Friday, May 1, 2010

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Ryan Sharkey allowed just 3 hits, walked 3, and had six Ks and did not allow an earned run for St. Mary, which handed Wallington a 20-3 defeat on Friday.

RUTHERFORD – For any good team that has a sizable lead in league play, it can be easy to lose focus in an inning from time to time. The difference between a good team and a great team is one that puts that bad inning behind it and gets back to business. St. Mary (Rutherford) has proven to be the class of the BCSL-National Division this season with an undefeated league record and a three-game lead in the standings.

However, when Wallington came to town on Friday and quickly put up three runs in the top half of the first inning, any thoughts of relaxing came to a screeching halt. The Gaels got their focus back in a flash and that spelled trouble for Wallington.

St. Mary scored six runs in the bottom half of the first inning and added another nine in the fourth to close out a burst of 20 unanswered runs in a 20-3 romp over the Panthers at Tamblyn Field in Rutherford.

“Any team’s level of focus is bound to change after you give up three runs before you even get up to bat,” said St. Mary head coach Charlie Giachetti. “We didn’t want to give up extra outs and we gave up one in the first inning. But we also focus on taking advantage of other team’s mistakes, both of which we did a good job of today.”

Wallington jumped out to the early lead in the top of the first. Tom Minieri lifted a sacrifice fly to bring across the game’s first run. Anthony Cassese followed with an RBI single before a double steal allowed the third run to score and give the Panthers a 3-0 lead.

Pitching in front of a shaky defense Walliington's Nick Kochell took his first loss of the season.

Unfortunately, the start eventually turned into a nightmare repeating itself. In the team’s first meeting of the season on Opening Day, Wallington put two runs across in the first inning before St. Mary scored 14 unanswered runs for a win via the mercy rule. In that game, the Panthers committed seven errors. This game was not much different as they committed six errors and allowed the Gaels ample opportunity to pile on.

Ryan Sharkey helped his own cause with a two-run double and Mike Wieczerzak followed with a two-run single in the midst of a six-run inning for a 6-3 lead, which was all Sharkey needed on the mound.

“I know if we play a complete game offensively and defensively, I feel confident we can compete with anyone,” said Sharkey. “I was able to settle down once I had the lead and not worry about painting the corners. I was more worried about my mechanics and just making good pitches. When we got the lead, the score was not that much of a factor to me. As long as I did my job, I know we were going to hit and put up the runs we needed to get the win.”

After putting up four runs in the second and one in the third, the Gaels poured it on in the fourth inning. They took advantage of three consecutive Wallington errors and the rout was on. Kidane Rutty had a two-run double and Tom McPherson capped the slugfest with a run-scoring single for the final 20-3 margin.

“I know St. Mary’s is a very good team, but they way we played today was pretty embarrassing,” said Wallington head coach James Kondel. “We don’t play solid defense and you can’t get away with that against a good team. Our pitchers aren’t strikeout pitchers. They pitch to contact and we need to make the routine plays. We gave them one extra out after another and the floodgates opened. Our goal is to try to get better for the state tournament. While this game was a big step backwards, we have to put it behind us and turn our attention to the next game.”

Mike Wieczerzak was heavily involved in the hit parade for St. Mary, which impoved to 11-2 on the season.

Sharkey did both on the mound and at the plate for St. Mary (11-2). At the plate, he scored four times and drove in two. On the mound, he allowed just three hits, walked three, and had six Ks. None of the three runs he allowed were earned. Rutty and Wieczerxak combined to go 6-for-8 with seven RBIs. Tom Halter also went 3-for-4 and threw a hitless fifth inning to close out the game.

Nick Kochell took his first loss of the season for Wallington (9-5). Cassese, Chris Ferrara, and Jay Pacheco had the hits for the Panthers.

With the league title all but sewn up, St. Mary can relax and look forward to big non-league games against Hackensack on Saturday and Wednesday against Northern Valley/Old Tappan. While the team can easily use those games as measuring sticks, the goal for the Gaels has always been the same since Giachetti has been their head coach: Get better one pitch, one inning, and one game at a time.

“We got a lot ahead of us this week, but it is the little battles that we have to worry about and not the big picture,” said Giachetti. “Take each game pitch-to-pitch, win that pitch, and pick each other up as teammates. If we can win most of those pitches, reaching our goals in the big picture will take care of itself in the end.”

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