Wednesday, May 30, 2012

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Nick Wolyniec's walk-off homer in the bottom of the seventh gave St. Joseph a 7-5 win over St. Peter's Prep in the opening round of the Non-Public North A state sectional tournament.

MONTVALE – Did you just hear that? That rush of wind that just blew by was the collective sigh of relief breathed by the St. Joseph Regional baseball program from high on the hill in Montvale. Since it lost in the opening round of the Bergen County Tournament two weeks ago, the Green Knights have played just once and have had an interminable waiting period before beginning what they hoped would be a long state tournament run that could salvage the season.

A win against St. Peter’s Prep on Tuesday in the opening round of the Non-Public North A state sectional tournament would put SJR right back where it wanted to be. It would have set up a rubber match against arch rival Don Bosco Prep in the semifinals and it would have given head coach Frank Salvano his 525th career win and what is believed to be a tie on top of the all time wins list alongside former Ramsey skipper John Ponchak.

Through six innings with a four-run lead and with Nick Cuono dealing on the mound, SJR looked like it was a lock to head toward its date with its destiny against Bosco on Friday. No one could have guessed what was about to happen in the top of the seventh inning.

It started well enough when Cuono got a groundball that was gobbled up shortstop Chris Chiaradio and thrown on in time for the out. But when the umpire ruled that SJR first baseman Cory Lerche dropped the ball not on the transfer from glove to bare hand, but on the catch itself, the noose started to tighten around the Knights and if not for Nick Wolyniec’s heroics, a walk-off, two-run homer in the home half of the seventh inning, there might have been nothing left of the Knights' season but gallows humor.

Prep sophomore TJ Ward roped a three-run triple to get Prep all even in the top of the seventh inning.

Instead, St. Joseph escaped with a one-for-the-ages, 7-5 victory and can now turn its attention completely toward Bosco.

“That was not the way I wanted to win that game, but I guess the record-tier is one that I will never forget,” said Salvano. “It certainly was memorable, but I would have preferred if it had come a little easier.”

Easy was the first six innings as Cuono was dominant. After giving up three hits in the second inning and the game’s first run on Brian Gitnens’ RBI double, Cuono retired seven straight batters and 10 of the next 11 to give his team time to catch up and then some.

St. Joe’s tied the game with a run in the bottom of the second and then went ahead with three runs in the third. Wolyniec hit a sacrifice fly, Lerche doubled in a run and Alex Woinski singled in another to put SJR up 4-1. When Rob Kaminsky swiped home in the fifth after Chiaradio got himself caught in a rundown between first and second St. Joseph was up 5-1. Cuono worked around two walks in the sixth to put the Knights the within three outs of a comfortable win.

Nick Cuono threw 6-plus solid innings for St. Joseph Regional.

But St. Peter’s Prep was also playing to extend its season and very nearly did in stunning fashion starting with the error at first base that allowed Gitnens to reach. Ryan Connor followed with a single and he was the last batter faced by Cuono (6+ IP, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 H, 8 K, 2 BB), whose replacement promptly threw eight of his nine pitches outside the strike zone to load the bases and then walk in a run while bringing the tying run to the plate.

That forced Salvano to call for Kaminsky, his junior ace who has not allowed an earned run all season and who will get the ball on Friday against Bosco. Kaminsky, who started the game in centerfield, has been just about unhittable all season long, but that did not phase TJ Ward, the Marauders' sophomore first baseman who smacked a long triple to right field that cleared the bases and left the go-ahead run at third base with still nobody out.

“The stars were aligned and the baseball gods smiled on us. There was no way [Kaminsky' could be that loose coming in in that situation and that gave us a chance,” said St. Peter's Prep head coach Pat Laguerre. “Ward got one pitch to hit and boy did he hit it. He has been outstanding for us all year, we moved him into the three-hole because of his production and, with a kid like that, we know that our future is pretty bright.”

SPP senior Anthony Pilovsky singled to lead off the second and scored the game's first run.

The present wasn't so bad either as Ward was 90 feet away with the go-ahead run and nobody out. But Kaminsky showed why he will likely be a high-round if not first round draft pick at this time next season. The hard-throwing lefty with an unfair curveball, struck out the next three hitters, foiling a squeeze bunt attempt in the process, to keep the game tied a 5-5 heading into the bottom of the seventh.

SJR obviously needed to win by any means necessary, but winning in regulation was almost just about as important.

“We had to think about how long we could go with Rob [Kaminsky] in this game. I need him on Friday, but there is no Friday if we don't win here,” said Salvano. “That is why we needed somebody to bail us out and Wolyniec has been doing it for us all year.”

But before Wolyniec had a chance to end the game, Prep had a chance to end the inning. With one out and Kaminsky on first after he hit into a fielder's choice, Chiaradio hit ball back up the middle was gloved near the second base bag. It was a tailor made double play ball, but the return throw to first was errant, saving the at bat for Wolyniec, who got ahead in the count, 2-0, and then was sitting on a fastball.

“I was definitely looking fastball, but he fooled me. He threw me a curveball and I was out in front. Luckily I was able to get the bat on it and the short porch in left field probably helped a little bit, too,” said Wolyniec, who finished the day 2-for-3 with 3 RBI. “We needed a win like this to really get us back together as a team and that we can go out and win this together. Hopefully we got the kinks out today and on Friday we'll go to Bosco and come out swinging.”

Rob Kaminsky, SJR's junior ace, struck out three of the four hitters he faced and got the win in relief.

The loss ended the St. Peter's Prep season with a record of 18-12. The Marauders reached the Hudson County final and gave it a go against Joe's before coming up just short in both. But this year's tough losses could lead to next year's close wins.

“”I'll tell you that this year I think we laid a very good foundation and we got back what we earned. We were not consistent, especially offensively, all year, and we have to be honest with ourselves and get to work on it so we can be better next year,” said Laguerre. “You saw it with St. Joe's today that after we tied them and had the go-ahead run at third with no outs, they could have packed it in. They didn't and that is the mentality that we have to come back with because the talent is there and can take us as far as we are willing to work to go.”

St. Joseph's (21-5) season now comes down to a die-or-die against Don Bosco Prep, the reigning two-time defending Bergen County champion. It was almost meant to be as the two powerhouses split the regular season series and both with have their aces in line to take the start, Kaminsky for SJR and Tommy Burns for DBP.

“St. Peter's gave us all we could handle and now we can focus on something we have been waiting on since the beginning of the year,” said Salvano. “Joe's/Bosco, Kaminsky versus Burn and this will be the rubber match. We can't ask for a better scenario. We've got our guy, they have their guy, it's going to be packed with fans and it is going to be fun.”

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