Baseball – Ray Liguori Goes the Distance for TR South in Win Over Donovan

TOMS RIVER – With one out in the top of the sixth inning on Sunday against Donovan Catholic in the Ocean County Tournament quarterfinals, Toms River South coach Ken Frank took several steps from his usual post outside the dugout toward the pitcher’s mound – an indication he would be making at least one pitching change for the 16th time in his team’s 16 games this year.

On the mound stood senior Ray Liguori, who had just issued his first walk of the game. He had already pitched deeper into this game than he ever had in any other game as a varsity starter, as well as any other Toms River South starter had this season.

Liguori caught the sight of his coach walking toward the mound, slammed the ball into his mitt in frustration and turned toward the outfield as the Indians infield convened on the mound while waiting for Frank to complete the walk, take the ball from his starter and pat him on the back for a job well done.

Surrounded by his teammates, it took Liguori a few beats to realize that while he had begun to come to terms with leaving the game, Frank had returned to his familiar spot to the left of the Indians dugout. The winningest coach in New Jersey history gave his pitcher a clap of encouragement and allowed him to go where no Toms River South starter has gone in 2015.

Liguori rewarded his coach by finishing off the first complete game by a Toms River South pitcher this season, which was enough to quiet the bats of Donovan Catholic in a 4-2 win that pushed the third-seeded Indians into the OCT semifinals on Saturday against No. 2 Jackson Memorial.

“He’s got guts,” Frank said of Liguori, who is also the starting third baseman when he is not pitching. “We made a pitcher out of him and he’s the first guy to go seven for us this year. We needed some guys to step up and give us a little more than usual with five games in five days.”

A reliever at the beginning of the season after throwing 12 innings of relief as a junior, Liguori has built his endurance up as a starter over the last two weeks. Ten days after making his first career start, the senior right-hander was able to finish what he started. Liguori threw 115 pitches to complete the game and allowed one earned run on eight hits and just the one walk while striking out a career-high 11.

“It’s a different experience going from pitching one or two innings to trying to pitch a whole game,” Liguori said. “I felt good though. If I feel like I did today, I feel like I could do this every day.”

Although he lacked experience as a starter prior to his first start against Toms River East on April 23, Liguori was a standout reliever at the tail end of last season and the beginning of this year, all but mastering his role coming out of the Indians bullpen. Between the two seasons, Liguori threw 22 1/3 scoreless innings before he got the ball to start the game against the Raiders 10 days ago. Although his streak ended in that game, he earned the win in his first start and began to lay the foundation for a start like the one he had on Sunday.

Liguori encountered some trouble in the top of the seventh inning with the Indians holding a 4-1 lead against the Griffins. After giving up the third Donovan Catholic hit of the inning – an RBI single through the middle by Matt Drake with two out on an elevated breaking ball – Toms River South pitching coach Mitch Powitz paid Liguori a visit looking to coax one more out from his right arm. Liguori induced a game-ending ground out to first baseman Connor Feeney.

“I thought he looked like he might have been getting a little tired, and when I went out to the mound (in the sixth), I thought he was coming out,” said senior Ryan Shiffer, who caught the last four innings of the game and also went 2-for-3 with an RBI at the plate. “I just told him to dig deep, finish strong and hit his spots. I knew he had it in him to finish strong. Sometimes, you just have to will it out of this kid.”

Donovan Catholic scored the first run of the game by breaking through for an unearned tally against Liguori in the top of the first inning. After Liguori retired the first two batters of the game, Griffins catcher Steve Lazicki reached on an error and shortstop Matt Drake followed with a single. Designated hitter Kyle Malloy – who pitched a complete game in a 5-3 win over Central Regional earlier in the day to get the Griffins to the quarterfinals – then delivered a two-out, two-strike single through the middle to plate courtesy runner Ryan O’Sullivan.

Toms River South took the lead for good in the bottom of the third on a two-out, two-run single on a first-pitch swing by second baseman Anthony Carfora to score pinch-runner Trevor Wagner and center fielder Michael Conover. Starting catcher Tyler Wisnewski and Conover both walked with one out, and each moved up a base on a ground out to second base by shortstop Austin Gonella for the second out.

Toms River South added a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, the first on an RBI double to deep left by Shiffer, who later scored on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Ben Montenegro.

Donovan put the leadoff hitter on against Liguori in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but came up empty in all three. Senior third baseman Russ Petranto and second baseman Charlie Dimino both singled to start the third, but Liguori got a ground ball by Lazicki to get the lead runner at third and struck out Drake and Malloy to end the threat.

Liguori also struck out the side in the fourth after right fielder Mike Marron reached on an error to lead off the frame.

The Griffins stayed in the game behind a solid five innings from freshman right-hander Mike Dimino, who faced one batter in the sixth before giving way to right-hander Andrew Jarvis.

"He has a poise and a demeanor about him that is a lot more like a senior than a freshman," Donovan Catholic coach Paul Murray said of Dimino. "He's still growing and still learning, but he has a good enough handle on pitching that you can put him out there in a game like today and know he'll give you a chance."

Dimino’s defense also backed him up with four double plays, two of which came on outfield assists from center fielder Nick Povoa.

Toms River South continued to play without first baseman Spencer Kapp, a middle-of the order hitter who is out with mononucleosis. His absence is offset by the return of Wagner to left field, which has allowed Shiffer to go back to catching full time.

“I’ve just gone where the team has needed me,” Shiffer said. “It’s nice to get back to catching more now, but I look at it like I’m ready to play wherever coach needs me that day.”

Toms River South will face Jackson Memorial for a third time this season when the two teams meet on Saturday. The Jaguars have won nine out of 10 games, which included an 8-5 extra-inning win over Toms River South. The Indians won the first meeting between the teams on opening day.

“We’ve been starting sophomores at third base and first, and they’re all doing the job,” Frank said. “We finally got Wagner back and now Spencer Kapp is out with the mono. But we’re not into all of that. You play with who you got and to be 12-4 and in an Ocean County semifinal is pretty good. We’re glad to be where we are.”

Box Score

Toms River South 4, Donovan Catholic 2

2B: Petranto
Outfield Assists: Povoa 2
SB: Petranto, C. Dimino

2B: Shiffer
SAC: Carfora
SF: Montenegro
GIDP: Montenegro, Wagner
FIDP: Ryan, Montenegro
CS: Carfora

Dimino faced one batter in the sixth

HBP: Ryan (by Dimino)
Groundouts-Flyouts: M. Dimino 6-2, Jarvis 1-1, Liguori 9-1