Friday,
April 11, 2014
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Mark Russo was supposed to go two innings in a pitch by committe approach, but instead went the distance on a four-hit shutout as Rutherford topped Glen Rock, 3-0, on Thursday afternoon. |
RUTHERFORD – It has not been an easy early part of the season for the Rutherford pitching staff. Already missing the injured Stephen Kinzler, who was to be the senior ace, the Bulldogs have had to throw more innings this week than head coach Carmen Spina figured to have arms enough to fill.
“We used our No. 1 pitcher [Max Maarleveld] against Garfield. We played four full innings and then got washed out, so he was done. We played Hawthorne yesterday and we went through four pitchers. We were up, then it was back and fourth and we would up losing in extra innings and I used my starter for today to try to close that game out,” said Spina. “So the plan for today was to use Mark [Russo] for two innings, Andrew Podobinsky for two innings and Liem Federico for two innings because I knew we were up against a powerful hitting team with Glen Rock coming in here.”
It was a good plan, but Russo was having none of that three-guys-for-six-innings type of math. He took the ball for the first two innings and never gave it back as the emergency starter looked more like a polished finisher. In his first varsity start, Russo threw his first complete game, his first shutout and picked up his first win as he went the distance on a four-hitter without walking a batter. Russo was just the latest surprise in a first week full of them as Rutherford, which is replacing eight starters from last year's team that reached the semifinals of the Bergen County Tournament, improved to 3-1 on the season with the 3-0 win at home on Thursday.
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Max Felsenstein stole third base in the top of the third. he was the only Glen Rock runner to make it that far. |
“I didn't really expect to shutout, that never really came into my mind. I was just trying to throw strikes and let me team do the work behind me. I wasn't trying to blow anyone away,” said Russo, who allowed a total of five base runners in the game. “I just tried to stay away from walks, I did not want to give away any free bases and I tried to mix in my change-up and some curveballs. It worked out for me today.”
Strike one was the most important pitch in Russo's arsenal as he consistently got ahead of the Glen Rock hitters, who then were left guessing at witch moving target was coming next. Russo did not throw many fastballs in fastball counts, but did sneak a few my hitters at opportune times.
“I don't really know what our approach at the plate was today. We were kind of all over the place and the kid [Russo] was a perfect lesson in how easy the game can be if you throw strike one. I thought he kept us off balance a little bit, he pitched backwards in some big spots and he shut us down,” said Glen Rock head coach Joe Sutera. “Even late in the game when we tried to tried to take some pitches and make him work a little bit, it backfired because he would just throw strike one and put us behind in the count.”
What make Russo so successful was his control and the play of his defense behind him. The Bulldogs made an error when two defenders bumped into each other while chasing a pop fly off the bat of Max Felsenstein, the first hitter of the game. After that, Rutherford fielded every chance cleanly even with a steady wind blowing straight in from centerfield. Russo started a 1-6-4 double play to end the second inning and had a lead to work with the next time he took the mound.
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Ben Isola, one of only two seniors in Rutherford's starting lineup, had two hits and drove in two runs. |
Rutherford put together the biggest inning of the game in the bottom of the second and Russo got it started with a one-out single to left. Sargon Koumi then singled before Eric Fries hit into a fielder's choice that left runners on on the corners with two outs. Ben Isola, Rutherford's starting shortstop and leadoff hitter and also the Bulldogs lone everyday returning player from last season, beat out and infield single that drove in the game's first run and Julian Mis followed with another two-out knock to make it 2-0.
“We have a lot of hardworking kids that were ready to step up and play. We lost a lot of good players from last year, but the guys that we have go out there and feel like they can make the plays and win games. That is how it is in Rutherford,” said Isola, who, along with Fries, is one of just two seniors in the Bulldogs starting lineup. “We have a lot of young guys and we are taking it one game at a time as we gain some experience, but the goals are the same as they always are. We want to do some big things this year.”
Glen Rock's best chance to score came in the top of the third when Joey Cinquegrana blooped a one-out single and when to second when Felsenstein singled to left. But Russo was quick off the mound to turn a sacrifice bunt attempt into an out at third and a fielder's choice with runners on the corners ended the threat, which was modest at best. Felsenstein, who stole third with two outs in that frame, was the only Panther to make it that far in the game.
Jeff Koptya (6 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 H, 6K, 2 BB), although out-dueled in the end by Russo, threw well for Glen Rock. He went the distance on a seven-hitter with all of those hits coming in the second through fourth innings. He lost the strike zone temporarily in the fourth when he hit two batters and gave up another RBI single to Isola to make it 3-0, but Kopyta then struck out two straight batters with the bases loaded to keep his team in the game.
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Jeff Kopyta went the distance for Glen Rock, which fell to 3-3 on the season. |
But with the way Russo was throwing, there was no way back for Glen Rock. Starting with the final out of the third inning, Russo retired 13 of the final 14 hitters he faced with only a John Scandale single leading off the fifth breaking the string. Russo set down the last eight hitters in a row and work 1-2-3 innings in both the sixth and seventh innings to make his first ever varsity start one that he will be hard pressed to ever repeat.
“In Rutherford we pride ourselves on pitching and defense and, although we are a very young team, these guys want to continue the tradition and they want to make a name for themselves,” said Spina, whose team will host Manchester on Friday afternoon. “It's a resilient group. We lost eight starters from last year's team and our No. 1 pitcher went down with an injury, so we have seven underclassmen out there playing and they are off to a great start.”
After a good start of its own, Glen Rock fell to 3-3 on the season with a tough game on Friday against Pompton Lakes, which has been to the last two Group 1 state finals.
“Jeff Kopyta did not have his best stuff today, but he competed and he came us a chance to win. It comes down to the the fact that we have to score runs; that is all there is to it,” said Sutera. “There is a lot of parity in our league and people are going to beat each other up and we have to turn right around and get ready for Pompton. It's early and we are learning some things, but we have to get better from here.”
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