After A Week Layoff, Pitching and Hitting Combine For Sweep
By Mike Ready
LINCROFT – The Jersey Blues finally got back on the field after another week of weather related cancellations again played havoc with their schedule.
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Record cold and wet conditions this spring have prevented the Blues from getting into any type of rhythm and finding out just how good of a club they actually are.
If Saturday’s first of two scheduled games is any indication of just how good they are, then they have nothing to worry about after shutting out Camden 8-0 on two hits in front of a packed house at MacLauglhin Field.
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The win carried an extra degree of satisfaction for the team as Camden (19-11) swept all four games last season, including knocking the Blues out of the Region XIX Tournament in the semifinals.
The Blues jumped all over Camden starting pitcher Nazareno Regalbuto (1-2), scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning and four in the second.
Brookdale (15-10) strung together three straight singles to lead off bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Nick Vitale got things rolling with line single into left field before right fielder Jon Roszel drilled one through the hole between third and short to put men on first and second. Freshman Spencer Young laid down a perfect bunt single on the left side of the infield to load the bases.
First baseman Tim Carney then skied a sacrifice fly to centerfield for the first run of the game. Young stole second putting runners at second and third with one out when third baseman Tim Kirman lined one up the middle that the second baseman knocked down but couldn’t make a play on for a RBI single. First baseman Travis Rudic brought home the third run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
With one out in the bottom of the second, freshman second baseman Troy Reynolds walked and made it to second base after being caught in a run-down attempting to steal. Vitale then drilled an RBI single up the middle scoring Reynolds and advancing to second on the throw.
Roszel brought Vitale home with booming double over the centerfielders head before Carney blasted a double into the gap in left-center field scoring Roszel for a 6-0 lead with two outs in the inning. Kirman singled to put runners at the corners and Rudic picked up his second RBI of the game with a shot into centerfield pushing the Brookdale lead to 7-0.
Rudic, who was hitting .486 on the year with a 1.255 OPS before today’s games, was perfect at the plate in the first game going 3-for-3 with a sacrifice fly, two RBI’s and two doubles.
“It felt great to get to get back on the field and to beat Camden after what they did to us last year,” Rudic said. “I was seeing the ball good today, especially for not playing consistently. I was just trying to put the bat on the ball; that’s all you can ask for. It’s hard to stay sharp when you can’t even take infield practice. We’re hoping to get on a roll and put some wins together heading into the regions.”
The Blues tacked on an unearned run in the third on a Reynolds single, a Vitale walk and an error on the shortstop.
Meanwhile, starting pitcher Billy Worswick was mowing down the Camden batting order in rapid succession. After giving up a double down the third base line off Kiman’s glove in the first inning, Worswick didn’t allow another hit or a walk in his four innings of work. Worswick picked up his third win of the season allowing only one hit, striking out three and hitting a batter.
Sophomore pitcher Tim Rogers came on in the fourth and matched Worswick’s quality stuff by shutting out the Cougars the rest of the way on one hit, while striking out four and not walking a batter in three innings of work.
“The coaching staff has done a great job with the pitching staff with all these rainouts,” Rogers said. “They’ve had us throwing bullpen on our off days, stretching and doing band work; keeping us ready. Billy (Worswick) and I have pushed each other all season, I have to credit a lot of my success to him and vice versa. We feed off each other, when he does good I know I have to do good or I’ll hear it from him.”
“It definitely feels good to finally beat Camden; they had our number last year,” Rogers added. “Our hitters are top class and our pitchers are up there too, we just need some warm weather to put everything together.”
“It’s about time we got back on the field; it’s been seven days,” Brookdale coach Johnny Johnson said. “They were chomping at the bit to get out there and play; they’re a good team, a good bunch of kids with good leadership. The sophomores are leading the younger guys and keeping the team motivated with all the games we’ve missed. If we get the pitching we got to today the rest of the way we’ll be alright.”
Vitale finished 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and an RBI, while righty slugger Roszel went 2-for-3 with a walk, double, two runs scored and an RBI. Carney added two RBI’s with a double and a sacrifice fly.
In the second game of the double header, Brookdale added an exclamation point to their first-game win by hammering Camden 12-1. If the Blues were seeking revenge against the Cougars today, they certainly got it in a big way.
Vitale had a monster game – a single short of a cycle - going 3-for-4 with a home run, triple, double, two RBI’s and two runs scored. Roszel went 3-for-4 and drove in two runs, while Young was a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Carney clubbed a homer and freshman catcher Walid Nassar had a double and two RBI’s.
Sophomore Jake Winston followed Worswicks and Rogers gems with one of his own, tossing five innings of shutout ball. He allowed only two hits while striking out nine and walking only one batter. Aaron McCue gave up one run on one hit in the sixth and Matt Maher pitched a perfect seventh inning.
