Memorial baseball defeats Twp., 5-2, at FirstEnergy Park

For the third year in a row, Brick Memorial High School baseball players hoisted the Mayor's Trophy to a gaggle of admiring hometown photographers at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood.

SEAN BRADY Brick Memorial High School catcher Jose Ramos is able to beat the tag at home from Brick Township catcher Kurt Loftus on Sunday at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood. Brick Memorial won the game by a score of 5-2.

But this time, the 5-2 victory over Brick Township was more decisive than last year's when Tom Murray's walk-off single delivered the Mustangs. Murray was doing his part again this year, blooping a short sac fly to the first baseman ranging out in right field to drive in one of three runs in the third inning and lined a shot to left field that dropped in for a double and delivered the final run in the fifth inning.

It was welcomed by senior lefthander Ryan Patrick, who pitched too well to lose as he drew the line when he had to with Brick Township hitters, allowing eight hits but leaving seven runners stranded. He helped himself by not walking a batter and striking out four.

"The last two starts, I did not have the control I wanted. It was nice to have it (again)," said Patrick, who was among the Shore leaders in ERA until allowing a lot of runs in his last outing. "After the first inning, I got the jitters out and then I did my job."

"He did well today," said Murray, who as the team's catcher should know. "He gave up hits but then didn't let them get anything out of it."

Coach Rich Bishop said Patrick "was not overpowering but by mixing speeds and the defense making plays behind him, he was able to stay on top. His changeup was real effective and he spotted his two-seam fastball on the outside. For him to pitch that well, that's what has to happen."

He turned in his second complete game performance - the other coming on the opening week of the season in Florida against Montour, Pa. - which is important because Brick Memorial this week plays three games and looks to wrap up a berth in the tournaments for the NJSIAA, which has a cutoff on Friday, and the Shore Conference, which has a cutoff on Monday.

In avenging a 5-1 loss to the same Brick Township team just four nights earlier on Wednesday, Brick Memorial at 9-8 needs to win only one of its three games this week against Middletown South on Monday, Red Bank Regional on Wednesday, and tough Jackson Memorial on Friday to make the postseason.

Brick Township is 4-13 as Pedro Serrano (2-3) pitched the first five innings before Karl Rex finished, and Kurt Lortus had two hits, including a run-scoring single in the first inning after Serrano and Ray Johnson set it up with base hits. Loftus last Wednesday belted two home runs and a double for three RBI in the victory over Memorial.

Coach Jason Groschel credited Memorial's tenacity and faulted his team's sluggish play afield.

"We didn't play as well defensively. We were a little sloppy," said Groschel. "A couple of balls could've been caught."

And Brick Memorial's Evan Mancini in center field made the plays with two nice catches, including a running grab of a long fly hit by Chris Sorice, who came in with a hot bat but who was held to one hit, and a diving catch on a fly ball hit by Jared Page leading off the seventh inning.

"That was huge," said Bishop of the catches. "That kept them from getting anything going."

In the third inning, leadoff hitter Brian Duckworth started it off when he beat out the throw on his chopper that bounced off Serrano. Mike Spinelli lined a run-scoring double.

"We usually have pitching and defense but not hitting, which has been lagging," said Spinelli. "You don't want to get down on the count. We've been swinging at better pitches."

Spinelli said his own hitting has "been up and down but I'm seeing the ball pretty well today."

"We're not swinging at bad pitches. We're hitting together as a team," said Murray, who is considering Drew and Fairleigh Dickinson University as college choices.

After Spinelli's hit, Jose Ramos hit a bouncer down the third base line that Groschel said should have been left to go foul. Instead, a fielder picked it up and threw off line to first base as a run scored. Mancini bunted Ramos to third and Murray hit his blooper to right to drive in a run.

"You rarely see that happen where a runner scores from third on a sacrifice to short right field," said Groschel.

An inning later, Andrew Nelson lined a base hit past the shortstop and rode home on Justin Gordon's double that bounced around the left field corner.

 

Brick Township, meanwhile, got only two runners as far as second base after the first inning, as hitters swung at high pitches for popouts and short routine flies to the outfield. Mike Winters, who came into the game in the late innings, blasted a home run to left in the last inning with one out to show he may start coming out of his hitting slump.

It was far different from April 30 when Brick Memorial managed only one hit over the first six innings. Loftus belted a home run to left center field in the fourth inning. Ryan Ross lashed a single and stole second and rode home on Page's base hit. Matt Dornacker walked and John Applegate slugged an RBI single. Loftus later belted a two-run homer to center field after Sorice got a hit.

Tall sophomore Matt Coughlin went all the way with a three-hitter, striking out 10 and walking three. He got out of a jam in the sixth inning when Mancini walked, Spinelli got a bunt single and Ramos reached on an error. Brian Staub hit a sac fly, and a runner was thrown out trying to tag to second base. "That was a big play," said Groschel.

In the last inning, Murray walked and Gordon drilled a single but it was indicated by Brick Township to the umpire that Memorial was hitting out of order, which led to a called second strikeout in the inning.

Brick Memorial bounced back for Sunday's victory from a 6-0 loss to Toms River South as John Roca allowed one earned run in 4 1/3 innings pitched. Also last week, Spinelli lined a two-run double but a wild pitch let in the winning run as Brick Memorial beat Southern Regional for the second time this season, this time by a 6-5 score.

As for Brick Township, it started the week with a 10-2 loss to Jackson Memorial. Tim Reddan's RBI-double pulled the Green Dragons to 3-2. Finally, there was a 12-5 loss to Toms River North as Ray Johnson's RBI double opened the scoring before Toms River North rallied for four runs in the next inning. Sorice unloaded a threerun homer to left after Serrano smashed a run-scoring single with two out in the fifth inning to pull to 8-5.

Now, Brick Memorial's postseason fate is in its own hands. "This is why I love baseball," said Patrick.