The Shore Daily, 4/22/15
Follow Scott Stump on Twitter for news and notes from around the Shore.
The division races are tightening up in baseball, while they are coming down to the wire in boys lacrosse.
Colts Neck baseball headlined Tuesday as it beat the last undefeated team left in the Shore Conference, Red Bank Catholic, for a big 7-4 Class B North win that put the Cougars alone in first place. They meet again on May 8 at Colts Neck in a game that coudl be for the division title if both of them can remain unscathed against the rest of the division, including an Ocean team looking to shake things up this week with big games against both of them.
The Class A Central race is shaping up to be a good one with teams going through the schedule a second time, as five teams are either in the lead or within one game of first place. Same goes for Class B South, where four teams are still right in the hunt, with Barnegat and Donovan Catholic leading the pack.
Before I get to Tuesday's best, the newest issue of our Shore Sports Network Journal newspaper is out, recapping a great day of baseball for a good cause at the Strike Out Autism Challenge plus more. Make sure to grab your free copy.
Here are Tuesday's Top 10 performers, in no particular order.
James Kelly, Sr., P, Shore
The Blue Devils' ace injected them right back to the front of the Class A Central race by handing No. 6 St. John Vianney its first divisional loss in a 2-0 victory. The Monmouth University recruit threw a three-hit shutout, striking out nine, to end a five-game winning streak by the Lancers.
Chris Hawryluk, Jr., P, Jackson Memorial
The Jaguars have now won four straight after a 1-4 start, as Hawryluk helped them avenge an opening day loss to Toms River South with an 8-5 win in eight innings. After getting Jackson out of a bases-loaded jam on the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning, he hit an RBI triple in the eighth inning for what proved to be the winning run.
Dylan Jinks, Sr., A, Southern
The Rams' scoring machine helped them take another step toward the Class A South title with six goals and two assists in to give him 12 goals in his last two games after a 14-5 win over Lacey kept Southern unbeaten.
Dan Wondrack, Sr., C, Wall
Wondrack belted two home runs and hit a double, finishing with five RBI as the Crimson Knights rolled over Neptune, 15-3, in Class B North.
Joe Ruth, Jr., P, Mater Dei Prep
Ruth helped the Seraphs stay in a tie for first in the loss column in Class B Central thanks to a 5-2 win over Keyport in 10 innings at FirstEnergy Park. Ruth, who transferred from Keyport before his sophomore year, allowed two earned runs in seven innings, striking out seven, and also hit a two-run double in the 10th inning.
Tim Cavrak, Jr., SS, Colts Neck
Cavrak's first varsity home run was a memorable one as he belted a solo shot in the sixth inning for the go-ahead run in a 7-4 win over previously unbeaten Red Bank Catholic in a showdown between two of the Shore's top-five teams. Cavrak finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.
Steve Rullo, Jr., P, Freehold Boro
Rullo continued a strong season by throwing eight scoreless innings to keep the game tied before the Colonials edged Freehold Township, 1-0, in nine innings in Class A North.
Jon Meaney, Jr., 2B/OF, Manchester
Meaney belted a three-run double in the sixth inning to key a 4-3 comeback win over Point Boro to keep the Hawks right in the hunt in the Class B South race.
Matt Edwards, Sr., SS, Manasquan
Edwards went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI to help the Warriors knock off Monmouth, 7-6, in eight innings to stay right near the front of the pack in Class A Central.
Bo Bentley, Jr., 1B, Raritan
Bentley ripped a clutch RBI double that jump-started a three-run inning in the eighth as the Rockets rallied to beat Rumson-Fair Haven, 4-2, in eight innings to stay in striking distance in the Class A Central race.
LACROSSE
The latest Shore Sports Network Top 10 by Bob Badders is out, and Red Bank star Cole Smolokoff headlines the latest SSN Players of the Week.
The way the division races are shaping up, Howell's game on April 29 against Freehold Township will decide the Class A North title one way or another. Either the Rebels will clinch it for themselves, or a win by Freehold Township could create a three-way tie with Christian Brothers Academy. In Class A South, No. 1 Southern remains in the driver's seat, with a game at Toms River North on May 1 looking like the last hurdle to another crown for the Rams.
Rumson-Fair Haven is still the team to beat in Class B North, but still has a game at RBC on April 29 and one against Red Bank on May 1 as primary obstacles to the title. A big game today should go a long way toward deciding the Class B South championship as Manasquan heads to Barnegat in a Top 10 showdown.
FOOTBALL
The college commitments continue to roll in, as All-Class B South running back/linebacker Tyler McGuinness of Barnegat will continue his career at Delaware Valley College, and Middletown North two-way lineman Vincent Pianoforte is headed to Moravian College.
Also, great to hear that Raritan running back Richie Salerno will be continuing his career at Misericordia University. Salerno ran for 193 yards in the opener against Manasquan but suffered a season-ending torn ACL. He has rehabbed his knee and is now running track this spring for the Rockets.
More on Wednesday:
- Reds third baseman Todd Frazier (Toms River South/Rutgers) belted one of three grand slams during their win over the Brewers last night, marking the first grand slam of his career. Also, Reds pitcher Anthony DeSclafani (Colts Neck) is looking like an early Rookie of the Year candidate and currently has a 15-inning scoreless streak.
- Joe Dudek (CBA) had an RBI single in North Carolina's win over Campbell yesterday, and his old Colts teammate, pitcher John McCarren, threw two scoreless innings of relief in Wake Forest's win over Charlotte.
- NFL Draft hopeful Bernard Blake of Colorado State has been great off the field as a mentor for kids.
- A man with a condition similar to muscular dystrophy gutted it out as the last one to finish the Boston Marathon.
- Big Ten teams are trying to make inroads into SEC recruiting country with satellite camps, and Nick Saban is not too happy about it.
- A high school kid who wanted to try out for a Tennessee high school football team got in an altercation with the coach and beat him up badly.
On tap for today: Baseball today could end up being a washout considering it's supposed to start raining around 2 p.m., so we'll see how that goes. The big game if it gets played is No. 2 CBA at No. 3 Marlboro in their second meeting of the season in Class A North, which could go a long way toward deciding the title. CBA won the first one 1-0 in extra innings.
In lacrosse, nine of the top 10 teams are in action today, headlined by Manasquan at Barnegat in Class B South.
I'll end with Andrew Conforti's big three-run triple in Colts Neck's win over RBC, and Todd Frazier belting a grand slam for his fourth homer of the season.
More From Shore Sports Network
