Baseball Monday Scoreboard, 5/1/17

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Class A North

No. 9 Freehold Boro 3, Neptune 2 (8 Innings)

Mike Belka scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth and the Colonials (10-4, 7-3) ran off with a win over the Scarlet Fliers (4-8, 3-6). Belka was the courtesy runner for catcher Phil Marcantonio, who doubled to start the rally. Marcantonio finished 2-for-4 with two doubles.

Dane Delle Valle pitched the eighth inning to earn the win in relief and improve to 4-0. Pat White pitched seven strong before exiting with 78 pitches. White allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out four and walking none.

Dylan Taliaferro pitched 7 2/3 innings and took the hard-luck loss after exiting the game with the winning run on third and a pitch count of 110. Ron Cole came on in relief and threw just one pitch, which was the wild pitch that ended the game.

Isaiah Howard was 1-for-2 with an RBI for Freehold Boro.

Howell 6, Colts Neck 5

The Rebels (6-9, 2-8) scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to take the lead and held on to beat the Cougars (7-7, 5-4).

Two Colts Neck errors aided Howell's sixth-inning rally, which began with a leadoff double by catcher Frank Cianciotta. The tying run scored on a throwing error on a bunt dropped down by Will Rittweger and after Rittweger advanced to third on an errant pickoff attempt, he scored on a groundout by Ean Craig to give Howell the 6-5 lead.

Colts Neck had taken a 5-4 lead with two runs in the top of the sixth, scoring on a Joe Kohm game-tying RBI single and a wild pitch.

Cianciotta finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, a run scored and an RBI. Rittweger also doubled, Mike Walsh was 1-for-2 with two RBI and Eddie Morales went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Despite giving up the lead in the sixth, Zach Thomas earned the win with four innings of relief. Those two earned runs were all he allowed and he threw 56 pitches while striking out three. Dylan Byler threw a scoreless, hitless seventh to earn the save.

Kohm was 2-for-4 with a run scored to go with his RBI and Brendan Clarke went 1-for-3 with a double and run scored for Colts Neck.

Anthony Sasso, who transferred to Colts Neck from Toms River North just last week, made his first start for the Cougars and gave up two runs on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts in four innings and 78 pitches of work. Hunter Boag pitched the final two innings and was saddled with the loss despite giving up two unearned runs.

Marlboro 8, No. 7 CBA 6

Will Trochiano, Gene Napolitano and Luke Ricciardi each collected an RBI single in a four-run third inning and the Mustangs (7-9, 3-6) stormed out to a 6-0 lead en rout to a win over the Colts (10-5, 5-5) and a season sweep of their A North rivals.

Ricciardi also singled home a run in the second inning and the Mustangs scored two more in the seventh without a hit thanks to four walks, a hit batter and a wild pitch.

Nick Hohenstein doubled in two in the bottom of the third and Andrea Dalatri did the same in the seventh, but CBA's rally came up two runs short.

Ian Li picked up the win for Marlboro while Hohenstein was tagged with the loss.

Freehold Twp. 5, No. 8 Manalapan 0

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Class A Central

St. John Vianney 5, Matawan 1

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Red Bank 3, Rumson-Fair Haven 1

Mason O'Mara allowed one hit and struck out 10 over 6 2/3 and the Bucs (5-8, 3-7) took down the Bulldogs (3-10, 3-6). O'Mara allowed one unearned run, walked twom hit four batters and exited after throwing his 113th pitch. Danny Wagner closed out the game with a strikeout to earn a one-out save.

John Juco was 3-for-3 with a double and a run scored and Kevin Laughlin was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Jonah Rosen also went 1-for-2 with two runs scored for Red Bank.

Gordon Forsythe gave up two unearned runs on two hits and two walks over five innings while striking out four and throwing 70 pitches. Alex Walsack picked up the lone Rumson hit.

Shore def. Raritan by forfeit

Raritan defeated Shore, 6-1, but used an ineligible pitcher in relief and reported the violation to the NJSIAA, thus forfeiting the game.

Zach Johnston threw 88 pitches on Friday and was not eligible to pitch until Tuesday. He threw nine pitches in relief of starter Dan Vanmeerbeke to close the game.

Raritan coach Jeff Struble attributed the error to a mix-up in the pitch-count charting prior to the game and took respondsibility.

"I am embarassed by it and I feel terrible for my players," Struble said.

Raritan is the second Shore Conference team to be affected by a pitch count violation. Rumson-Fair Haven lost to Colonia, 10-7, but Colonia used an illegal pitcher in that game to give Rumson a forfeit win.

With the loss, Raritan remains tied with Matawan for first place in the Class A Central standings. The two front-runners are scheduled to meet again on May 9.

*This write-up as been updated to reflect that Colonia used an illegal pitcher against Rumson, and not the other way around.

Class A South

No. 10 Toms River North 9, Jackson Memorial 8 (11 Innings)

Justin Schaff singled home Austin Feigin with the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th and the Mariners (7-4, 6-4) pulled out a high-scoring, marathon win over the Jaguars (4-7, 4-5). Schaff finished 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI and Feigin was also 2-for-5 with three runs scored, two RBI and a pair of stolen bases.

John Giordano came on in relief and picked up his first varsity win.

Class B North

Middletown South 6, Long Branch 2

Joe Sprake and Aurellio Licata both went 2-for-3 with an extra-base hit to back starter Jack Roesch and the Eagles (8-6, 5-5) beat the Green Wave (3-12, 0-10). Sprake homered and drove in one while Licata doubled and drove in two.

Roesch allowed one run on six hits over six innings without walking a batter. He also struck out four and threw 68 pitches before giving way to Bobby Pirie for the final inning.

Ocean 10, Middletown North 3

Markk Butler collected two hits and two RBI to help his cause on the mound and the Spartans (7-10, 3-8) continued their resurgence by beating the Lions (8-7, 6-5). Butler went the distance to pick up his first career win, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with four strikeouts and 93 pitches.

Evan Arbeeny drove in three, Matt Redbord knocked in two and Max Winters doubled and drove in a run for Ocean.

Mike Mercier made his first start of the year and took the loss. He also knocked in one of Middletown North's three runs, as did Jason Timmons and Garrett French.

No. 3 Wall 1, No. 2 Red Bank Catholic 0

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No. 6 Monmouth 6, No. 4 Manasquan 2

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Ricky Voss hit a game-tying RBI to ignite a five-run rally in the bottom of the sixth and the Falcons came back late to beat the Warriors and create a three-way tie in the the loss column with Manasquan and Wall in the Class B North race.

Mark Abrams delivered a key two-run single during the sixth-inning outburst.

Manasquan tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth inning on James Harmstead's opposite-field solo home run.

Paul Birzin followed up his five-inning perfect game a week ago with a two-hitter Monday and moved to 2-0.

Class B Central

Keansburg 12, Henry Hudson 2 (6 Innings)

Mater Dei Prep 9, Ranney 0

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Keyport 5, Point Beach 1

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Class B South

Lacey 8, Lakewood 4

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Non-Division

Barnegat 11, Brick Memorial 3

Nik Caputo went 2-for-4 with a home run, a double and four RBI and Liam Corbett pitched a five-hit complete game to lead the Bengals (5-8) to a win over the Mustangs (3-10). Corbett allowed three earned runs on 91 pitches while walking three and striking out three.

Justin Diefenbach went 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI, while Brian Finucan (2-for-3) and Aaron McLaughlin (2-for-4) each had two hits and scored two runs. Lucas Torres also went 1-for-3 with a double and two RBI for Barnegat.

Justin Hans went 2-for-3 with a double for Brick Memorial. Ray Lutick lasted for 85 pitches and five innings in taking the loss.

Central 3, Jackson Liberty 2

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Lakewood at Keyport - PPD, TBD

Lacey at Southern - PPD, TBD