Rough Day for the Rebels, Drop Second Game in a Row

Things were looking good early for the Howell High School baseball team on Saturday.

Although Dan Watson allowed a run for the first time this season, the Rebels  held a lead after the first inning courtesy of a Jordan Reizer three run home run. The busy inning foreshadowed the rest of a high scoring game, that saw St. Rose outlast Howell in an 8-6.

The pesky Roses scored a run in every inning except the sixth on Saturday. Watson lasted four innings, surrendering five runs, two of which were unearned. Without his best stuff in the cold weather, Watson battled all day striking out five.

Howell dealt with injury trouble all game, replacing their starting third basemen and short stop in the same inning. Shortstop Carmine Palummo was removed from the game just before the third inning started. Palummo's arm injury forced the Rebels to move around their infield, having first basemen Joe Raccuglia play third base and shifting third basemen Brody High to shortstop. Later in the inning, High suffered a finger injury and was replaced.

"It's part of the game," said Howell head coach Eric Johnson. "Sometimes you're going to have to overcome adversity."

With the score tied at 6  in the top of the seventh, the Roses' Steve Frost hit a one out triple. With the infield in, Howell pitcher Jordan Whalen got the next batter to strike out before Kevin Case hit an RBI double to give the Roses the lead. The next batter for St. Rose reached on an error, scoring Case scored to give the Roses an 8-6 lead.

After the game, Johnson did not comment on anything in particular, but was clearly upset with fundementals of his squad.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Raccuglia led off with a solo home run to tie the score at 6, but the Rebels could not produce another run.

Reizer was Howell's biggest threat of the day, he went 2-for-3, adding an infield hit to go along with his three- run first inning bomb.

Before Reizer's shot, Carmine Palummo hit an RBI single that scored second baseman Brian Blood. Catcher Kyle Conrad hit a single as he and Palummo scored on the home run.

A large strike zone had the Rebel batters shaking their heads all day, but Johnson claimed the complaints were not merited. "They had to deal with it, too. It was the same for both sides all day."

Things will not be getting any easier for the Rebels as they will take on state power Toms River South on Monday at 10 a.m. Following the trip to Toms River, the Rebels will be at home to take on to take on Freehold Township on Wednesday.