Baseball: Matawan Ends Four-Game Skid With Win Over Neptune

By Patrick Hennessy - Shore Sports Network contributor

MATAWAN - The Matawan baseball team has struggled as of late, losing four in a row, but all changed Tuesday afternoon as the Huskies got back on track with an 8-5 win over Neptune in Class B North despite an injury to junior ace Adam Elliott.

Elliott, who has been outstanding all season, gave up three runs in the first inning and then had to leave the game because of a back injury and is now day-to-day. Head coach Bobby Carnovsky then turned to junior Anthony Hirujo, who held the Scarlet Fliers (2-10, 1-9) to two runs the rest of the way, striking out five and walking two, while the Huskies relied on hitting and defense to win the game.

A stellar defense was led by seniors Alex Cella, Billy Rodriguez, junior Dylan Dobbin, and sophomore Tom Collazo. Hirujo also played a big role at the plate, driving in the game-tying run during a four-run fourth inning for the Huskies. Senior Nick Smith broke a 4-4 tie when he blasted a two-run double into right center. Senior Matt Esposito, who has been hot of late, then ripped a single to center that scored Smith to give the Huskies a 7-4 advantage.

Smith, Hirujo, and Esposito all played vital roles in the Huskies' win, but what sparked the comeback was the play of senior captain Joe Piscopo. In the second inning, Piscopo hit a shot over the right fielder's head that rolled all the way to the wall. The speedy Piscopo came all the way home for a two-run, inside-the-park home run, energizing his team and chopping the Neptune lead down to 4-2. He finished 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run and two RBI in the win.

"I told my guys, I'm tired of losing - that's not who we are,'' Piscopo said. "We know we have some talent, so it's time to go out on the field and give it everything we've got. We only have so many games left. It's time to wake up.''

Carnovsky's positivity despite the losing streak helped the team weather a tough stretch.

"He actually gave us a Bill Parcells quote," Esposito said. "He told us that we are what our record says we are, but he believes in us and believes we can do great things."

"It feels great to finally get a win after a very tough stretch,'' Smith said. "Moving forward it's important to get hot and start playing our best baseball towards the end of April and in the states in May. We are trying to reach the ultimate goal of a state championship."