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.
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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 Press staff reports The Press of Atlantic City EHT beat Audubon 8-4 in the semifinal before beating West Deptford, No. 7 in The Press Elite 11, 6-4 in the final. Dante DiPalma was named the tournament MVP hitting a three-run double in a five-run fourth inning for the Eagles in the championship game. Nick Pera and Jordan Sweeney each went 2 for 3 with a run scored. Egg Harbor Twp 000 501 0-6 9 1 West Deptford 300 000 1-4 4 1 2B-DiPalma, Holmes EHT. HR-Britt WD. WP-Barbieri (2-0) 3k. LP-Wilden 5k. Records-EHT 8-6, WD 12-2. Egg Harbor Township 8, Audubon 4 This was a Pop McKenna Tournament semifinal game at West Deptford. Andrew Holmes homered twice for the Eagles. Nick Milhan went 3 for 4 with two runs and four RBIs and Dante DiPalma went 3 for 4. Egg Harbor Twp 102 203 0-8 11 1 Audubon 100 200 1-4 8 0 2B-Milhan, Caraballo EHT; Concepcion 2, Wilson A. HR-Holmes 2. WP-Elwell. LP-Fehr. LP-Riggs. Records-EHT 7-6, Audubon 6-4. By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP -- Junior center fielder Nick Milhan hit a ball so hard to left field leading off the bottom of the fourth inning on Wednesday that it didn’t matter how strong the wind was blowing. The line drive home run tied the game at 1-1 and sparked Egg Harbor Township’s 4-2 win over Oakcrest. The visiting Falcons (0-3) put the tying runs on base in the top of the seventh, but a double play turned by EHT middle infielders Nick Pera and Kyle Transue, and a strikeout from reliever Hunter Barbieri, closed the door on EHT’s first victory of the season. The Eagles (1-1) were coming off a 3-2 season-opening loss to Vineland on Tuesday. “I didn’t really expect it to go out,” Milhan said of the home run. “I was busting down the line. I was hoping for a triple, but when I looked up it was over the fence.” Oakcrest’s Ryan Johnson was saddled with the loss despite a pretty good performance. He was charged with all four runs, but only one of them was earned, as Egg Harbor Township scored twice on throwing errors to third base on attempted steals. Oakcrest shortstop Donnie Stone makes a play on a slow ground ball during the Falcons’ game against Egg Harbor Township on Wednesday. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) Johnson’s RBI single to right gave Oakcrest a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, but EHT answered in the fourth on Milhan’s home run and when Andrew Holmes scored on a throwing error while stealing third base. The Falcons rallied to tie the game, 2-2, in the top of the sixth when courtesy runner Axel Castillo was sacrificed to second, advanced to third on a groundout, and scored on a wild pitch — one of the few mistakes by EHT starting pitcher Drew Hickman. Hickman went six innings, striking out five and allowing just three hits. “It’s good for both him and Brandon (Riggs). Against Vineland, Brandon threw three-hit ball over seven innings and I feel like we kind of wasted a great outing and a great effort by him,” Eagles coach Bryan Carmichael said. “Drew did an outstanding job today. I thought both of those guys, when we were in Myrtle Beach the last day … I didn’t think either one of them threw particularly well, so it was good for both of them to get out here (this week) and throw well.” Egg Harbor Township took the lead for good in the bottom of the sixth thanks to some clutch hitting and more aggressive base running. Milhan reached on an infield error and stole second before coming around to score on Holmes’ double into the gap in left-center field. That made it 3-2, and Holmes scored for the second time in the game on an errant throw to third on an attempted steal. Without a ton of power bats in the lineup, Carmichael said the Eagles are going to have to take chances on the bases in order to win games in a very tough Cape-Atlantic League. EHT’s Drew Hickman allowed just three hits in six innings while striking out five to get the win over Oakcrest. “I think we have the type of athletes where we can play that kind of style this year. We want to be aggressive on the base paths. Obviously, we’re going to run ourselves into some mistakes by being aggressive and we’ve done that already this year a couple times, but we’re going to keep being aggressive,” Carmichael said. “I don’t want to take that aggressiveness away from the kids. We call it a motion offense. We’re going to keep it moving. We want to try to take advantage of some stolen bases because of our team speed.” The Eagles went 7-for-8 in stolen-base attempts, including three steals by Holmes. In all, five different players had at least one stolen base for Egg Harbor Township. Carmichael said he wasn’t thrilled with the Eagles’ offensive performance, but he’ll take the win. “It’s obviously good to get the first win under our belts. I don’t think we are playing baseball the way we are capable of playing baseball. We’re not playing Egg Harbor Township baseball,” Carmichael said. “Early in the scrimmage season we were hitting the ball extremely well, but once we got down to Myrtle Beach, I don’t know what happened. I actually can’t wait for it to rain (Thursday) so that we can get inside and get a good, 2-hour hitting session in where we can fix some swings. We made some adjustments late in yesterday’s game, and today I thought our approach was a little bit better.” “There’s some tough competition and a lot of pitching (in the Cape-Atlantic League). Hopefully, we’ll pull off some wins. We have Ocean City on Friday, so we’re looking forward to that,” Milhan said. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: [email protected]; on Twitter @GDsullysays Brandon Mauk, Digital Sports Manager February 3, 2016 Filed under Baseball, Sports St. John’s enjoyed another landmark season in baseball last season, and they look to do it again in 2016, even after losing several key players from last year’s Big East title. The Red Storm (41-16 last season) dominated preseason honors as they get set for the NCAA baseball season. Edging out Creighton, they were voted by the coaches as the favorites to win their second straight Big East Championship. A testament to the program’s longevity and depth, the Johnnies remain a top notch ballclub despite losing several pitchers and key bats in their lineup, as they look again to other players to take that next step. Several Johnnies were named to individual Big East preseason honors. Centerfielder Alex Caruso, closer Thomas Hackimer, leftfielder Michael Donadio, and third baseman Robbie Knightes all earned unanimous selections to the Preseason All-Big East First Team. Catcher/designated hitter Troy Dixon was named to the Preseason All-Big East Second Team. “Preseason accolades can sometimes be a burden, though they’re certainly deserved. They’ve both created some expectations for themselves based on what they did last year, but 2016 is a new season. We just need them to go out and do their jobs and continue developing as players,” St. John’s head coach Ed Blankmeyer said. Caruso and Hackimer were also voted as Big East Preseason Player of the Year and Big East Preseason Pitcher of the Year, respectively. Caruso looks to continue to be a force at the top of St. John’s well-balanced offense. He led the league with a .382 batting average and a .480 OBP last season, and led conference play with a .412 average and a .524 OBP. After getting drafted in the 15th round in last year’s MLB Draft by the New York Mets, Hackimer opted to return for his senior season, as the submariner closer looks to cap off a dominant St. John’s career. He had a career-best 1.92 ERA and set the single-season program record in saves with 15 last year. St. John’s offense should continue to be a machine despite the graduation of Matt Harris, Jarred Mederos and Zach Lauricella. The Johnnies hit .288 with a .375 on-base percentage in 2015, averaging 5.65 runs per game, and four of their most important hitters, Donadio, Knightes, Caruso and Dixon have returned. “We have some depth in the lineup, particularly in right field where two or three guys could be vying for time. Gui Gingras comes in as a junior college transfer and fills the hole at first and we’ll slide Jesse Berardi over to shortstop.” Returning lettermen Jesse Berardi and Anthony Brocato look to move into full-time starters roles. Berardi, a middle-infielder, will replace Mederos at shortstop while Brocato is among the players trying to fill Lauricella’s spot in rightfield. Six St. John’s players were drafted into MLB last season, a program record. Out of those six, only Hackimer returned to the program for the 2016 season. Blankmeyer looks to replace all the innings thrown by starters Cody Stashak and Ryan McCormick and relievers Matt Clancy, Joe Kuzia and Alex Katz. “Starting pitching is the question mark. We have plenty of candidates and the ability is there, but we lack experience and it will take a few weekends to figure things out. You can’t teach experience,” Blankmeyer said. One of St. John’s traits as a program under Blankmeyer has been bringing in junior college transfers, and 2016 should be right on that narrative. Ryan McAuliffe and Joe Nellis are two transfers that Blankmeyer expects to be a serious boost to their rotation. With Hackimer being the only full-time reliever returning from last year, St. John’s expects their older, more experienced relievers like Joey Graziano and Joe Napolitano to step up and form that bridge to the 9th inning. St. John’s kicks off the 2016 campaign in Wilmington, N.C. at the Buffalo Wild Wings Battle at the Beach Tournament, hosted by UNC-Wilmington the weekend of Feb. 19. The Johnnies’ home opener is set for March 15 against Fairfield. They went 41-9 at Jack Kaiser Stadium the previous two seasons. - See more at: http://www.torchonline.com/sports/2016/02/03/baseball-preview-johnnies-picked-to-repeat-as-big-east-champions/#sthash.qOSdT894.dpuf CAL teams in the community By Tom Williams Sports Columnist shorenewstoday.com We watch them perform for three months in each of three seasons on the fields and courts, in the gyms and pools, on the tracks and courses. They are the varsity athletes from the Cape-Atlantic League – the boys and girls who are among the best in their school in their sports. They entertain us and surprise us. Some win championships, others struggle to compete. And, through it all, they maintain a proper level academically. But, in many cases, there is a lot more to these student-athletes. Inspired by their coaches, athletics directors and even their own ideas, these teenagers make a difference in their communities. Once again this year, we present some of the projects that owe their success, at least in part, to CAL student-athletes. The Ocean City field hockey team ran a car wash to raise money to sponsor a young girl through Change a Life Uganda. They have been paying for her education and food for her family for the past four years. The players volunteer for the OC 5K/Half Marathon, working two water tables throughout the race. They volunteered for the Tour De Tuckahoe Duathlon and bike tour. They have a Relay for Life team, raising money for American Cancer Society and spending the night as a team walking for a purpose. They raise money during October for the Making Strides Walk (American Cancer Society) and walk in that walk. The players volunteer to work the Ocean City Recreation summer and winter field hockey clinics. And the players volunteer for the Field Hockey Club of South Jersey’s Coaches Clinic each year. Over the course of the past year Absegami High School has sent several teams to help out at the South Jersey Field of Dreams. During the fall season, members of the girls tennis, football and field hockey teams took time to help out our special players. During the spring, Absegami softball, girls lacrosse, cheerleading and baseball have all donated their time to help the mentally and physically challenged kids of the league. A weekend does not go by without athletes and students from Absegami showing up to help out. Joe Sabath, a teacher and coach at Absegami, board member of Field of Dreams and the Galloway Township Humanitarian of the Year, also points out that athletic teams from Egg Harbor Township, Mainland and Cedar Creek have also donated their time during the spring of 2015. Ocean City High School’s girls cross country team volunteers at the Ocean City Half Marathon in September. They run in the 5K Police Chase in June, sponsored by the Ocean City PBA. And many volunteered and some ran in the mile run on Asbury Avenue around Christmas time. Egg Harbor Township High School’s baseball program dedicates time throughout the school year to various charitable causes and foundations. Our student-athletes volunteer their time at both the South Jersey Field of Dreams & Atlantic City Rescue Mission. We also participate in other charitable fundraiser activities such as the John R. Elliot Hero Walk, Movember, & St. Baldrick’s Foundation. The Ocean City girls crew team and coaching staff registered and participated in a 5K Pi Day run in the rain on the Boardwalk in Ocean City. The event benefited the Ocean City Education Association and was one of the many Pi Day activities that took place that day. The EHT softball team visited the Egg Harbor Township Recreation Department’s softball field and assisted at practice. They also participated in the HERO Walk. The Ocean City girls soccer team is very active in the community. Many of the players hold executive positions in the OCHS Key Club. Others are also involved in the Challenger program that helps kids with disabilities play the sports that they love. As a team, they volunteered as the most rambunctious water station in the Ocean City half marathon. Team Halliday was also the biggest fundraising team in Ocean City for the HERO walk. The HERO campaign seeks to end drunk driving tragedies nationwide by promoting the use of safe and sober designated drivers. Coach Kelly Halliday believes this is an important message for young adults. The Egg Harbor Township girls basketball team joined with Mainland Regional for a Pennies for Patients Fundraiser to help Mainland student Brianna Gansert. As is tradition, the EHT girls joined Absegami for an annual Coaches vs Cancer event where $900 was raised in memory or former EHT Coach Beth Hartman, who died of cancer. Ocean City’s football team has been involved in a reading program with Jen Ferrier's second grade class at the Ocean City Primary School since February. They've been going there twice a month at lunch and partnering up a football player with a student in the class to help them read their chapter books and work on a writing project. The Board of Education will recognize the students and invite them to read the stories they've written. The OCHS players also got out on the playground and threw the football around with them. Coach Kevin Smith said it has been a great partnership and they intend to continue it next year. The Atlantic Tech baseball team and the Egg Harbor Township boys cross country team both participated at the South Jersey Field of Dreams. The Ocean City baseball team volunteered to paint the baseball dugouts and bathrooms at their field and helped install the sod at the Amanda Fields baseball complex in Upper Township. Many players have volunteered their time coaching for the Challenger baseball program and they raised money for the Shirley Mae Breast Cancer Assistance Fund with a Strike Out Cancer Game against Oakcrest. Mainland and Ocean City softball teams played a Strike Down Cancer game at Northfield’s Bitch Grove Park that raised significant funds for cancer research. The Raiders gave up their home game to be part of the fund-raiser. And many other schools in the CAL have actively raised money for Coaches vs Cancer, a charitable activity that started in basketball and has spread to other sports. All 21 schools in the CAL were solicited for information about activities like these. Some did not reply yet. This is what the other schools sent. If more examples are received, they will be included in another column. Tom Williams’ sports columns can be found online at ShoreNewsToday.com, where comments can be made. Older columns are at OceanCitySports.com. Direct reactions or questions about the column can be sent via email to [email protected]. Egg Harbor Township junior right-hander Brandon Riggs is beginning to make a name for himself among the elite of Cape-Atlantic League pitching. A lot of talk has been made this season of the star pitchers the league has to offer, and rightfully so. Guys such as Matt Ardente of Absegami, Sean Mooney and Zach Altieri of Ocean City, Mike Vasturia of St. Augustine Prep, Kyle Gerace and Nick Droboniku of Mainland Regional, Denny Brady of Buena Regional and Alex Boney of Cedar Creek have made a name for themselves by building standout careers on the mound, and by winning big games against tough competition. Brandon Riggs has been one of Egg Harbor Township’s best pitchers the past two seasons, and the junior proved just how good he is by pitching the Eagles to a first-round playoff victory over a tough Absegami squad. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) Riggs has shown the ability to do that as well during his last two years on the varsity level. Last year, pitching coach Sean Coyle said, Riggs beat such teams as Eastern Regional (which went on to win the sectional championship), St. Augustine Prep and Malvern Prep. This year, Riggs is 5-2 with an ERA under 2.50, and recently out-dueled Ardente in an intense playoff matchup that EHT won 4-3. Perhaps the reason Riggs isn’t getting a lot of attention is because he doesn’t throw 90 mph and doesn’t rack up a ton of strikeouts. He is efficient, however, and simply pounds the strike zone and lets his fielders work behind him. He works quickly, which allows his defenders to get into a rhythm and makes for some quick innings. He may never be the type of pitcher who college recruiters salivate over and flock to see, but by the time his high school career is over next spring he could be a guy who has double-digit career wins and is among the league leaders in several pitching categories. — Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher Press staff reports Justin Epifanio went 3 for 3, including a double, with two runs and one RBI to lead host Egg Harbor Township High School to a 9-6 victory over Mainland Regional in a Cape-Atlantic League American Conference baseball game Thursday. EHT’s Bryan Brubaker added a two-run double and scored twice. Tyler Fischer struck out five through 31/3 innings to earn the win. Nick Trifetti, George Morton and Dean Deveny doubled for Mainland, which is ranked fourth in The Press Elite 11. The Mustangs play Delsea Regional today in the South Jersey Group III final. Mainland Regional 110 201 1—6 7 2 Egg Harbor Township 004 005 0—9 9 3 2B—Trifetti, Morton, Deveny M; Brubaker, Epifanio E. WP—Fischer (4-4) 5k. LP—Gagnon. Records—Mainland 22-5; EHT 15-13. MICHAEL McGARRY Staff Writer
The Press of Atlantic City GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP - Coach Bryan Carmichael of the Egg Harbor Township High School baseball team gave the Eagles a pep talk before they played Absegami in a playoff game Monday. "I talked to them (Sunday) while we were practicing," Carmichael said, "and I said, 'Why not us? Why can't we do this?' We belong here." Egg Harbor Township kept that faith even when it was three outs away from defeat. The Eagles scored three runs in their final at-bat to beat Absegami 4-3 in a South Jersey Group IV first round game. EHT, the No. 10 seed, will play at No. 2 seed Toms River North in the quarterfinals Thursday. The win gave EHT its first playoff victory in Carmichael's five seasons as coach. Shortstop Justin Epifanio began the winning rally with an infield single and scored the tying run. "Our goal was to play with as much heart as we could," Epifanio said. "We never stopped believing in ourselves." Egg Harbor and Absegami are Cape-Atlantic League American Conference rivals. Monday was the third meeting of the season between the Eagles and seventh-seeded Absegami. The schools had split their first two games with each team winning its home game. Monday turned into a pitcher's duel between Matt Ardente of Absegami and Brandon Riggs of EHT. Ardente struck out eight in the first six innings. Riggs finished with four strikeouts in 6.1 innings. He kept Absegami hitters off-balance for the most part with his cutter. Riggs also benefitted from excellent defense. Epifanio had seven assists at shortstop. Right fielder Gaby Carino made a diving, backhanded catch in the third inning. Still, EHT trailed 2-1 when it came to bat in the top of the seventh inning. Epifanio led off with an infield single. "I just wanted to grind out an at-bat and get on base any way I could," he said. The Eagles then took advantage of some Absegami miscues. The next two EHT hitters after Epifanio reached on Absegami throwing errors. After a strikeout, EHT attempted a squeeze play. Epifanio broke for the plate. The bunt wasn't necessary, however. The pitch was high and sailed to the backstop. Epifanio dove across home plate to tie the game at 2-2. "I just tried to get a good jump and not think about it too much," Epifanio said. The Eagles took a 3-2 lead when Nick Pera scored on a throwing error - the Braves' third miscue of the inning. Carino knocked in a run with a groundout to put EHT up 4-2. "We've been pretty consistent all year defensively," Absegami coach Brian Wastell said. "We imploded a little bit. We got out of sorts, and Egg Harbor Township made us pay for it." The Braves staged a mini rally of their own in the bottom of the seventh. Franco Ruiz knocked in a run with a two-out RBI single to cut EHT's lead to 4-3. But Eagles reliever Tyler Fischer threw a curveball to get an Absegami hitter to ground out to Epifanio for the final out. The batter before the final out Fischer had allowed Ruiz's RBI single. "I felt a lot of pressure," Fischer said. "But I just focused on the game. I just flushed (the Ruiz hit) and came back and threw the next pitch." EHT (14-11) has had some big wins the past two seasons. The Eagles qualified for the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic – which annually features 16 of South Jersey's top teams – last season. They beat Eastern, the top seed in the South Jersey Group IV bracket, this season. "We're a team that has flown under the radar," Carmichael said. A playoff run can bring the Eagles even more credibility and attention. Egg Harbor doesn't seem to mind it will be an underdog Thursday. "We never count ourselves out," Epifanio said. Contact: EHT 100 000 3-4 6 2 Absegami 000 200 1-3 6 4 2B-EHT: Holmes, Carino. AB: Barnett WP-Riggs (4k) LP-Ardente (9k) Save-Fischer (0Ks) Records-EHT 14-11; Absegami 12-9 |