Dalatri Breaks Shore Conference Win Record, Pitches CBA To Third Straight SCT Title

Game Photo's above by Tom Smith and Mike Ready

LAKEWOOD – Throughout the years, Christian Brothers Academy has churned out a slew of top-flight pitching prospects including current Boston Red Sox reliever Pat Light, who posted a career 20-0 record with an ERA of 1.52 for the Colts.

But long-time CBA coach Marty Kenny, who’s pretty much coached all of them, knew he had something special four-short years ago when Luca Dalatri first took the mound as a freshman.

Wednesday night at First Energy Park in Lakewood, Dalatri tossed a five-hit shutout to win his 35th career game, setting the Shore Conference all-time win record while leading top-seeded CBA (21-9) to a 2-0 win over No.2 seed Middletown South (23-6) for its third consecutive Shore Conference Tournament title and seventh overall.

“He was ahead of everybody else, “said Kenny, who just completed his 43rd season as CBA’s head coach and is the state’s second winningest all-time coach with 777 wins. I could probably rattle off 8-10 guys who maybe their junior and senior years were kind of comparable; Pat (Light) would be one of them. But with Luca you could see it his first year. He was just getting his feet on the ground and the two losses that he had he could’ve easily won if we had hit the ball; he could’ve easily have been 37-0. Then he made that big jump from freshman to sophomore year and has been there ever since.”

Dalatri concluded his career with a 35-2 record breaking the record of 34 set by 2006 Toms River East graduate and current Rutgers University assistant coach Casey Gaynor (34-4), who was in attendance to watch his 10-year record be broken.

Since his freshman year when he went 5-2, Dalatri has won 30 straight games dating back to the start of the 2014 season. He finished his senior season 10-0 allowing only four earned runs all season for a 0.42 ERA in 67 innings pitched. He recorded 118 K’s while giving up four walks with 33 hits allowed.

For his career he logged 249 2/3 innings, allowed 140 hits, struck out 370 and walked a mere 36 batters while posting an incredible 0.67 career ERA.

“I can’t thank enough people for the opportunity. I made the best decision of my life when I was 14 years old to come to CBA,” Dalatri said. “Besides the baseball stuff and records I’m going to remember all my teammates, all my best friends and brothers that I’ve made in my four years.

“It’s nice to say I have the record; it’s humbling to be looked at like that. But I’m going to keep saying, at the next level, I have zero wins wherever I go. So I’m going to have to keep working hard and start off a new slate and keep going from there.”

In typical Dalatri fashion, he worked himself out of a bases loaded, no-out jam in the top of the first inning but it wasn’t easy for Dalatri as Middletown South had its share of base runners with Dalatri retiring the side in order in only two of his seven innings of work.

Eagles centerfielder Tom Gannon led off the game poking a single through the 3-4 hole and after a Dalatri error on a throw to second on a sacrifice bunt attempt put runners on first and second, shortstop Johnny Zega singled through the left side of the infield loading the bases.

Dalatri then struck out the next two batters before inducing No.6 hitter Zach Schild to hit into a 6-4 fielder’s choice ground out to end the inning.

The Colts put up a run in the bottom of the second when a wind-aided double by Kenny Campbell fell into nowhere land in short center with Gannon, right fielder Tom Frandsen and second baseman Austin Markmann all converging on the sky ball.

Middletown South starting pitcher Jon Martin retired the next two batters before walking Luke Chece and giving up a line-drive RBI single into center on a 0-and-2 pitch for the only run Dalatri would need in the game. Martin then struck out All-American catcher Branden Martorano for the second time in the game to end the inning.

In the top of the third, Gannon was hit by a pitch and advanced to third with two outs, stealing second and third base, but was left stranded when Dalatri got Markmann on a harmless fly ball to center.

Then in the fourth, a one-out single by Schild and a hit batter put runners at first and second with only one out but Dalatri did what he does best, striking out the next two batters to end the inning.

Middletown South’s defense prevented further damage in the fourth when back-to-back defensive gems got Martin out of the inning.

With one out, Zega fully extended himself diving to his right deep in the hole on a line drive to take a hit away from Evan Menendez then Frandsen robbed Andrea Dalatri with a diving catch on a sinking liner tailing away from him that would easily fallen for at least a double if he had failed to make the play.

Eagles third baseman Jeremy Joyce kept the string of defensive web-gems intact in the fifth robbing the leadoff batter Chece of an extra-base hit down the third base line with a leaping grab of a scorching liner for the first out of the inning.

Martin got the second out of the inning before singles by Martorano and Dalatri put runners on the corners and Nick Hohenstein dropped an RBI double down the third base line driving in Martorano for a 2-0 lead. Martin got Brian Golden to ground out to third to end the inning with runners on second and third.

The Eagles got something going in the sixth with one out thanks to an error and a bunt single but again Dalatri struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Dalatri recorded his ninth and tenth strikeout of the game for the first two outs and after surrendering a two-out double got the final out of the game – and his high school career – on a ground out to his brother Andrea at third base.

Of his 98 pitches thrown Wednesday night, Dalatri threw 72 for strikes. He struck out 10, walked none and hit two batters in his high school finale. It was CBA's fourth win over Middletown South this season with Dalatri picking up three of those four wins.

“He’s just better than everyone else. It’s that simple,” said Martorano, who will be accompanying Dalatri to the University of North Carolina next season depending on the outcome of this week’s MLB draft for both players. “He’s a man among boys out here. He’s light years ahead of a lot of other pitchers in the Shore Conference and he just continues to show that he’s the best overall player in the state of New Jersey and he’s been that since probably his sophomore year.

“It hasn’t sunk into either one of us yet because we still have goals and ambitions ahead of us but ten championships for the two of us is very special and I do feel we left our mark here at CBA and left a lasting legacy and hopefully the future can follow.”

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