Sunday, April 21, 2013

By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director

Mike Coss threw a complete-game two-hitter for Pompton Lakes, which improved to 7-2 with a 9-0 win over Hasbrouck Heights on Saturday morning.

HASBROUCK HEIGHTS – Last season was was the ultimate for the Pompton Lakes baseball program as it ended a drought that reached 43 years between state sectional championship. The Cardinals beat Midland Park in the North 1, Group 1 final, went on to beat Ridgefield in the Group 1 state semifinals and were one of just 12 teams left playing on the final weekend of the season before falling to Audobon in the Group 1 state final. With a four decade gap between championships, it might have seemed logical that 2012 might have been a once-in-a-lifetime type of season, but that is not likely.

With just one everyday player graduated from last season's team and with left-handed junior Mike Coss, who started those crucial final three games last June, back as the legitimate No. 1 starter, the distance between championship teams in Pompton Lakes might be more easily be calculated in months rather than years.

“This year we want to accomplish even more than we did last year. It might have seemed like we did all we wanted to, but we want all three this year; county [title], state [title], and a league championship,” said Coss. “We got upset by DePaul, who went on to win the county title, last year in the quarterfinals, so that is the big one of us. We have not won a county title since 1996 and we feel like we have the kind of team that could win one this year.”

Proving that they are indeed championship quality, Pompton Lakes posted an impressive 9-0 win over Hasbrouck Heights (8-2), another team with hopes of making a deep state tournament run, in an independent matchup on Saturday morning. Behind Coss, who threw a complete-game two-hitter, and a five-run third inning, the Cardinals improved to 7-2 on the season.

“We got these guys [on the schedule] because we know that if we go deep in the [North 1, Group 1] state tournament, we are going to most likely see them somewhere along the line. We wanted to get a close look at them, to see for ourselves what level we have to be at to have a chance in the states,” said Hasbrouck Heights head coach Rocco Minichiello. “This was a good learning for experience for our kids, especially going up a kid like Coss with that curveball. He throws it for a strike whenever he wants to or he can bury it on you to get a swing. He was tough.”

Despite the loss to Pompton, Rob Klenk and Hasbrouck Heights have won 8 of their first 10 games.

Coss (6 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 6 K, 1 BB) pitches backwards as he uses his curveball repeatedly and occasionally can sneak a fastball past an unsuspecting hitter. Normally it is a good approach for a high school hitter to layoff breaking balls, put the pitcher in fastball counts and then tee of on the straight ones. But there really is no 'fastball count' for Coss and laying off his curveball could mean a lot of called strike threes.

The game was originally scheduled to be played in Pompton Lakes, but its field was unplayable due to the recent rain and was moved to Heights, which plays on an all-turf field with what are probably the deepest gaps and furthest fences of any park in North Jersey.

Coss did not give up a hit until Shawn Waldron led off the top of the third inning with a triple into the right centerfield canyon, but was stranded right there as the next three Heights hitters were unable to get the ball out of the infield. In the bottom of the third it was Pompton's chance to make the outfielders turn and run.

Dan Foote started it as the Pompton Lakes shortstop and leadoff hitter split the right and center fielders and circled the bases. The outfield is so spacious, that Foote was around third by the time the ball was played back in to the cutoff man and short centerfield and scored standing up without a throw. A one-out walk to Sean Lindberg, a single by Jimmy Huber and a walk to Kevin Magee loaded the bases for junior Eric Moeltner, who unloaded them with a bloop double down the left field line. Because the outfielders are forced to play so deep, Magee scored all the way from first base on a hit that traveled probably only about 100 feet.

Moeltner, the designated hitter, and rightfielder Jimmy Huber (3-for-3, 3 R), were the only two members of the hitting lineup on Saturday that were not in it in the state final back on June 9. The pair combined to to 6-for-7 against three different Hasbrouck Heights pitchers.

Pompton's Eric Moeltner finished just a home run shy of the cycle and had 5 RBI.

“So many guys on this team are offensive threats, so I just try to fit in. We have six senior captains that provide all the leadership. One through 11 this team can really hit and I just try to have a good at bat and pick up the guy in front of me,” said Moeltner, a left-handed hitter who finished 3-for-3, just a home run shy of the cycle, and knocked in five runs. “Guys just getting on in front of me and I just tried to do my part.”

Jose Arroyo had added an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth and Moeltner's triple came with two-outs and two on in the bottom of the sixth and closed out the scoring.

Besides Waldren's triple, Heights' only other hit was Ray Espinoza's two-out single in the fourth. Rob Klenk, the first batter of the game, reached on an error and, Waldren drew the Aviators' lone walk with one out in the fifth. Gabe Toledo hit in tough luck as his sinking liner to centerfield was caught and he was robbed by Magee, Pompton's first baseman who dove to his right to pick off a hard line drive.

Last season Pompton Lakes thought it could make a deep foray into the postseason before ultimately accomplishing that goal. This year the Cardinals are expected to do it. What is the difference?

“Last year was the dream, this year is reality. We know what our potential as and we just have to live up to it,” said Pompton Lakes head coach Paul Tanis. “The focus has to be this team and from a kid's standpoint and because the core of our team is made up of seniors, the focus could easily drift to many other things that are happening this late in a senior year. I think I have them convinced that, next to their families and their schoolwork, this team is the most important thing. I think they are all on board with that.”

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