Friday,
May 22, 2015
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Eamon Catherina gave up just one hit in the six innings it took Ridgefield to beat Secaucus, 10-0, in the North 2, Group 2 state sectional quarterfinals. |
RIDGEFIELD – Battery mates Eamon Catherina and Santo Guinta remember the euphoric feeling of winning a section title last year. It is a feeling that most players are lucky to experience once in a lifetime. But now as seniors with a chance to defend their North 2, Group 1 title, the duo realize that any loss will be the end of their time in a Ridgefield uniform. Against an upstart Secaucus team hoping to spring an upset, Catherina was dominant on the hill and Guinta helped pick up a dormant offense.
Catherina twirled a one-hitter and Guinta’s two-run single sparked an eight-run fifth inning as top-seeded Ridgefield earned the right to play another day with a 10-0, six-inning victory over No. 8 seed Secaucus in the North 2, Group 1 quarterfinals on Thursday in Ridgefield.
“Even though we got off to a slow start, I always knew we were going to pull through and get the bats going,” said Catherina. “I just had to keep doing my job. We were way too excited for this game to let it slip away.”
From the first pitch, Catherina attacked the strike zone with ferocity, striking out eight batters through the first four innings, including six straight punchouts from the second through fourth. But the Royals struggled to solve Secaucus starter Anthony Ratti until scratching across a run in the bottom of the fourth.
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Anthony Ratti strick out six for Secaucus, which finished its season with a 12-14 record. |
Guinta had the only hit in the frame with a leadoff single. After a walk and a hit batsman the bases were loaded for No. 9 batter Louie Correa, who battled through a strange at-bat. The key pitch was a 2-2 offering in which Correa tried to call time but too late to be granted. Luckily for him, the pitch was high and the next pitch was outside. The walk forced Guinta home for a 1-0 lead.
Ridgefield broke open a close game in the fifth with the Royals sending 12 batters to the plate. John Biggiani and Chris Martucci lined consecutive singles to open the inning and moved into scoring position on an outfield error. Guinta followed with a single to plate both runners that got the ball rolling.
“With a base open and a full count I figured (Ratti) was going to throw a fastball and he did,” said Guinta. “(Ratti) was consistent and kept the ball low the whole game. I was looking for a fastball in that zone and took a good swing at it.”
Two batters later, Mike Ragone lined a single to bring home two more runs. Kevin Stuckey followed with a long double to left-center that brought home another run and the onslaught was on. Martucci capped the inning with a two-run single. After just one hit over the first four innings, the Royals erupted for eight hits and eight runs to take control with a 9-0 lead before ending the game an inning later.
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Santo Guinta and Ridgefield will face Dayton Regional in the semifinals. |
Catherina, the 6-foot-3 right-hander allowed just one hit, walked one and had 9 Ks to lead Ridgefield (20-9). The victory was the 20th of Catherina’s varsity career, becoming just the third pitcher in Ridgefield history to reach that milestone. Fellow seniors Guinta and Martucci each went 2-for-4 at the plate with two RBIs.
Matt Bienkowski had the lone hit for Secaucus (12-14). Ratti took the loss but did strikeout six batters in 4 2/3 innings.
Ridgefield will take the field again on Tuesday when it faces Dayton Regional for a berth in the North 2, Group 1 championship game. It is an opportunity this senior-dominated class has been waiting for and they cannot wait to get one step closer to defending their title.
“We have a really great bond with this team and we are having way too much fun to let this season end,” added Catherina. “We’ve been through some ups and downs but we’ve always stuck together. We have each other’s backs and we’re excited to get back out there and keep playing for as long as we can.”
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