Baseball – Shore Flexes Muscles in Carpenter Cup Opener

The Mercer County Carpenter Cup Team may have jumped on the Jersey Shore's most dominant pitcher from the past season in the first round of the Carpenter Cup on Sunday at Ashburn Field, but the Mercer County squad soon found out that the Shore stable of pitchers - and hitters - runs deep.

Christian Brothers Academy sophomore Luca Dalatri overcame a run on two hits in the first of his three innings and Barnegat sophomore Jason Groome spearheaded six shutout innings of relief work by the Shore bullpen in an 11-1 opening-round win over Mercer. Jersey Shore will take on Berks County, Pa., on Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Asburn Field in the Carpenter Cup quarterfinals.

Dalatri allowed two hits each in the first and second innings before closing with a one-two-three third. Groome followed with three shutout innings in which the left-hander allowed three hits, no walks and struck out six. The Shore closed out the game behind one shutout inning each from Howell senior Ryan Wares, Rumson-Fair Haven senior Shane McCarthy and Jackson Liberty senior Dan Serreino.

Shore took control of the game with four runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 4-1 lead. Red Bank Catholic senior Matt Kurdewan knocked in two runs with a bases-loaded single to give the Shore a 2-1 lead and CBA sophomore Brandon Martorano added an RBI single in the inning.

Toms River North sophomore Joey Rose led the offense by going 2-for-2 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. Wall junior Dan Wondrack doubled and scored a run and Red Bank Catholic senior Al Molina tripled and scored two runs in the win.

The Shore offense came alive once Ewing pitcher Paul Sparano's day ended on the mound. Sparano allowed just a hit and a walk in three scoreless innings while punching out five.