JANOFSKY LOSES NO-HIT BID IN SEVENTH; PITCHES JACKSON TO GROUP IV CHAMPIONSHIP
By Mike Ready
TOMS RIVER – After walking two Roxbury batters in the first inning and hitting the lead-off man in the second inning, Jackson pitcher Brandon Janofsky got a visit to the mound from pitching coach J.M. Gold.
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Gold, who pitched for pitched at Toms River North from 1995-98 and was the Milwaukee Brewers’ first round draft choice and No.13 pick overall in the 1998 draft, said it was clear Janofsky was pitching better out of the stretch when he had men on base.
Janofsky got out of the first two innings with a strikeout looking in the first and three-straight ground outs in the second on his way to a one-hit classic. He took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and the Jaguars (20-7) made two fourth-inning runs hold up to beat Roxbury, 2-0, to win their first Group title since 1972 when they won the Group III title.
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Even though he got out of those first two innings unscathed, Janofsky wasn’t feeling comfortable on the mound and in particular out of the windup.
“He said, ‘Coach, can I stay in the stretch?’ I said, ‘Brandon, whatever works for you,’” Gold said. “It was his decision and he made all the right decisions Saturday.”
“That was something I did for the first time ever,” Janofsky said. “I just felt more comfortable pitching out of the stretch when I had men on base early. So I asked if I could stay in the stretch; I never tried that before for a whole game and it obviously worked.”
Janofsky was virtually unhittable after beaning designated hitter Craig Roumes leading off the second. He retired the next 15-of-16 batters he faced entering the seventh, with a fifth-inning walk being his lone blemish.
The way Janofsky was now mowing down one Gael after another; rumblings of a no-hitter had begun to circulate throughout the standing-room-only crowd as early as the fifth inning. Now, entering the bottom of the seventh with the no-hitter still intact and holding a 2-0 lead, the bi-partisan crowd was hanging on Janofsky’s every pitch.
“I became aware of it after the fourth inning, but I tried not to say anything,” Janofsky said. “Honestly, I don’t think I talked to a sole in the dugout today.
Leading off the bottom of the seventh, relief pitcher Timmy Pilrun tapped a slow roller up the middle. Jaguar second baseman John Carello charged and bare-handed it to first as he fell to the ground; his throw just beating Pilrun to the bag and preserving the no-hitter with two outs to go.
Janofsky then worked the count to 0-and-2 on Roumes and thought he had him struck out on a two-strike fastball, but a ball was called to the chagrin of the Jackson dugout and their die-hard fans.
Roumes then quieted the crowed by lining a clean single into left field to not only break up the no-hitter but give his team new life.
“After the hit I knew I couldn’t break down - I still had a job to do,” Janofsky said. “We still had the lead and It’s not about what I do, It’s about what we do and we win as a team.”
Unperturbed, Janofsky remained focused while exhibiting an incredible calmness on the mound for a pitcher with so much riding on his shoulders.
Now, with the no-hitter gone and the potential tying run at the plate, Janofsky struck out Gaels right fielder Kyle Macrae for the second out and induced third baseman Stephen Loreng to ground out to third baseman Kyle Johnson to end the game and put the finishing touches on a remarkable post-season run.
“I really don’t think the 0 (no-hitter) mattered to him,” Jaguar coach Frank Malta said. “What mattered to him was that pile at the end and that trophy at the end.”
In his complete game seven-inning one-hit shutout, Janofsky - only a junior -struck out seven, walked three and hit a batter.
With Saturday’s win, he finishes his first season as a pitcher with a record of 7-0 and an earned-run average of 0.89 in 47 innings pitched. During the NJSIAA Tournament, he went 3-0 with a 1.00 ERA, 15 hits allowed, 27 strikeouts and only seven walks while hurling three complete games.
“This is Brandon’s first year pitching and we tried to save him a little bit,” Malta said. “We started him early then sort of shut him down, having him throw in relief. Once we got to post season we took the chains off him and let the dogs run; he’s been unbelievable.”
Roxbury pitcher Nick Busby was a perfect 8-0 entering the game and retired the first nine batters he faced in order entering the fourth inning.
“We saw what he was doing, pitching backwards, keeping us off balance with a lot of breaking balls,” Malta said. “Before we hit in the fourth we said we were not going to swing at the fastball. We were going to adjust to and hit the breaking ball; for that inning (4th) it worked.”
With one out in the bottom of the fourth, sophomore third baseman Kyle Johnson lined a 3-2 pitch into right center for the games first hit. Centerfielder Joe Maugeri bobbled the ball allowing the speedy Johnson to take second base. After Matt Guarino fouled out to right, senior Mike Petrizzo lined a double down the left field line scoring Johnson form second for a 1-0 lead.
“That was the biggest hit of my life,” Perrizzo said. “The first pitch was an off-speed pitch, I was looking for it all the way and I got it; it feels great.”
Two pitches later, junior center fielder Joe Demaio hammered a 1-0 pitch off the right centerfield wall for an RBI triple for all the runs the Jaguars would need the rest of the way.
“I was thinking off-speed pitch, but at 2-and-0 I got a fastball right down the middle,”Demaio said. “It was nice giving Brandon a little insurance. In a 1-0 game your pitcher has to be perfect and Brnadon was perfect today; it didn’t matter what the score was.”
Coming into the game, Roxbury (25-8-1) was ranked No.13 in the state and was in the midst of one their most successful seasons ever. They won the Morris County Tournament, won a sectional title for the first time since 2001, set school records for victories (25) and winning streaks (16) and were making their first-ever trip to a state final.
“This town really deserves a state champion, I just love Jackson and I love this team,” Janofsky said. “Three weeks ago I don’t think anyone could’ve imagined this and most everyone wrote us off. But we came together as a team and we won as a team.”
“We knew what we had here and we knew we had work to do,” Malta said. “We challenged our guys and when I say challenged ... I mean, you didn’t want to be around us. We changed some things that got our offense going, and as a team we became more consistent. That fourth inning was a microcosm of what this season was about for us. It was making the adjustment and doing what it takes to have this celebration; I couldn’t be more proud of this team.”
