Friday,
May 22, 2015
By Cory K. Doviak
NJS.com Editorial Director
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Frankie Licari singling in the game-winning run in the bottom of the sixth inning of Paramus' 3-2 victory over Ramapo in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional quarterfinals. |
PARAMUS – There is no tougher spot for a relief pitcher to enter a game. The first three Ramapo hitters in the top of the fourth all reached safely and all were still on the bases when Jarred Herrmann was summoned from the Paramus bullpen. The Spartans had already escaped bases loaded situations in the first and third innings with minimal damage, but Ramapo was again just one hit away from finally breaking the North 1, Group 3 state sectional quarterfinal matchup wide open.
“I just knew that I had to go in there, throw strikes and do the best that I could. I had a lot of trust in my catcher [Matt Riebesell] to call the right pitches and that helped me out a lot,” said Herrmann. “The most important thing was just not to walk anybody.”
Herrmann got the first batter he faced to pop-out to short right field with no advance. He then traded an out for a run when Armond Biagini’s flyball to right was deep enough to score Evan Mooney and the third hitter he faced hit the ball hard, a line drive to right that ended up in the glove of Jalyn Martinez, who recorded all three outs of the inning as Paramus stayed close.
The Spartans then pieced together just enough offense over the final three innings as they scored the final three runs of the game to pull out a 3-2 victory that earned them a place in Tuesday’s state sectional semifinal when they will host Mount Olive.
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Matt Valente's single on this swing in the top of the first inning game Ramapo a 1-0 lead. |
“You look at the fourth inning when they had the bases loaded with no outs and we get out of there with just one run scored and down just 2-0, you have to feel good about yourself,” said Paramus head coach John Morrisette. “By doing that, we gave ourselves a chance to go and win the game and we did that.”
Ramapo (13-14) had its chances early. Matt Giacose led off the game by drawing a walk and scored on Matt Valente’s RBI single after moving up two bases on groundball outs. Frankie Aiello was then hit by a pitch and Jack White walked to load the bases with two outs before Paramus starter Steve Lockwood (3+ IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 H, 3 K, 3 BB, 2 HBP) got a flyball to right to limit the damage to a 1-0 deficit.
Ramapo loaded them up again in the third with one out, but Lockwood got a strikeout and a groundball to get out of it without a run scoring. And then in the fourth, Ramapo backed up Evan Mooney’s infield single with two bunt base hits by Matt Capozzi and Giacose, who both tried to sacrifice but got better results than expected.
That set the stage for Herrmann’s great escape and when that was over the momentum had unquestionably shifted to the Paramus dugout.
Ramapo starter Sean Dougherty (3+ IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 BB) had faced just one batter over the minimum through the first three innings, but Riebesell drew a walk leading off the bottom of the fourth and, with a 2-0 count to the next hitter, Joey Lentz, the Green Raiders went to their bullpen for Giacose. It was the same type strategy that 12th-seeded Ramapo used to pull the upset of Northern Highlands in the opening round.
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Jarred Herrmann allowed just one of three inherited runners to score in the fourth inning and picked up the win for Paramus. |
Paramus did not exactly pound the ball around the park, but it did do enough to get the game tied. Frankie Licari’s RBI groundout made it 2-1 and Martinez then came through with a well-struck single to right. Aiello charged and made a strong throw and had a shot, but the ball popped loose in the melee at the plate as Matt Ferrara slid in through the back door to tie the game.
Giacose (3 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 H, 1 K, 1 BB) worked a 1-2-3 fifth and Herrmann did the same in the fifth and sixth innings to keep it tie. With one out in the home half of the sixth, Lentz hit a one-out, seeing-eye single that snuck into centerfield. A wild pitch allowed Lentz to move into scoring position where he was replaced by pinch runner Chris Regalbuto.
That brought up Licari with two outs and a chance to push across the potential winning run.
“I was trying to find a gap or take the ball right back up the middle,” said Licari. “I heard my Dad yelling to go up the middle so that was definitely in my head.”
It turned out to be good advice and Licari, the lone junior in Paramus’ senior-heavy everyday lineup, hit a hard one hopper just to the left of the pitching mound. The ball ticked off the end of Giacose’s glove and changed direction, which opened a path to the outfield grass. Regalbuto scored easily to give Paramus the 3-2 lead with just three outs left to get.
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Ramapo starter Sean Dougherty faced just one batter over the minimum through the first three innings. |
“That was a great feeling,” said Licari, who drove in two of the Spartans’ three runs. “It’s the second time this year that I have had a game-winning hit, but to do it in a state playoff game at home was different. I wasn’t nervous at all because I was used to being in that situation.”
Herrmann hit the first batter in the top of the seventh before getting a groundball out against the final hitter he faced. Eric Rosenberg then came on to lock it down. He struck out the only two hitters he faced to send No. 4 Paramus into the semifinals with a home game.
“It feels good to be playing at home. We have a real good record, I think we are 9-2 on this field this season, we are comfortable here and we are confident here,” said Morrisette, whose team improved to 18-10 on the season. “We are going to play Mount Olive, a solid 19-9 team that made the finals last year. We have to be ready for another battle and I think we will be.”
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