Shore Regional Stuns Pennsville For Trip To Group I Final

WEST LONG BRANCH – Heading into Tuesday’s NJSIAA Group I semifinal, Shore Regional senior left-hander Matt Cosentino knew that the Pennsville bats had been putting up huge numbers on the board all season long.  

“This team (Pennsville) was 28-2 and ranked third in the state,” Cosentino said. “I checked their schedule and they beat a team 39-0, but I felt we were a little more battle tested then them, we don’t play a Group I schedule we play mostly Group I and II. We know how to battle; we play in a tough division and tough conference. We have to battle every game. We’ve learned to win by being scrappy and scoring runs anyway we can and that all comes together in June.”    

Cosentino(7-1) tossed a complete game shutout against a team which had not been shut out all season, averaged 10.7 runs a game and hit over .400 as a team. He shut down the meat of their order, with 3-4-5 hitters Josh Shrimp (.617, 10 HR, 56 RBI), Eric Lankenau (.425, 8 HR 46, RBI) and Mitch Walker (.356, 4 HR, 30 RBI) going a combined 0-for-8 with one hit batsman.

The George Washington University recruit held one of the most potent offenses in the state to just four hits - one extra base hit - struck out seven, walked one and hit a batter in Shore Regionals 5-0 Group I semifinal win played in their own backyard at Monmouth University in West Long Branch.

With the win, the Blue Devils (18-9) will play in its first Group final since losing to Pequannock in Group II in 2009, and will face the winner of Wednesday’s Dayton-Ridgefield game at one of the three Toms River schools with a chance to win their first Group title since 1993.  

He had the power-hitting Eagles off balance all day, mixing in a combination of two different curveballs, a cutter, slider and a fastball. He continually froze the Pennsville hitters by throwing off their timing with his breaking stuff and had them fouling off pitches by chasing his curve early in the count.

“I’ve changed my mentality of pitching since early in the year with reverse pitching,” Cosentino said. “Getting ahead with my off-speed stuff and then coming back with my fastball. Any team at this point can hit fastballs, so if I throw off speed early they’re expecting it and are sitting ducks when I throw my fastball; it screws with them. I'm not a guy that blows the fastball by you but when I get ahead I can go after guys.”

“He’s a different pitcher since the Monmouth Regional game early in the season,” Shore coach Pat O’Neil said. “He’s keeping hitters off balance instead of just attacking with his fastball and throwing curves in curve ball counts; he’s working it backwards.”

Cosentino got all the run support he needed in the top of the first inning. Leadoff hitter Clayton Coffey lined a single up the middle and No.2 hitter Andrew Schulz brought him home with a line-drive triple into the right-centerfield gap for an early 1-0 lead. Two batters after Schulz’s triple, third baseman James Kelly made it 2-0 bouncing an infield hit between first and second.

“I got the hit-and-run sign on the first pitch so I figured it (the pitch) was going to be there,” Schulz said. “And there it was, right down the middle and I smoked it. With Coz (Cosentino) the mound and our defense behind him I felt pretty good about our chances. Playing in Class A Central we face really good pitchers every game.”

The Eagles almost got one back in the bottom of the inning after Cosentino gave up a one-out triple and hit a batter, but he sandwiched them in between strikeouts. He got all three outs in the inning via strikeouts, including the final one on a 3-2 curve ball to the pitcher Mitch Walker. Five of Cosentino’s first six outs came on K’s.

The Blue Devils threatened again in the top of the second against Walker, who was undefeated at 9-0 entering the game, but came up empty. Justin Halper led off with a Baltimore-chopper to short, just beating the throw to first.  First baseman Matt McCarthy sacrificed him to second on a perfect bunt to the pitcher and Sam Parrino walked to put runners at first and second with one out.

Coffey then lined a sharp single to right to load the bases after the runner was held at third with a good chance to score on the play. A strikeout and line drive out to centerfield ended the scoring threat and the score remained 2-0.

Walker then retired the next nine batters in a row before the Blue Devils added some insurance with another two runs in the top of the sixth.

With one out, catcher Nick Blaney walked and designated hitter Dylan Vosk lined a single into right field. A passed ball put runners at second and third before Halper was hit by a pitch to load the bases. McCarthy then chopped a 3-2 pitch up the middle against a drawn in infield for two runs and 4-0 lead.

In the meantime, Cosentino retired 11 in a row between the second and fifth innings before giving up a harmless two-out single to catcher Chase Flinkenberger. In the sixth, after walking the leadoff batter, he set down the next three batters in a row to end the inning.

The Blue Devils tacked on a two-out run in the seventh on singles by Kelly and Blaney and an error on the throw to third allowing Kelly to score.

With the skies now threatening in the bottom of the seventh and the Eagles chances of winning now just as ominous, left fielder Dylan Cummings lined a single past a diving McCarthy to give the Eagles one last thread of hope.

However, Shore’s defense - which sparkled all day after committing five errors in their semifinal win – turned a 6-4-3 double play to erase the runner and got Austin Moore to ground out second to first to end the game.

In terms of pure upsets, this game ranks as one of the biggest upsets in the entire state this season, and Shore has won 12 of their last 15 games, while giving up only four runs in their five state playoff wins.  

“Things are clicking for us, we’re doing everything right,” Cosentino said. “Our motto all year has been 'unfinished business.' We finished a little business winning the sectional but that’s nothing to reflect upon if we lose, we want the Group I title to really finish.”   

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