Ocean takes Round 3 vs. Wall, Round 4 is Thursday
By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER
OCEAN - There was little time for Ocean to savor its 2-0 victory over Wall Wednesday in a Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinal game.
And Wall has few moments for remorse.
No sooner had the game at Robert Olshan Memorial Field gone into the books, then Ocean (23-4) and Wall (20-7) prepared to tee it up again Thursday in a Monmouth County Tournament semifinal game at Wall's 18th Avenue Field.
The fourth meeting of the year between the teams will decide who clashes with CBA (22-4) in Monday's 3:45 p.m. MCT championship game at Monmouth Regional High School.
In the SCT, fourth-seeded Ocean will host eighth-seeded Colts Neck in a semifinal tentatively set for Saturday.
But currently Wall remains very much on Ocean's mind.
"It's very unheard of in high school baseball (to play one team so many times),'' said Ocean pitcher Jamie Rosenkranz. ""It almost feels like we're a pro or college team playing an opponent twice in two days.''
Had Wall won an NJSIAA game Tuesday (it lost to Allentown) the teams would be meeting for a third day in a row Friday.
""That would have been even better, seeing who could take the series,'' said Rosenkranz.
Though Wall won the Shore Conference Class B North championship, finishing ahead of Ocean, the Spartans currently lead the "series' 2-1.
Wednesday Rosenkranz stopped the Knights on a two hitter. Mixing fastballs and a deadly slow breaking pitch, the right-hander struck out a career high 13, walked none, and hit a batter.
Ocean rode to victory on the long ball against Wall senior Craig Hughes. The right-hander allowed only three hits, but two of them left the park.
Eric Hinkle sent a towering drive over the fence in right center with one down in the second inning, his second home run of the season and the 11th of his career.
Keith Weinkofsky led off the fourth inning nailing a first pitch curve ball and lining it over the centerfield fence.
The home run, the 30th of Weinkofsky's Shore Conference record setting career, was his 11th of the season and tied his own 2006 single season school record.
Wall coach Todd Schmitt has a history of intentionally walking Weinkofsky in most situations.
""With nobody on I guess you've got to pitch him,'' said Schmitt ""When we shook hands after the game I told him, "Don't bring your bat tomorrow.' ''
Ocean coach Del Dal Pra was undecided on today's pitcher. ""It's "I don't know,' '' said Dal Pra whose team also plays Friday vs. Allentown in the NJSIAA CJ III final, and apparently in the SCT Saturday.
Ocean may be leaning today towards freshman Ed Mejias (3-1).
"'Friday its Hinkle,'' said Dal Pra. ""And Saturday it's "I don't know' again.''
Wall coach Todd Schmitt said junior left-hander Mark Pellicchia (4-3) will take the mound today for the Knights.
STAFF WRITER
OCEAN - There was little time for Ocean to savor its 2-0 victory over Wall Wednesday in a Shore Conference Tournament quarterfinal game.
And Wall has few moments for remorse.
No sooner had the game at Robert Olshan Memorial Field gone into the books, then Ocean (23-4) and Wall (20-7) prepared to tee it up again Thursday in a Monmouth County Tournament semifinal game at Wall's 18th Avenue Field.
The fourth meeting of the year between the teams will decide who clashes with CBA (22-4) in Monday's 3:45 p.m. MCT championship game at Monmouth Regional High School.
In the SCT, fourth-seeded Ocean will host eighth-seeded Colts Neck in a semifinal tentatively set for Saturday.
But currently Wall remains very much on Ocean's mind.
"It's very unheard of in high school baseball (to play one team so many times),'' said Ocean pitcher Jamie Rosenkranz. ""It almost feels like we're a pro or college team playing an opponent twice in two days.''
Had Wall won an NJSIAA game Tuesday (it lost to Allentown) the teams would be meeting for a third day in a row Friday.
""That would have been even better, seeing who could take the series,'' said Rosenkranz.
Though Wall won the Shore Conference Class B North championship, finishing ahead of Ocean, the Spartans currently lead the "series' 2-1.
Wednesday Rosenkranz stopped the Knights on a two hitter. Mixing fastballs and a deadly slow breaking pitch, the right-hander struck out a career high 13, walked none, and hit a batter.
Ocean rode to victory on the long ball against Wall senior Craig Hughes. The right-hander allowed only three hits, but two of them left the park.
Eric Hinkle sent a towering drive over the fence in right center with one down in the second inning, his second home run of the season and the 11th of his career.
Keith Weinkofsky led off the fourth inning nailing a first pitch curve ball and lining it over the centerfield fence.
The home run, the 30th of Weinkofsky's Shore Conference record setting career, was his 11th of the season and tied his own 2006 single season school record.
Wall coach Todd Schmitt has a history of intentionally walking Weinkofsky in most situations.
""With nobody on I guess you've got to pitch him,'' said Schmitt ""When we shook hands after the game I told him, "Don't bring your bat tomorrow.' ''
Ocean coach Del Dal Pra was undecided on today's pitcher. ""It's "I don't know,' '' said Dal Pra whose team also plays Friday vs. Allentown in the NJSIAA CJ III final, and apparently in the SCT Saturday.
Ocean may be leaning today towards freshman Ed Mejias (3-1).
"'Friday its Hinkle,'' said Dal Pra. ""And Saturday it's "I don't know' again.''
Wall coach Todd Schmitt said junior left-hander Mark Pellicchia (4-3) will take the mound today for the Knights.
posted by Tony Graham at 6:05 PM
9 Comments:
Good thing for OT the wind was blowing out or they might still be playing..Hughes was a beast today,,,victim of wind blown HR's
Hmmmm.....Sitting in the Ocean dugout doing our blog I felt the wind was coming across the field.
Hinkle's HR certainly carried, whether it got help from the wind I can't say.
I believe Weinkofsky's HR just struck a building in Tibet. You can't be serious about the wind on that one.
On Hughes..he pitched well, no doubt about it.
Obviously Rosenkranz did, too. I thought Rosenkranz was tiring there in the sixth and seventh innings. But he reached back and got it done.
I have to agree Tony..Hinkle's HR may have had some help getting over because it was such a moon shot soooo high, but Winkofsky's got out in like a mili-second...the fans in center field (from another HS not Wall or OT) said it hit the ground about 60 ft past the fence at the 370' sign. I have only seen 6--7 HS games this year but this Wall / OT game was one of the best played..the Wall 3rd baseman made 2 outstanding plays on bullets that were hit his way, the bunts by both teams moving runners up were textbook and the key players on both teams did what they do best, Hughes pitched a dandy (along with Rosencrantz) and Hinkle and Winkofsky hit bombs
The Wall 3B - Kyle McArdle - hope I have his name correct...(he was DHd for)..very good glove.
Now they do it all over again today..I predict a minimum of 10 runs scored combined..just a hunch...we'll see...
Are you going into a new profession as a weatherman? Just checking?
yes.. the pitching forcast for today was for cloudbursts of hits...
Now tomorrow..Allentown has good pitching and Hinkle is going for Ocean. Probably a "sunnier" day for pitching fortunes...
Clever answer!
Weinkofsky IS THE MAN
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