June 10, 2012

Marist hoists up the championship trophy for winning the NJSIAA Non-Public, B title.

Marist State Championship Baseball Photo Gallery

TOMS RIVER – Marist may have made the seventh inning comeback look routine during its run through the state playoffs, but yesterday represented the team’s impressive one of them all.

Down by three runs heading into its final at-bat, the Royal Knights would need to muster up the resolve and clutch hits required to make their latest comeback.

Like it had the entire playoff run, Marist would do just that, scoring four runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat Newark Academy 11-10 and win the NJSIAA Non-Public B championship at Toms River East.

All four of Marist’s state playoff victories were by one run with the last three coming in walk-off fashion.

“We’ve worked hard to get here, we’ve battled,” Royal Knight coach Ron Hayward said. “Most of the games we’ve been down. It’s the same situation we’ve been in, but it’s three runs (this time). I just told my kids, what are we going to do. If we lose, we go home the (sectional) champs. If we win, we go home the (state) champs.”

“We don’t quit. We never quit,” said freshman Jordan Diaz. “We go hard the entire game and we don’t give up no matter what the score is. We could be down by 100, we’re coming back.”

Trailing 10-7, Marist (24-5) started its latest comeback with a leadoff single from pinch hitter Josh Witherspoon to chase pitcher Matt Ratner from the game. After a strikeout, Mark Peralta and Danny Mirabel singled to load the bases. Pinch hitter Aaron Smith re-entered the game and drew a bases-loaded walk to force in a run and make it 10-8.

The rally looked like it was going to end in heartbreak for the Bayonne school when Steve Tsugranes grounded to shortstop. Newark Academy (19-12) got the force at second base, but Tsugranes, not known for his speed, just beat out the throw to first base, allowing Peralta to score and keep the game alive.

“Right when I made contact, I knew I had to bust my (butt),” Tsugranes said. “I ran my hardest, put it out for the team and luckily I was safe. I didn’t want to lose the game.”

Then Hayward, who admits he isn’t afraid to “break the rules” of conventional baseball strategy, made perhaps the boldest in-game decision of his career. He told Diaz, a pinch-runner for Tsugranes, to break early from first base in hopes of creating havoc.

The strategy worked out of perfectly for Marist as Diaz forced the Minutmen’s Matt Kundla to balk, forcing home Mirabel with the tying run.

“I called them over and I said, we’re going to leave early,” Marist coach Ron Hayward said. “Whatever happens, happens. If we lose, I’ll take the blame. He did what he had to do.”

“There was nothing negative in mind at all once he told me what to do,” Diaz said. “I thought about it and I was like alright, I’m going to do it.”

With the game now tied, Derek Edge walked to set the stage for Tim Rodriguez, a senior right fielder.

Rodriguez took the first pitch he saw and hit a flare to right field for a base hit as Diaz raced around second to score the winning run and give Marist its first state title since 1991.

“It was just the first pitch I saw,” Rodriguez said. “I thought I could get it and let my hands go.

“I didn’t know if it was going to drop at first, but when it did it was the best feeling ever.”

It was the type of storybook ending which might not have seemed possible a few hours earlier.

Marist had its bus break down on the way to the field, prompting a 45-minute delay. The Royal Knights disastrous start continued into the game as Newark Academy scored in each of the first three innings. The Minutemen scored five times in the top of the third with a two-run single by Alex Mederos making it 7-3.

Marist would bounce back in the bottom half of the inning with four runs to tie it thanks to a pair of Newark Academy errors.

Fielding troubles would be an issue throughout the day for both squads. Marist made three errors, while Newark Academy made five errors, which led to six unearned runs for the Royal Knights.

Newark Academy’s Troy Sutton broke the tie in the sixth with a RBI single and a pair of Marist errors made it 10-7.

Matt Littrell (8-1), pitched four inning of relief to get the win for the Royal Knights. The sophomore righty struck out five batters and allowed three runs (one earned) on three hits, one walk and a hit batter.

Peralta was 3-for-5 with three runs, two RBI and two doubles in a day where the senior struggled on the mound. Rodriguez was 2-for-3 with three stolen bases as an aggressive Marist swiped six bags on the day. Mirabel was 2-for-4 with a RBI.

Steve Catena was 3-for-3 with a run, walk and stolen base for Newark Academy. Mederos had three RBI while Kundla, Randall Keur and Sean Mulligan had two hits apiece in defeat.

Marist mobs Jordan Diaz after he scores the game-winnig run vs Newark Academy.

Marist State Championship Baseball Photo Gallery