Panduri and Giunta Pitch For The Sweep; Baseball Downs Atlantic Cape

Red Bank, NJ- The Brookdale baseball team swept the Buccaneers of Atlantic Cape, 7-0 and 5-0. In game one, freshman Nick Panduri pitched for the win. He tallied 3 strikeouts and 4 hits from the mound.  Freshman first baseman Tim Carney ripped 2 triples and drove in 3 RBI's. Sophomore outfielder Jon Roszel  smacked a solo home run and knocked in an RBI while sophomore Travis Rudic sacrificed twice for 2 RBI's.

In game two, sophomore pitcher Tommy Giunta threw for 6 innings, struck out 5 batters and allowed 4 scattered hits. Sophomore outfielder Nick Vitale went 1-3 at the plate and scored a run. Carney drove in an RBI.

The team returns to action on the road at Ocean County College on Monday, April 28th.

Article is courtesy of Mike Ready, a journalist for the Jersey Sporting News and Middletown Patch, who covers Brookdale Community College athletics.

RED BANK – With the weather still wreaking havoc on the Brookdale pitching staff and make-up games stacked up one after another, freshman Nick Panduri (Ocean Twp. H.S.) and sophomore Tommy Giunta (Marlboro H.S.) did exactly what the doctor ordered; eat up innings and get the win.

In the 7-0 first game win – played on Red Bank Catholic High School's home turf -  Panduri tossed a complete game seven-inning shutout for his third win of the season without a loss. He had phenomenal control the entire game in which he walked only on batter, struck out three and gave up four harmless singles.

Setting batters up with off-speed pitches early in the count then throwing a two-seam fastball, Panduri retired 13-of-21 batters he faced on groundball outs.

"I was working off speed early in the counts because no one really likes to swing at off-speed first pitches," Panduri said. "So I was throwing a lot of first pitch sliders and curves and then I'd go back to my fastball. My two-seam fastball rides down almost like a sinker and I was getting a lot ground ball outs early in the count."

"I feel like I'm starting to catch fire mid-season, Panduri added. "I'm feeling really good coming into every game and I'm anxious to get out there and pitch. Our hitters are getting really good at bats and scoring runs for us early in games and that gives us the confidence we need."

The Brookdale hitters gave Panduri the early lead once again, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning.

With one out, sophomore Jon Roszel (Manchester H.S.) drilled his sixth home run of the season easily clearing the 365-foot mark in left field. Third baseman Ryan Kirman (Red Bank Regional H.S.) followed with a line-drive single into right field before Tim Carney (Brick Twp. H.S.) chased him home with a booming triple into the gap in right centerfield. Sophomore Travis Rudic brought him home with a sacrifice fly to deep left field for a 3-0 lead.

The Blues tacked on a run in the second on a double into the left centerfield gap by freshman catcher Aaron Kane (Manchester Twp. H.S.), and a RBI  line-drive single by sophomore Nick Vitlale. Vitale was out at second trying to stretch it into a double.

Roszel led off the bottom of the third with a liner into left field for a single followed by a screamer up the middle for a sinlge by Kirman. With Roszel running on the play runners were now on the corners until Kirman was thrown out attempting to steal.

Carney then got the run home with his second triple of the game into left centerfield gap before Rudic brought him home with a sacrifice fly for a 6-0 lead.

Brookdale scored an unearned run in the fourth after Ruetsch led off with a single, stole second and scored on an error by the shortstop.   

In all, the Blues backed up Panduri's gem by banging out 14 hits, including five extra-base hits (HR, 2-3B, 2-2B). Kirman went 3-for-4 with a run scored, Carney had two triples, two RBI and two runs scored.  Rudic added two RBI on two sacrifice flies and Roszel went 2-for-4 with a home run. Golla chipped in with two singles.

In the second game, Giunta  picked up win No.2 of the season without a loss, hurling six-shutout innings. Giunta gave up four hits, struck out four and issued only one base on balls in a masterful pitching performance. 

Sophomore catcher Vin Tranchina – returning to his high school playing field – came on to get the final three outs of game in the seventh to preserve the win for Giunta.

The Blues again handed their pitcher an early lead with two runs in the first and added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Freshman third baseman Mike Scagnelli (Ocean Twp. H. S.) went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored while Justin Morgan (Manasquan H.S.) walked three times with a RBI and run scored. Cosmos Iacobellis (Marlboro H.S.) added an RBI single.

Brookdale (22-13, 9-4) travels to Ocean County College (17-9, 8-6) today for a important Region XIX game with first pitch scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

By: Mike Ready

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