JV team this had a great season. And a lot of that carried over from the summer.”
With the win, Post No. 338 South improved their mark to 6-2.