Matawan Rolls Into Semifinals With Upset Of Manasquan

Pictured above: Starting and winning pitcher Nick Smith, reliever Richard Joa and team congratulates Joa after final out.

MANASQUAN – Three Matawan pitchers combined to hold sixth-seeded Manasquan to one run on five hits as the 14th-seeded Huskies upset the heavily-favored Warriors 5-1 on Friday in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II tournament in Manasquan.

The heavy-hitting Warriors (14-10) came into the game batting .323 as a team but Matawan’s trio of starting pitcher Nick Smith (3-3) and junior relievers Colin Thompson and Richard Joa shut down the Manasquan bats while the Matawan offense banged out 10 hits and scored five runs in support.

Smith, who also picked up the save in the Huskies 4-2 first-round upset of third-seeded Johnson on Tuesday, allowed one run on four hits while walking four and striking out three with one hit batsman. He helped his own cause by going 2-for-3 at the plate with an RBI in their two-run third inning.

The hard-throwing righty wiggled out of a two-out bases-loaded situation in the second inning and after walking the first two batters in the bottom of the fifth, he retired the next three batters including a run-scoring sacrifice fly by University of Virginia football recruit and captain Tanner Cowley for the Warriors only run of the game.

“They’re a tough team; I just had to change speeds, change spots, just battle,” Smith said. “We’re in a good division and we’re battle tested. We just got to put the three aspects of the game together and we’re starting to do that now. After the two walks I was getting tired. I just had to pound the zone and couldn’t give them free passes. I knew if I could get out of the inning we would be in good position to win with our relievers.”

“Nicks a varsity basketball player – along with Piscopo and Esposito – who won a sectional championship last year,” Matawan head coach Bobby Carnovsky said. “So he’s used to pressure situations. Nothings too big for him; he always battles.”

Thompson entered the game in the bottom of the sixth with a 2-1 lead and promptly struck out the first two batters before surrendering a two-out hit on a nice hustle play by second baseman Matt Paturzo stretching a single into a double on a ball lined into left-center. However, Paturzo was left stranded at second after Thompson induced lead-off hitter Max Hawkins to fly out to centerfield to end the inning.

“Colin’s been a starter and reliever for us,” Carnovsky said. “He’s progressively gotten better as the years gone on. I had all the confidence in the world going to him.”

With the score still 2-1 entering the top of the seventh, the Huskies (11-12) took the wind out of the Warriors sails scoring three insurance runs to give Joa some breathing room in the bottom of the inning.

Junior designated hitter Adam Elliott and Smith belted back-to-back singles to lead off the seventh. Third baseman Nick Villanueva then whiffed before senior second baseman Alex Cella grounded a single through the 4-3 hole to load the bases for right fielder Kyle Chapman. Chapman answered with a RBI line-drive single into left, Billy Rodriguez was hit by a pitch to drive in a run and pinch hitter Isaiah Phillip drove in a run with a 4-3 ground out.

Now with four runs to work with, and the Matawan dugout vocally supporting his every pitch, Joa retired the side in order with two K’s including a game-defining strike out of catcher Tyler Bradley for the final out.

“Joa’s lights out,” Carnovsky said. “We knew with him on the mound we we’re good; and those three runs we’re nice.”

“I’m really proud of our relief pitchers,” Smith said. “They’re underclassman, haven’t been here before and they just threw strikes and battled.”

Competing in the ultra-competitive Class B North with the likes of No. 1 ranked Colts Neck (21-4), third-ranked Wall (20-8), seventh-ranked Red Bank Catholic (19-7) and always strong Ocean Township (16-10) the Huskies fell just below the .500 mark at the time of the cutoff for the Shore Conference Tournament after absorbing four one-run losses including two to Red Bank Catholic and one each to Wall and Colts Neck.

“Our division is pressure baseball almost every game,” said Carnovsky. “Going into the playoffs I told the guys ‘we’re ready.’ We’re playing loose, as the No. 14 seed technically you’re supposed to lose, but we don’t think so. From day one all we kept saying was ‘let’s just get in.’ We had a tough two-week stretch that was pretty demoralizing but the guys stuck together and stood by me and I stood by them.”

Matawan is an up-and-coming baseball program and after being left out of the SCT they’re using the state tournament as means of redemption. They’ve already knocked off the No. 3 and sixth-seeded teams and have second-seeded Gov. Livingston (24-6) waiting in the wings.

“It’s going to be a tough game, Livingston’s good,” Smith said. “But if we hit, field and pitch the way we’ve been doing I think we can come out on top.”

Elliott went 2-for-4 with an RBI, senior centerfielder Joe Piscopo had a single and three walks – two intentionally – and Chapman added a hit and a walk in four at bats with an RBI for the Huskies.

“We’ve played our best baseball of the year the last three weeks,” Carnovsky said. “I told the guys it’s a marathon not a sprint. The SCT didn’t work out for us but what we’re doing now is just as big or bigger and that’s what counts now.”

Paturzo, Edwards and Adam Schreck all collected doubles for the Warriors with Paturzo adding a single in three at bats. The Warriors will get a chance to rebound when they play CBA in a SCT semifinal game Wednesday at Count Basie Park in Red Bank.

Follow @getmready