Allentown crushes S. Brunswick
WEST WINDSOR » Exactly one week after its base school, Allentown High, won the NJSIAA Group III state title, the celebration goes on for those players.
But, after opening the Mercer County American Legion League baseball season with consecutive losses — which matched the total number of setbacks the high school team had all spring — the Allentown Legion players knew it was time to get back on track.
They did so in a huge way Saturday at Mercer County Park.
A’town batted around three times in the first inning, then once more in the second on the way to a 27-0 win over South Brunswick Post 401.
That is not a misprint! Allentown sent 27 players to the plate in the first inning and scored 21 runs, then sent 10 to the plate in the second inning and scored six more.
Add in a short rain delay in the first and this five-inning contest still took twoand-a-half hours to play.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” A’town’s A.J. Ariano said. “Our first two games were rough. Today, after that first inning, it was a little hard to focus. But we stayed sharp.”
None were sharper than Ariano, who is finishing up his junior year at Allentown High. For a young man better known to some as a soccer player, this game was the cat’s meow.
After pitching in the first Legion game (a 6-4 loss to Broad Street Park Post 313 Thursday) and going 1-for-3 in a 2-1 loss at Lawrence Post 414 Friday, Ariano broke out, going 5-for-5, scoring three runs and driving in three more. He had an infield single, a two-run double and an RBI single in the first inning alone.
It was just part of the excitement for A’town, which also got a 4-for-4 performance with four runs and three RBIs from Gino Tortoriello, six RBIs from winning pitcher Ryan Huth (who only needed a home run to hit for the cycle), four RBIs from Matt Tannenbaum and three RBIs from Ben Mashkevich.
Aydon Chavis and Paul Franzoni also had three hits in the game as the home team compiled 23 total hits. Sixteen of those came in the bottom of the first.
“In a first inning like that, you just want to throw strikes and let them hit the ball because eventually they’ll hit it to us,” Post 401’s Kyle White said.
White, who is finishing up his sophomore year at South Brunswick High, made his own bit of history in the game by playing five different positions.
He started the game at second base, then moved to third before taking the mound as his team’s fourth pitcher in the first inning. After that, White also spent time at catcher and in left field before picking up South Brunswick’s second single of the game in the top of the fifth. Rico Viani had Post 401’s only other hit to open the game.
“We just have to put this behind us and keep moving forward,” said White, whose team is 3-5 in the MCALL.
At 1-2, Allentown also wants to keep moving forward, but without forgetting the explosive game which got it going again. S. BRUNSWICK
abrhbi Viani cf-c 3010 Reyes lf-cf 2000 Pdlla ss-2b 2 0 0 0 Sorrnto 1b 2000 Rkdshl c-p 1000 MJms p-2b 2 0 0 0 WBk3bpss20 00 Wht23bpclf 2 0 1 0 Laurie p 0000 Carelli rf 2000
Totals
18 0 2 0
S. Brunswick (3-5) Allentown (1-2)
ALLENTOWN
abrhbi Chavis 3b 5431 Coiante cf 2 4 2 1 Thakur cf 1000 Tortorllo c 4 4 4 3 Huth p 4436 Elwell p 0000 Franzni 1b 4 4 3 2 CAndrsn lf 1 2 1 1 DeMille lf 1000 Mshkvchrf 3 1 0 3 Ariano 2b 5353 Tnnnbm ss 5 1 2 4 Totals 35 27 23 24
00000—0 (21)60 0x — 27
E — Pedulla, Carelli, Chavis; LOB — South Brunswick 4, Allentown 8; 2B — Ariano, Huth; 3B — Coiante, Huth, Tannenbaum; SF — Mashkevich; SB — Thakur, Tannenbaum.
IP H R ER BBSO SOUTH BRUNSWICK POST 401 MJames L,1-1 0.2 6 8 Laurie 0.0 4 6 WBeck 0.0 3 5 White 1.1 8 8 Ruckdeschel 2.0 2 0 ALLENTOWN
Huth W,1-0 3.0 1 0 0 1 3 Elwell 2.0 1 0 0 0 3 Laurie faced 6 batters in the 1st inning. WBeck faced 5 in the 1st.
HbP- by Laurie (CAnderson), by White (CAnderson); WP — MJames; PB — Ruckdeschel. 8 6 5 8 0 1 1 2 2 2 1 0 0 1 0