Brookdale Baseball Wins Twentieth Game Of The Season

LINCROFT – Sophomore Ryan Sullivan (Livingston HS) picked up his third win of the season, going seven strong innings in a complete game 14-4 'mercy rule' win over Bergen County Community College, as the Jersey Blues (20-9,5-1) picked up their twentieth win of the season Tuesday at MacLaughlin Field.

Sullivan (3-2, 2.30 ERA, 1SV, 32K-34.1 IP) had his fastball working for him all day, striking out 11 batters, while walking only one. Throwing in an occasional slider, Sullivan had the Bergen hitters off- balance and fouling off one pitch after another. Of the four Bergen runs, only two were earned.

"My fastball was working right out of the gate," Sullivan said. "My slider was pretty good too, so I relied on those two pitches most of the day. My fastball was moving up-and-down, so they were fouling off a lot of pitches. I lost some concentration the last inning after being in the dugout for so long, but overall I think I pitched pretty well."

Brookdale banged out 16 hits with every starter having at least one hit and all but one producing an RBI hit. The Blues offense has put up some impressive numbers this season, hitting .354 as a team and averaging 7.43 runs per game.

Freshman third baseman Nick Vitale (Brick Twp) went 3-4 on the day with a double and two RBI. Vitale is hitting .339 for the year, with nine doubles and 13 RBI. Designated hitter Matt Gelchion, a sophomore from Freehold Twp. HS, had two hits, a walk and two RBI. Gelchion is averaging .324 including a double and 11 RBI.

Sophomore CJ Pratt (Monmouth Regional) was 2-5 with two RBI. Pratt is the catalyst of the Brookdale offense from his leadoff spot. The speedster is hitting a whopping .475 with two doubles, three triples, one home run, 26 runs scored, and a team leading 22 RBI. His 28 steals in 29 attempts ranks him No.1 in DIII play.

Second baseman Mike Giuffre, a freshman from Tottenville HS, chipped in two hits and two RBI. He's hitting at a .324, with five doubles, one triple, one home run and 11 RBI.

Sophomore shortstop and captain Dean Wilson (Haddon Heights HS) drilled two doubles and a single while driving in one run for the day. Wilson leads the Blues with 45 hits, and is averaging a sensational .447 this season. He has clubbed 10 doubles, a triple and driven in 20 RBI.

John Roszel, a freshman right fielder from Manchester HS, was 2-3 with a walk and a RBI. Roszel has power and is belting the ball at a .378 clip this season, with seven double, four triples, two home runs and 15 RBI.

Freshman Ryan Kirman (Red Bank Reg. HS) chipped in an RBI single and has had a solid year for the Blues from his third base spot. He's hitting .288 and has produced some power with a double, two home runs and 18 RBI.

Brookdale has a trio of catchers to choose from and all have produced. Sophomore Chris Baird (.320, one home run, 10 RBI) from Manalapan HS, Sophomore Alex Herceg (.317,two doubles, three triples and 15 RBI) from Jackson Memorial HS and freshman Vin Tranchina (.276, two doubles and six RBI). Baird takes over at first when Dave Egeland is on the mound.

Freshmen Dom Orlando (.400, 12 hits and seven RBI) from Manalapan HS and Kyle Golla (.300, nine hits, two doubles and seven RBI) from Allentown HS have both been valuable bench players for the Blues.

Captain first baseman/pitcher Dave Egeland does it all for the Blues. He's batting a solid .338 with four doubles, a triple, one home run and 15 RBI as the starting first baseman and is 6-0 in both relief and as a starter form the mound. He's pitched to a 1.32 earned run average (ERA) and has 29 strikeouts in 27.1 innings pitched (IP).

As good as the Brookdale's offense has been this season; the pitching has been just as good. Opponents are being held to a .217 batting average against them and are scoring a mere 2.73 runs per game. The pitching staff has given up only one home run and has not allowed a triple this season.

Sophmore's Paul Palladino (Allentown HS) and Cory Brown (Ocean Twp. HS) have both been consistently good this season. Palladino is 3-0 while posting a 2.31 ERA. He has walked only three batters in 23.1 innings pitched (IP) and has 15 strikeouts. Brown is 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 16 IP with 14 strikeouts (K) and 7 walks (BB). He's holding opponents to a .217 batting average (BA) against him.

Tom Guinta, a freshman lefty from Marlboro HS, has really been impressive so far this year. Guinta is 1-1 in four starts for the Blues and holds a low 1.96 ERA in 23 IP. He has 20K and teams are only hitting .214 against him.

Sophomore Bobby Kruse (Ocean Twp HS – Rowan) is intimidating at 6'6" 220lb and can throw the heat. He's 2-1 with a stellar 1.56 ERA in three starts and seven appearances. Kruse has 16 strike outs in 17.1 IP.

Jake Winston, a freshman form Manalapan HS has four starts for the Blues and is 1-1 in 19.1 IP. Another freshman, Mike Bergin (Middletown South) is 1-0 in one start and four appearances and has a 1.42 ERA. He's struck out 12 batters in 12.1 IP.

Two additional freshmen, Ryan Slate (Red Bank Catholic) and Tim Rogers (Manchester HS) have been impressive out of the bullpen. Rogers (1-1) also has one start and has 18K in 18.1 IP. He holds a 2.95 ERA and has given up only one extra base hit. Slate has appeared in five games and has one save with a 3.38 ERA. Sophomore's Charlie Weinkosfky (Ocean Twp. HS) and Jake Mcilraith (Middletown North HS) both come out of the pen as well.

"We played well today, we're starting to hit the wall after playing 30 games in 20 days, so it was a good win for us," head coach Johnny Johnson said. "These kids aren't used to this, but they're giving me everything they've got; they're willing themselves to win right now."

Johnson was impressed with Sullivan's performance. "He's become a real leader on this team. He's been in the program for two years now and he's developed into a true number one starter."

"Overall this team is playing great," Johnson said. "When they play their 'A' game, there's nobody who can beat us. They have the ability to come back in late innings, and that's something we've lacked in recent years; I like this team's chances."

By: Mike Ready

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