Friday,
May 15, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Corey Caddle threw six shutout innings and also scored the game's first run as St. Peter's Prep shut out Marist, 2-0, in the semifinals of the Hudson County Tournament. |
JERSEY CITY – St. Peter's Prep has taken North Jersey by storm on the diamond this season with Corey Caddle leading the way. It has been quite a fun ride for the Marauders throughout the season, but for as many wins as they have racked up, it is time to start earning the trophies that can validate that success. Last year, Marist pulled off a thrilling upset over the Marauders in the Hudson County Tournament final. Thursday provided a chance for revenge as the two teams clashed again in the semifinal round. It was a game tailor-made for Caddle, who made key plays at crucial times in every facet of the game.
Caddle helped his own cause on the mound with a leadoff single in the first inning before coming around to score. It turned out to be the biggest offensive play in the game with Caddle also providing the biggest defensive play. In the top of the fifth with runners on the corners and no outs, Caddle hopped off the mound and made a diving catch to double off a runner.
He eventually got out of the jam and went six strong innings before Dan Cooney closed it out in the seventh as top-seeded St. Peter's Prep advanced to the Hudson County Tournament final with a 2-0 victory over No. 5 seed Marist at Caven Point in Jersey City.
“Baseball is a tough game and you have to be tough mentally,” said Caddle. “I got myself into some tough situations by throwing first-pitch balls. I had to settle down and get confidence because I trust the guys behind me.”
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Marist starter AJ Candelario pitched well enough to win, allowing just two runs against St. Peter's Prep's imposing lineup. |
Caddle led off the bottom of the first with a single and used his blazing speed to get to second when the ball was bobbled in the outfield. Antonio Velardi followed with a single to plate Caddle to quickly give the Marauders a 1-0 lead. They padded it when Kyle Bowes hit a leadoff triple to the fence in deep left. Mike Marino drove him in with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Marist (14-11) starter AJ Candelario kept his team in it from there and the Royal Knights had their fair share of scoring opportunities as well. They got the leadoff runner on base and had a runner in scoring position in five consecutive innings from the second through the sixth.
The best of those opportunities came in the fifth with runners on the corners and no outs. With the strike zone tight all day, Caddle had to switch his approach from being a strikeout pitcher to attempting to pitch to contact. It was a risky proposition at this juncture of the game, but he was able to help his own cause once again. Only this time it was with his glove.
On a popped up bunt attempt, Caddle sprinted towards the plate and laid out full-extension to make the catch before alertly getting up and firing to first to double off the runner. Three pitches later, he got a groundout to end the threat.
“I saw the ball go in the air and I just jetted off the mound because I wanted that ball so bad,” said Caddle, who will play football at Fordham next year. “I just heard the dugout screaming 'One!', so I hopped up and threw it to first for the double play. There was a lot of hype in this game after what happened last year. I love that kind of atmosphere and we were ready for it.”
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Kyle Bowes' triple led to the second run for St. Peter's Prep, which will play Memorial for the county title on Saturday. |
Cooney came on to pitch the seventh. He not only threw strikes, but also got a pair of great plays from the infield behind him. Second baseman Mike Marino and third baseman Velardi made nice backhanded plays in succession as Cooney pitched a 1-2-3 seventh to send the Marauders back to the Hudson County Championship game.
“Tip your cap to Prep, they did their job and made some big plays,” said Marist head coach Ron Heyward. “We got the runners on but we couldn't come through and drive them in. We played pretty well, they just played better and they deserved to win because of that.”
Caddle allowed just three hits to pick up the win for St. Peter's Prep (24-2). The Marauders will look to win their second Hudson County title in three years on Saturday when they face second-seeded Memorial (West New York) in the final. In their only meeting this year, Prep scored four runs in the top of the seventh to pull out an 8-7 victory.
“We know (Memorial) is going to be a very tough test,” said St. Peter's Prep head coach Pat Laguerre. “We've been in close games all year and we've found a way to win those games. Normally we score, but today we got two runs and it was enough. We know that if we play well that we can beat anyone in the state, but we also know that if we don't play well, we can lose to anyone. All the marbles are on the line, but we felt confident that we were going to be here the whole time and we'll be ready.”
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