Baseball – Shore Goes 3-0 in NJSIAA Group Finals

NJSIAA Tournament\

*For the first time since New Jersey started playing Group finals in 1971, the Shore Conference had three Group champions in one season. 

Group Championships

Group IV

Jackson Memorial 2, Roxbury 0 - Video Highlights

Junior right-hander Brandon Janofsky took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and finished off a one-hit shutout to pitch the Jaguars (20-7) to their first Group title since 1972 and the second in school history.

Janofsky surrendered a line-drive single to left-center to Roxbury designated hitter Craig Roumes with one out in the seventh, but came back to record a strikeout and a game-ending ground out to sophomore third baseman Kyle Johnson.

After walking two in the first inning and hitting the lead-off man to start the second, Janofsky allowed only two baserunners - one walk and the hit by Roumes - the rest of the way. He finished with three walks and seven strikeouts on 103 pitches while improving to 7-0, including 3-0 during the NJSIAA Tournament.

Before assisting the final out, Johnson ignited a two-run rally in the top of the fourth inning that would yield Jackson both of its runs. Roxbury (26-7-1) starter Nick Busby (8-1) retired the first 10 men he faced, but fell behind 3-and-1 to Johnson, who hammered a double into right-center for the game's first hit.

After Matt Guarino flew out to shallow left for the second out of the inning, senior left fielder Mike Petrizzo jumped on a first-pitch curveball for a line-drive double down the left-field line for a two-out RBI, scoring Johnson with the game's first run. Junior Joe DeMaio capped the scoring when he belted a triple to the gap in right-center to chase home Petrizzo.

After falling one win short of a Group IV championship in 2010, Jackson Memorial has now won Shore Conference Class A South, Shore Conference Tournament, Ocean County Tournament and NJSIAA Group championships under 10-year head coach Frank Malta.

Group I

Shore 7, Ridgefield 1 - Video Highlights

Senior left-hander Matt Cosentino pitched a four-hitter with nine strikeouts and added an exclamation point with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh as the Blue Devils (19-9) beat the Royals (20-11) to capture their second ever Group championship and first since 1993.

Cosentino also added two runs scored and two stolen bases, and made an acrobatic, diving catch over his shoulder to initiate a double play in the bottom of the third inning.

Senior second baseman Andrew Schulz capped a spectacular offensive tournament by going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI and senior shortstop Clayton Coffey and senior catcher Nick Blaney were also each 2-for-4. Coffey scored a run and stole a base, while Blaney capped the scoring with an RBI double in the seventh.

Junior James Kelly opened the scoring with an RBI double to score Coffey with the game's first run in the top of the seventh. Junior Sam Parrino delivered a key two-out RBI single up the middle in the top of the fourth inning to give Shore a 2-0 lead after he fouled off four two-strike pitches.

Shore was last in a Group final in 2009, when it was shutout by Pequannock in the Group II final.

Non-Public A

St. John Vianney 3, St. Joseph Montvale 1 - Video Highlights

Senior left-hander Justin Chin pitched into the seventh inning and junior right-hander Dan Schirmacher recorded the final two outs via strikeout with men on base to secure the Lancers' first overall state championship since 1981.

Pitching on three-days' rest, Chin took a shutout into the seventh inning before the Green Knights put the first two runners of the inning on - the first a clean single to center field by first baseman Joseph Toepert and the second a bunt single by second baseman John Greeley. Chin then induced a long fly-out by right-fielder Michael Gallo for the first out, at which point Vianney coach Mike Morgan turned the game over to Schirmacher.

The 6-foot-4 junior struck out the first batter he faced and after an RBI single by No. 9 hitter Mark Rossati, Schirmacher struck out lead-off hitter Austin Bodrato swinging on three pitches to end the game, the last a breaking ball that catcher Anthony Santoro picked out of the dirt.

St. John Vianney (19-7) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when first baseman Joe Rotelli led off the inning with a double to the left-field wall and scored when Bodrato - the starting pitcher for the Green Knights - fielded Chris Morris' bunt and threw the ball into left field attempting to catch Rotelli at third.

Bodrato would strand Morris at third while leaving the bases loaded in the second, but senior designated hitter Anthony LaVigne delivered for the Lancers in the third with a two-out, two-run single to right-center to make the score 3-0.

St. Joseph (24-6-1) threatened in the bottom of the sixth against Chin and senior catcher Isaias Quiroz - who was selected by the Texas Rangers on Saturday in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft - drilled a long fly ball to deep right field with a man on second. The ball appeared to have enough distance to narrowly clear the fence, but Lancers senior right fielder Evan Pietronico got to the wall, reached up and took a possible home run away from the Rangers draft pick to momentarily preserve the shutout.

The win caps a 10-0 season for Chin, who defeated Bishop Eustace and Gloucester Catholic prior to Saturday's win. He surrendered one earned run on six hits with no walks while striking out five.

Rotelli also put the finishing touches on a standout tournament in which he went 10-for-18 with a home run, five doubles and nine RBI.