Tuesday, April 2, 2013

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Senior AJ Gale struck out at least two batters in each of the five full innings he pitched for North Bergen, which opened the season with an 8-1 win over Memorial.

NORTH BERGEN – For the past two years, North Bergen had that team that no one wanted to face come county or state tournament time. While always talent-rich in the pitching department, it was always inexperience both at the plate and in the field that kept the Bruins’ from the consistency needed to be a favorite in the postseason. But with one of North Jersey’s best starting rotations, 14 seniors, and virtually the entire team returning from last year, there are no more excuses. This is the put-up or shut-up year for the Bruins and it is a challenge that they are welcoming with open arms.

No individual is carrying that torch more than senior right-handed ace A.J. Gale and on Monday he delivered the first statement that the Bruins just may be the team to beat in Hudson County this year.

Gale struck out 12 batters in just 5 1/3 innings and got all the run support he needed. PJ Cardone had three hits, including a two-run double that broke the game open, as North Bergen got the season off on a positive note with an impressive 8-1 win over Memorial (West New York) on Monday afternoon at 64th St. field in North Bergen.

“We have 14 seniors, we know what’s at stake for us this year,” said Cardone. “It’s now or never and we know we can’t take anything for granted. Everyone knows their roles and we’re already settled into them. We’ve been playing together since we were eight or nine years old. We know what our strengths and our weaknesses are. I think that will help us get off to a great start.”

Mike Gonzalez got the start for Memorial.

Alvaro Suazo walked and Jimmy Rodriguez followed with a two-out single in the top of the first for Memorial, but Gale bore down and got his third strikeout of the inning to end the threat, which was the only one he faced all game.

Gale got the run support he needed in bottom of the second inning. Designated hitter Pasquale Andruela took an outside curveball and drove it over the right-field fence for a solo shot. Jordan Guzman added an RBI single later in the frame to make it 2-0.

“Getting an early lead always makes it easy for a starting pitcher,” said Gale, who will pitch at St. John’s next year. “Once we get a lead, I know I can start attacking hitters even more and not nibble on the corners too much. I just tried to get ahead in the count and pound the zone as often as I could.”

The game was broken open in the fourth when Memorial starter Mike Gonzalez got wild and the Bruins took advantage. Cardone’s double down the right-field line scored both Bryan Heredia and Javier Gutierrez, who drew consecutive one-out walks, to double the lead to 4-0. Marco Hernandez followed with a single that scored a run and Cardone raced around to score on an outfield error to tack on two more runs for a 6-0 lead.

That was more than enough for Gale, who was on cruise control with at least two strikeouts in all five full innings he pitched. Along with the 12 Ks, he gave up just three hits and walked two for North Bergen (1-0). Cardone paced the offense going 3 for 4 with two RBIs and two runs scored. Hernandez went 2 for 3 with a team-high three RBI.

North Bergen's PJ Cardone had three hits, drove in two runs and scored two others.

Ruben Rivera had two of the four hits and drove in the only run for Memorial (0-1). Chris Fernandez, Jose Carbarella, and Rodriguez had the other hits for the Tigers.

The win was especially important for North Bergen as it left last night for a week-long trip to Myrtle Beach where it will play four games against tough out-of-state competition. Embarking on a 12-hour bus ride is a lot easier to handle after a quality win to open the season.

“This was a big win for us, we didn’t want to get on a long bus ride having to dwell about a tough loss,” said North Bergen head coach Pat Brady. “We have had the pitching the past couple of years, but our offense wasn’t consistent enough to get it done when it counted against our toughest opponents. We have spent our off-season focusing on our approach at the plate and you started to see the difference in our plate discipline today. We want every at-bat to be a quality at-bat. If we can do that throughout the season, we’re going to be a very balanced team. It starts with getting win number one out of the way and now it’s onto the next one.”

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