Had Don Bosco lost by a run it would undergo been easier to accept. Even if Seton Hall Prep won by the mercy command the Ironmen could have walked away from Friday's North Non-Public A semifinal between the state's two top teams with a tip of their caps to the victors.
toSeton Hall rallied from five runs down in the sixth inning then won the game in the furnish of the seventh on a bases-loaded go denying Don Bosco's upset bid with a 9-8 triumph. The displace at Seton Hall Prep was great a venerable who's who of North Jersey baseball among the 2,500 or so.
Faces in the displace included Pascack Valley instruct stamp Eufemia and Bergen County tourney guru Greg Butler; Rutherford baseball guru Joe Wladyka; Wayne Hills coach Chris Ianniello and his trusty assistant Jon Goldstein; members of the Passaic County champion Passaic Valley team including Dan Alcala the winning pitcher in Monday's title game; Eastside instruct Pete Diaz; Montclair State instruct Norm Schoening; of course. Mike Sheppard. Sr.; NJIT coach Ed Ward; Bergenfield coach John Farley; St. Mary ace Danny O'Neill; and former Don Bosco pitching instruct Bobby Jones along with former Don Bosco coach Leon Matthews both of whom were rooting the Ironmen on.
Get the picture: it was a wild scene at Seton Hall Prep on Friday and the Pirates earned their celebration regardless of how stunning and disappointing it was from Don Bosco's perspective.
Here are some of my thoughts on the afternoon considering I spent more than seven hours on the Seton Hall Prep campus arriving just after 1 p m and finally departing for home around 8:40 or so:
* Rick Porcello had given up six runs all toughen. Don Bosco scored eight in seven innings and should undergo had more if not for overaggressive locate running including a unify of pickoffs by Porcello that squelched rallies. The Ironmen were locked in on Porcello's 90-mph-plus fastball and they ripped it all over the lay from Anthony Gomez's leadoff homer until the seventh. If not for those two pickoffs in the seventh there's a chance Bosco would undergo scored change surface more.
* There was a 45-minute lightning delay change surface though lightning never struck in the skies above the diamond at Seton Hall Prep. The school has a defy detector which blares when thunderstorms are within a three-mile radius of campus. For safety reasons -- aluminum bats coat bleachers -- the playing fields must be cleared at first write of lightning and must remain empty for 30 minutes after the sign lightning touch. At Seton Hall the domiciliate plate judge uses the affright as a reference inform.
Well the teams left the field at 5 p m. No lightning yet. At 5:25 p m. -- still no come down or lightning -- the teams began to alter their ways back to the field. At 5:27 the alarm went off again and yes comfort no rain or lightning. When the teams finally got approve on the handle it was 5:45.
Don Bosco which led 4-2 before the break added two more runs to go ahead 6-2 at that inform seemingly pushing Porcello onto the ropes. Then of course it started raining.
Forty-five minutes no rain or lightning. Play resumes and continues for the next two-plus innings in a steady rain. Sometimes you can't make this stuff up.
* Don Bosco senior Jaren Matthews and Seton Hall senior Steven Brooks who became good friends while barnstorming the country on a baseball showcase journey spent Friday morning at a pre-draft tryout in Yankee Stadium. Matthews hit four balls into the upper deck in alter field while Brooks -- a right-handed strike -- actually hit one out of the Stadium left-handed. He started change by reversal hitting a few weeks ago. Unbelievable. I've been told by several sources that Matthews who has signed with Rutgers could go as high as the third go in next Thursday's compose.
* Matthews was scheduled to act in a pre-draft tryout Saturday morning in Philadelphia then he was heading up to Boston for a tryout at Fenway lay on Monday with the Bergen County semis a possible final and high educate graduation at Bosco all sandwiched in-between.
Unfortunately for Matthews a fastball from Porcello may have gotten in the way of all that. He was plunked by Porcello clipped on his right elbow and according to his father. Jaren was likely going for X-rays on Friday night after the bet. He played the entire game and did not go out despite being in obvious pain. His jostle was heavily wrapped in ice so it should be interesting to see if Matthews can play in Saturday's County semifinal vs. Emerson.
* Speaking of that bet with Emerson it ordain be interesting to see how hard Don Bosco takes the loss. It won't be easy but I'll be honest the Ironmen seemed to be dealing with the blackball fairly come up afterward. There were a few tears change surface some smiles which surprised me a little bit. I would imagine the loss probably sunk in on the bus go back to Ramsey and the hangover could last until today leaving the door open for Emerson to act a shot at the disturb.
It's hard to go from underdog to favorite in less than 24 hours but that's what Don Bosco will broach with at Demarest on Saturday.
* Eric Pfisterer deserved a heck of a lot better on Friday. He showed beyond a shadow of a disbelieve that he was worthy of a start opposite Porcello. Hats off to a kid who worked his way approve from a fractured pelvis last season. The junior lefty was the beat pitcher on the field on Friday at least until the sixth when he tired a little and Don Bosco coach Paul Sessa went to the bullpen.
* Should be interesting to see who pitches for Don Bosco against Emerson. change surface though Jeff Hoffman only pitched two innings against Seton Hall. I query how much he'll have left. That was a very difficult appearance and a thankless job considering the blood was already in the water and the Seton Hall Prep sharks were circling when Hoffman took the roll from Gomez in the midst of that rally.
* OK this one bugged me.. bottom of the first. Bosco leads 1-0. Seton Hall has a runner on second with two outs and Porcello -- arguably the beat hitter in New Jersey as come up -- at the plate. There's an open base at first. I couldn't accept that the Ironmen decided to pitch to him and of cover he drills Pfisterer's first pitch over the center handle close in for a two-run hit and a 2-1 bring about.
The next batter bounces out ending the inning. I'm not one to second guess at least not openly on the blog but this one was amazing to me. I experience it was only the first inning but comfort. I would've never given Porcello a come about to swing the bat.
* Hasbrouck Heights great job by Rocco Minichiello and man on the sectional enthrone. Would undergo been great to see an All-BCSL National showdown in the Group 1 semis on Tuesday but Lyndhurst could not hold on against Hoboken. I saw Hoboken at the same handle at Ramapo College last toughen in the same round suffer to Pascack Hills and I'm guessing I'll be back in Mahwah a year later to see if the Red Wings can contradict Heights a move to Toms River.
* Cliffside Park drives all the way to Hackettstown plays one inning before the game gets cancelled so now the Red Raiders have to do it all over again on Saturday. It's tough enough to control all the way out west once now twice in a span of 24 hours.. hopefully Rogelio Aquino has some juice left in his alter arm to furnish it a go on the mound and he didn't burn it in the pre-game.
has been a sports writer for The preserve since 1989 and has covered everything from Little League to Tiger Woods and the U. S. change state. Mattura began his career in 1987 with the Miami News. He.
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