TR North takes control in Class A South

By JOE ADELIZZISTAFF WRITER





JACKSON - For those who think Toms River North has climbed to the top of Shore

Conference Class A South by using mirrors, they are wrong. It has been the Dipsey

Doodle, it seems.



At least that is what pitcher Chad Geran had going for him Wednesday as the Mariners

took a giant step toward the division crown with a 5-1 victory against Jackson.



""He has three pitches, no make that four,'' said winning coach Ted Schelmay,

explaining the success his senior right-hander has enjoyed compiling a 3-0 record.



""Fastball, curve and change-up .‚.‚. and the other one,'' added Schelmay, refusing

to say what the mystery pitch is. ""Call it a Dipsey Doodle.''



Whatever it is, it fit in perfectly with the fastball and curve Wednesday to keep

Geran ahead of the Jackson hitters.



""Down and outside. That's where I wanted the ball,'' said Geran, who allowed four

hits. ""Against that team (Jackson) you get the ball up and they'll hit it. When I got

it up today they slammed hard line drives. My defense was there.''



The Mariners have been riding a crest of success since losing their season opener to

Toms River South. They are now 9-2 overall, 8-1 in A South. Jackson is now 7-3 in the

division.



""We just didn't hit that day,'' Schelmay said of the opener. ""But since then we

have been doing things right, playing good baseball.''



But the days of sneaking up on teams are over.



""No one thought much about us when the season started,'' Geran said. ""And they had

no reason to based on last season (12-12). But we believed.



""Now, we like being the team everyone hates. We want to keep going.''



If they continue to get the offense they showed against Jackson, championships will

fall into place.



The Mariners have already swept the Jags and Toms River East, one of the preseason

favorites in A South.



And they are doing it with a pair of sophomore bats, known to teammates as the Bash

Brothers, Billy Hoermann and Steve Nyisztor. They combined for five hits and drove home

three of the runs for the Mariners.



Hoermann had a pair of doubles and looked unstoppable at the plate.



""He played some as a freshman. He had a home run as a designated hitter,'' Schelmay

said.



Hoermann understands there are plenty of A South games remaining, but he knows what

the Mariners have to do.



""If we win out, no one can take the championship from us,'' said the 6-foot-6 first

baseman, who has been leading the Mariners offense in recent weeks, including a

game-winning home run against Toms River South in their rematch with the Indians.



""It's nice having guys on your team who can hit like that,'' Geran said of the Bash

Brothers.



They were among the key players in North's four-run third inning. C.J. Alonso led off

with a double. Mike LaCava had an infield hit and Anthony Mazzetta singled in the first

run. Hoermann followed with a rope to the left-field corner. Nyisztor had a sac fly and

then Hoermann scored when Scott Shan struck out, but the ball got past the catcher and

the throw to first sailed to right field.



The Jags scored a run in the fourth with the help of an error and a double. But after

that, it was all Dipsey Doodle for the Mariners.



""It's my own pitch,'' Geran said. ""Let's just say it keeps batters off balance.''



Let's just say it has the Mariners where no one expected them to be, alone at the top

of Class A South.