A night of Firsts at FirstEnergy
By TONY GRAHAM
STAFF WRITER
LAKEWOOD… For Colts Neck's Dom Hayes and other Cougar seniors a long quest ended Wednesday night.
""I've been after this for four years, busted my butt, we've all busted our butts,'' said Hayes after Colts Neck made it a night of firsts at FirstEnergy Park.
The Cougars, boosted by what is believed to be the first grand slam by a high school player at the home of the minor league Lakewood BlueClaws, captured their first Shore Conference Tournament baseball crown with an 8-2 victory over CBA.
Junior right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (8-2) of Colts Neck (22-7), roughed up earlier this year by CBA (24-6) in the first game of its two-game regular season series sweep, allowed five hits, struck out six, and walked three, one intentional.
""I saw him (DeSclafani) when I was in eighth grade and he was a freshman,'' said Hayes. ""I said, "This kid is going to be good.'
""He's known for being that kind of pitcher, dominant.''
Colts Neck led Wednesday 4-2 with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth when Hayes, a left-handed batter, teed off on a 2-0 pitch from CBA senior right-hander Dave Laufer.
Hayes said it "felt great" when he connected but didn't think the drive would leave the spacious ball park.
""I thought maybe it would be it would go over his (rightfielder Scott Micallef's ) head and be a bases-clearing double at most,'' said Hayes.
But the ball rocketed about halfway up the embankment onto the grass beyond the wall.
""It went over and I was just like, "Wow, that just went over." I couldn't believe it,'' said Hayes who said he has accepted a partial scholarship to NJIT.
Laufer had won both earlier games vs. Colts Neck but Hayes, 3-for-3 with a walk Wednesday night, said the team was confident it could reverse the outcomes.
""During any season, during any time, you play any team three times and you face the same pitcher three times, you're going to get him,'' said Hayes. ""That's what we said, we had all the confidence in the world.''
Colts Neck jumped on Laufer for two first inning runs on an RBI single to left by A.J. Rusbarsky and an error.
It made it 4-0 in the fifth when Ethan Jackson was safe on an infield roller with the bases loaded and Pete Salvati slashed a bad-hop single past third.
CBA, blanked 1-0 in eight innings Tuesday in the NJSIAA Tournament, broke through Wednesday in the sixth.
Steve McSherry singled and scored when a hit to left by Mike Galeotafiore was misplayed,and Micallef lofted a sacrifice fly.
CBA will get a crack at another championship when it meets Wall 3:45 p.m. today in the Monmouth Couunty Tournament final at Monmouth Regional High School.
""We have a game tomorrow (today) but we're going to have to play a whole lot better than we did today,'' said CBA coach Marty Kenney. ""It's a double-edged sword. We're not hitting the ball and we have to do that to give ourselves a chance.
""This wasn't an 8-2 game. I think it was a lot closer than that.''
Kenney said sophomore Nick Falcone (1-0) will start the MCT final. Wall is expected to counter with senior right-hander Craig Hughes (7-2).
STAFF WRITER
LAKEWOOD… For Colts Neck's Dom Hayes and other Cougar seniors a long quest ended Wednesday night.
""I've been after this for four years, busted my butt, we've all busted our butts,'' said Hayes after Colts Neck made it a night of firsts at FirstEnergy Park.
The Cougars, boosted by what is believed to be the first grand slam by a high school player at the home of the minor league Lakewood BlueClaws, captured their first Shore Conference Tournament baseball crown with an 8-2 victory over CBA.
Junior right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (8-2) of Colts Neck (22-7), roughed up earlier this year by CBA (24-6) in the first game of its two-game regular season series sweep, allowed five hits, struck out six, and walked three, one intentional.
""I saw him (DeSclafani) when I was in eighth grade and he was a freshman,'' said Hayes. ""I said, "This kid is going to be good.'
""He's known for being that kind of pitcher, dominant.''
Colts Neck led Wednesday 4-2 with two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth when Hayes, a left-handed batter, teed off on a 2-0 pitch from CBA senior right-hander Dave Laufer.
Hayes said it "felt great" when he connected but didn't think the drive would leave the spacious ball park.
""I thought maybe it would be it would go over his (rightfielder Scott Micallef's ) head and be a bases-clearing double at most,'' said Hayes.
But the ball rocketed about halfway up the embankment onto the grass beyond the wall.
""It went over and I was just like, "Wow, that just went over." I couldn't believe it,'' said Hayes who said he has accepted a partial scholarship to NJIT.
Laufer had won both earlier games vs. Colts Neck but Hayes, 3-for-3 with a walk Wednesday night, said the team was confident it could reverse the outcomes.
""During any season, during any time, you play any team three times and you face the same pitcher three times, you're going to get him,'' said Hayes. ""That's what we said, we had all the confidence in the world.''
Colts Neck jumped on Laufer for two first inning runs on an RBI single to left by A.J. Rusbarsky and an error.
It made it 4-0 in the fifth when Ethan Jackson was safe on an infield roller with the bases loaded and Pete Salvati slashed a bad-hop single past third.
CBA, blanked 1-0 in eight innings Tuesday in the NJSIAA Tournament, broke through Wednesday in the sixth.
Steve McSherry singled and scored when a hit to left by Mike Galeotafiore was misplayed,and Micallef lofted a sacrifice fly.
CBA will get a crack at another championship when it meets Wall 3:45 p.m. today in the Monmouth Couunty Tournament final at Monmouth Regional High School.
""We have a game tomorrow (today) but we're going to have to play a whole lot better than we did today,'' said CBA coach Marty Kenney. ""It's a double-edged sword. We're not hitting the ball and we have to do that to give ourselves a chance.
""This wasn't an 8-2 game. I think it was a lot closer than that.''
Kenney said sophomore Nick Falcone (1-0) will start the MCT final. Wall is expected to counter with senior right-hander Craig Hughes (7-2).
posted by Tony Graham at 7:41 PM
1 Comments:
Any reaction to this game? When Hayes hit that ball I thought..""well, it may go over Micallef's head" and and then I was watching him go baaaaccck, baaaaccck, baaack and then "It's not gonna be..is it? ..yes it IS.
"
DeSclafani was sharp and CN backed him with two big DPs...
Laufer (8K) pitched better than the final score.....but couldn 't get out of that sixth...on the rather unusual play that pro longed the inning....
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