BILL LECONEY, The Current Newspapers The Press of Atlantic City MULLICA HILL — The magic ran out for the Egg Harbor Township High School baseball team Tuesday, as the Eagles’ season ended in a 2-0 loss to top-seed Clearview Regional in a South Jersey Group IV semifinal. But it wasn’t a magic formula that allowed the 12th-seeded Eagles to stay alive in the Group IV playoff chase well past their presumed expiration date. “Our whole motto was, we were playing with house money, and we had nothing to lose,” said Bryan Carmichael. “We had opportunities today, we just didn’t capitalize.” Clearview will play for the South Jersey title Friday against seventh-seeded Millville. EHT senior Brandon Riggs allowed only one hit through the first four innings in a battle with Clearview right-hander Ryan Lauk. Riggs walked the first batter he faced in the fifth and, after an infield throwing error and stolen base put two runners in scoring position, Clearview’s Steve Schanne broke the scoreless tie with a bloop single. The Pioneers scored a second run on another EHT error. “You can’t do anything about it, it’s just baseball,” Riggs said. “A hit’s a hit, it doesn’t matter where it goes. They just hit it in the right spot at the right time.” Meanwhile, the Eagles managed only two hits and struck out eight times against Lauk. Their best chance came in the sixth inning, as Andrew Fowler led off with a single and Ryan Baruffi walked. But pinch-runner Brady Kessler was forced out at third on a failed sacrifice bunt attempt, and Baruffi was thrown out trying to steal third. In the seventh, Antonio Carballo led off with a single, but Lauk stranded him there with a strikeout, flyout and groundout. “It was a tough one. We ran into a good arm today,” Carmichael said. “I told (Lauk) afterwards, ‘That’s a good baseball team you just shut down today.’ To hold us to two hits, the way we’ve been doing things the last month, that’s impressive. That’s baseball. They were just a little better than us. “We were aggressive on the base paths, and some people might question me about that. But we were trying to win a baseball game, we were trying to make things happen. Kudos to (Clearview), they made the plays. They were one play better than us today.” The Eagles had reached the semifinal round with back-to-back wins on the road against higher seeds Williamstown and Cherokee, the latter coming with extra-inning drama on a two-run home run by freshman Ryan Sweeney. After a tough 3-6 start, the Eagles got a much-needed “attitude adjustment,” according to senior Nick Pera, and turned their season around with a late seven-game winning streak. They reached the sectional semifinal round for the first time in 16 years competing as a Group IV school. “Everybody changed the way they looked at things, and we started playing and pulling for one another,” Pera said. Pera will continue his academic and baseball career at Rutgers-Camden. “It went by pretty fast,” he said of his high school career. “I wish there was more to go. I wish I had more time here. I had a lot of fun for four years.” “I love this team,” said Riggs, who will attend Penn State-Harrisburg in the fall. “We always fight, it doesn’t matter what the score is. We had a tough start, we could have packed it up and had a ‘wash’ season, but we didn’t do that. We just kept on fighting all the way through.” Carmichael said the team will lose 11 seniors to graduation, including Riggs, Pera, Baruffi, Andrew Holmes and Luke Elwell. “Every one of them contributed in some way this year, and every one of them will be missed,” Carmichael said. “I’m proud of every one of our kids, especially the senior class for buying in to what my coaching staff and I have asked them to do. They believe in what we’re doing. We’ve come a long way from where we first started, six years ago. To be battling the No. 1 seed in a 2-0 game on their home field ... That’s impressive. “I couldn’t be prouder of them,” Carmichael said. “By no means is there a sour taste in my mouth. No one expected us to be here, but we made the best of it. We went down swinging, and that’s high school baseball.” Egg Harbor Township 000 000 0—0 2 1 Clearview Regional 000 020 0—2 6 1 2B—McCaffrey CR. WP—Lauk 8k. LP—Riggs 4k.
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BILL LECONEY, The Current Newspapers The Press of Atlantic City
MARLTON — Leave it to an unflappable freshman to strike one of the most dramatic blows in Egg Harbor Township High School baseball history. The 12th-seeded Eagles pulled off their second straight playoff upset to advance to the sectional semifinals for the first time in school history. They will face top seed Clearview Regional on Tuesday in Mullica Hill. Clearview beat Toms River North 2-0 in another quarterfinal Thursday. “I was just looking for a fastball and just trying to hit it hard somewhere, and it just went out,” Sweeney said. “We never give up. Anything’s possible with our team.” The Eagles had to rally twice in this game. They scratched across a go-ahead run in the eighth inning on Nick Pera’s RBI single against Cherokee’s big left-handed ace, Chris Snyder, a pro prospect. The Eagles thought they had won the game in the bottom of the eighth on a bang-bang play at the plate, but instead of that being the final out, it allowed Cherokee to tie the game and send it to another inning. EHT’s Dante DiPalma hit a solo home run and a game-tying single in the fifth. He also led off the eighth inning with an infield single to ignite that rally. Andrew Holmes had three hits for the Eagles, and starting pitcher Drew Hickman battled into the fifth. “We have nothing to lose, and everything to gain, and that’s the way we play,” said Holmes, a senior. “There were polls on Twitter that had (Cherokee) 87 percent winning over us. We’ve played so many good teams this year and battled with all of them. We started out the season really poor, but we went on a seven-game winning streak with our backs against the wall. We might not have made the playoffs without that, but we just find a way to win, always.” After beating No. 5 Williamstown in a first-round game this week, EHT (15-8) had another big hill to climb against No. 4 Cherokee. It was a back-and-forth game with plenty of clutch hits and big defensive plays. EHT rallied from an early four-run deficit, then scored six in the second, capped by Holmes’ two-run single. DiPalma’s solo home run gave the Eagles a three-run lead, but the Chiefs rallied with four runs in the fourth inning to take the lead. DiPalma’s single scored Holmes with the tying run in the EHT fourth, setting the stage for the final dramatics. “That big lefty they threw (Snyder), he’s their dude, and we battled with him. Our kids weren’t intimated by him,” EHT coach Bryan Carmichael said. “Our kids were just so resilient today. We could have easily packed it in when it was 4-0 and said, ‘We don’t belong with these guys, and that’s what some (EHT) teams in the past may have done. These guys turn around and put a six-spot on the board, and they battle and battle. “We’re scrappy, that’s the best way I can describe it,” he added. “I appreciate these kids so much because they’ve bought in to what the coaching staff is trying to teach, and it’s a pleasure to watch. When the wheels are in motion, it’s fun to watch.” by Phil Anastasia, STAFF WRITER Brandon Riggs didn't care that his team was the No. 12 seed in South Jersey Group 4. The Egg Harbor Township senior righthander didn't care that Williamstown was the No. 5 seed, as well as the defending champion. "The seeds, they don't mean anything," Riggs said after powering Egg Harbor Township to a 3-1 victory over Williamstown on Tuesday. "It's a new season in the playoffs." With a sneaky fastball and sharp curve, Riggs allowed just one unearned run on five hits with six strikeouts and two walks. He pitched a shutout until the bottom of the seventh, when the Braves pushed across a run on an infield error. "He's been like that all year," Egg Harbor Township coach Bryan Carmichael said of Riggs. "He's been a hard-luck loser in a lot of our games, so his record (2-4) doesn't show what kind of pitcher he is." Egg Harbor Township (13-8) advanced to face fourth-seeded Cherokee in Thursday's quarterfinals. Egg Harbor Township was 1-3 after four games and 3-6 on April 21. Since then, the Eagles are 10-2, with wins over Audubon, West Deptford, Mainland and Williamstown. "I think we're a dark horse," in the South Jersey Group 4 tournament, Carmichael said. Egg Harbor Township jumped in front 1-0 on the top of the first as Ryan Baruffi led off with a double and scored on a single by Nick Milhan. Dante DiPalma made it 2-0 with an RBI single in the fourth and Milhan added an insurance run with another RBI single in the seventh. The game marked the end of the careers of Williamstown seniors such as losing pitcher Denny Bentley, a North Carolina State recruit. "He kept us in the game," Williamstown coach Joe Smith said. "We just didn't get the key hit when we needed it." Egg Harbor Twp. 100 100 1 - 3 9 2 Williamstown 000 000 1 - 1 5 1 WP: WP: Brandon Riggs. LP: Denny Bentley. Posted on May 9, 2016
To say the Eagles were highly motivated to beat rival Mainland Regional goes without saying. Brandon Riggs pitched a complete game shutout, allowing four hits and striking out four, and Ryan Baruffi broke a scoreless tie with a two-run double in the fifth inning to lead the Eagles to an 8-0 win over Mainland. Jordan Sweeney hit a solo home run and Nick Milhan and Andrew Holmes also had RBI hits for EHT, which hadn’t played in nine days because of the recent inclement weather. The win over the two-time defending South Jersey Group III champion was huge for the Eagles in terms of NJSIAA power points earned. They came into their 15th game, the number needed for playoff eligibility, as the No. 16 seed in the South Jersey Group IV playoff race, but should move up several spots with Monday’s win, their sixth straight after a 3-6 start. “This was a great turning point, not only for me but for the whole team,” said Riggs, who was the tough-luck loser in a 3-0 loss to Mainland last month. “We had a rough start at the beginning of the season, so this was a huge win for us. I took it almost as a playoff game. We had to survive it and win.” Riggs, a senior, dueled Mainland starter Cornelius Masterson through four scoreless innings, getting out of mild trouble in the third. Sweeney opened the EHT fifth with a single and went to third on a one-hop double off the fence by Kyle Transue. After Andrew Fowler walked to load the bases, Baruffi ripped a line drive double to left to plate two runs. Another run scored on a groundout by Nick Pera, and Baruffi came home on a wild pitch to make it 4-0. “I had a couple tough at-bats earlier as the leadoff batter, trying to grind out the pitcher a little bit,” Baruffi said. “I knew with the runners on I had to get aggressive, and when I got an early in the count fastball, I had to do something with it. It was definitely my biggest hit this year.” Milhan hit an RBI double in the fifth, and the Eagles (9-6) added threw more in the sixth on Sweeney’s home run, an infield error and an RBI single by Holmes. EHT coach Bryan Carmichael said he challenged his team when it was 3-6 and in need of an attitude adjustment to salvage its season. The Eagles had won five straight, including a tournament championship at West Deptford, before shutting it down for more than a week because of the rain-soaked fields. “We hadn’t even practiced since Friday,” Carmichael said. “We came out with an Opening Day attitude. We knew there was a bunch of power points on the line, and these guys responded. “Brandon Riggs was 0-3 with three saves this season, but he’s pitched great in every game. I’m glad we were able to get him a victory today.” It wasn’t lost on seniors Riggs, Baruffi, Holmes and others that this was their last chance to beat Mainland, EHT’s traditional top rival. “It’s been a big thing ever since freshman year,” Riggs said. “It’s been my main goal, to beat them.” “This game was marked on my calendar for a couple weeks now,” Baruffi said. “Everybody was up and ready to go, and it was just about everybody stepping up and doing their job. It’s a great rivalry. I’m glad to come out on top in this one.” The Eagles face Vineland, Holy Spirit and Atlantic City later this week before finding out early next week where they will land in the Group IV playoff seedings. Monday’s win certainly makes that wait much more bearable. “Once you get in the playoffs, anything can happen,” Carmichael said. “It’s a wide open field this year. Anybody can win it, from one to 16, and we feel like we have as good a chance as anybody.” by Phil Anastasia, Inquirer ColumnistInquirer Staff Writer Here's the new Top 25 ranking for South Jersey baseball, as of Sunday night May 1: (Preseason rankings in parentheses) 1. Gloucester Catholic (1) 9-2 Senior lefty Eric Grafton pitched a four-hitter with five strikeouts in Saturday's 2-1 win over Bishop Eustace on Saturday. The last three games between these fierce rivals have been decided by 2-1 scores, with BE taking a pair last season and GC turning the tables this season. The teams could meet again in South A action. 2. St. Augustine (2) 9-3 The Hermits are 6-2 in their last eight, allowing a total of 14 runs. They were supposed to play Washington Twp. in the Coaches vs. Cancer event at Millville on Sunday but the second day of games was washed out. 3. Ocean City (4) 7-3 In their seven wins, the Red Raiders have allowed a total of two runs. OC hosts No. 2 St. Augustine in a key CAL American game on Tuesday. It's another #MooneyTuesday for the Red Raiders, as ace senior RHP Sean Mooney will take the hill against a team he beat twice in 2015. 4. Eastern (10) 11-4 The Vikings have won five in a row and seven of eight. They'vs scored 45 runs in the five-game winning streak, led by junior third baseman Davis Schneider and sophomore centerfielder Jack Herman. 5. Clearview (6) 9-3-1 The Pioneers have won three in a row, allowing just five runs. This team's pitching has been a constant. 6. Lenape (11) 7-2 The Indians also have won three in a row, allowing a total of three runs. This team's hitting hasn't been a little inconsistent but the pitching and defense have been there all season. Senior RHP Ben Rodier is 3-0 against Olympic American foes. 7. Camden Catholic (3) 13-3 Senior LHP Jay Crusemire is 4-0 with a pair of victories over rival Bishop Eustace. The Irish are close to locking up the Olympic National berth to the Diamond Classic. The DC field will be announced next Sunday. 8. Mainland (7) 7-3 The Mustangs bounced back from a tough loss to Ocean City with big win over Cherokee on Saturday at Millville. Sophomore Nick Atohi has four pitching wins. 9. Cherokee (5) 11-1 The Chiefs have won four of five. 10. Cherry Hill West (9) 8-3 Junior Jake Azar has four doubles in the Lions' last three games. 11. Williamstown (8) 10-3 The Braves' last three games have been decided by scores of 1-0, 1-0 and 2-1. They've scored one run in each game and gone 2-1. 12. Millville (14) 9-4 Senior RHP Nate Eigenmann has four pitching wins for the Thunderbolts, who have won three in a row. Junior Buddy Kennedy leads SJ with 7 HRs and is close to making his pitching debut after recuperating from a shoulder ailment. 13. West Deptford (13) 12-2 The Eagles are teaming toward a couple of notable accomplishments: Earning the Colonial Liberty's automatic berth to the Diamond Classic and securing the No. 1 seed in SJ 2, a bracket that will include Barnegat and No. 1 pro pitching prospect Jason Groome. 14. Northern Burlington (12) 9-4 The Greyhounds have hit 39 doubles. They've scored in double figures eight times. 15. Bishop Eustace (15) 9-6 The Crusaders are getting a lot of production from their freshmen class. 16. Kingsway (16) 12-4 The Dragons have won four in a row. This team is 7-0 in the loaded Tri-Co Royal. 17. Holy Cross (18) 10-3 As usual, the Lancers are making a run in the BCSL tourney, reaching the semifinals. 18. Washington Two. (17) 7-6 The Minutemen have been 2-2, 3-3, 4-4 and 5-5 during this season. 19. Highland (20) 6-4-1 The Tartans have won four of five. They're getting strong work on the mound from senior Christian Scafidi and junior Anthony Masselli and senior leadoff man Billy Jackson leads the lineup. 20. Haddonfield (25) 8-2 The Bulldawgs have won five in a row and eight of nine. Jake Small has four pitching wins. 21. Delsea (NR) 10-2 The Crusaders have won seven in a row with a balanced approach led by Nick McDonnell and Brad Dobzanski. For the purposes of the two automatic berths to the tournament, the Diamond Classic breaks the Tri-Co Diamond in half, putting the larger teams with the Royal squads and the smaller with the Classic teams. If Delsea is grouped with the larger schools, things will get interesting because the Crusaders beat Kingsway, which is otherwise unbeaten against Royal foes. Delsea's lone loss to Royal or Diamond teams was to Clearview. 22. Egg Harbor Twp. (NR) 8-6 After starting 1-3 and 2-4, the Eagles have hit their stride. They won the Pop McKenna tourney at West Deptford for the second year in a row on Saturday, stunning the host Eagles in the title game. 23. Wildwood (23) 10-4 Junior pitcher/infielder Brendan Bean, a Penn recruit, could miss another couple of weeks with a hamstring injury. 24. Rancocas Valley (24) 9-6 The Red Devils are 5-1 in their last six. 25. Haddon Hts. (NR) 8-4 The Garnets have won six of seven and stunned then-No. 3 Camden Catholic on Saturday. Under consideration (listed alphbetically): Audubon (6-4), Cinnaminson (8-6), Hammonton (7-7), Pennsville (10-5), Seneca (7-6), Timber Creek (8-7). -- Contact Phil Anastasia at [email protected] -- Follow @PhilAnastasia on Twitter Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/377739916.html#dJYSEVZilcMrcqis.99 |