Garvey, Dalatri Pitch CBA Into First Non-Public A Final Since 2009

Photo above: Team celebrates first Non-Public South A title since 2009

WEST LONG BRANCH – Christian Brothers Academy’s pitcher Mike Garvey made the most of an unexpected start in Wednesday’s Non-Public South A final after two-consecutive days of rainouts threw a monkey wrench into the Colts set pitching rotation.

Thinking he had started his final game of his high school career in last Friday’s win over Immaculata to help the Colts advance to the NJSIAA Non-Public A final, Garvey picked up his seventh win of the season in Wednesday’s 2-0 over Bishop Eustace for the Colts first sectional title since 2009.

Bishop Eustace (24-6) was ranked No.2 in the NJ.Com Top 20 entering the game while the Colts (25-5) were ranked 18th.

Garvey tossed five innings of shutout ball then handed the game over to junior Luca Dalarti, who recorded a six-out save, as the two pitchers combined to throw a three-hit shutout and a trip to Saturday’s Non-Public A final against the states No.1 ranked team and No.8 team in the nation, Don Bosco (29-0).

The senior right-hander (7-1) need only 69 pitches to get the job done, giving up only one hit, struck out five - including the final two batters he faced in the fifth inning – walked one and hit a batter in five stellar innings of work.

“I didn’t think I was going to pitch at all.” Garvey said. “My team needed me, so I felt I needed to come out today and do my best. Coach told me not to think about throwing seven innings today and I knew I had Luca (Dalatri) behind me and I just had to get there. This was my biggest game of the year and I just tried to do my best. Everything was working so I did pretty good today, I guess.”

“We were hoping he (Garvey) could get through the fifth inning because it was the seven, eight and nine (hitters) and we thought he could handle them, and fortunately he did. CBA head coach Marty Kenney said. It’s phenomenal (what he did); he had total command mixing all three of his pitches and kept us in the ballgame. ”

Dalatri – the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year and University of North Carolina recruit – entered the game in the top of the sixth and immediately made things interesting.

Facing the top of the order, Dalatri gave up an infield hit to leadoff batter Chris Jones on a play that Colts shortstop Matt D’Angelo made a superb back-handed stop in the hole but his throw to first was split-second late. Dalatri then struck out the next two batters on a 2-and-2 off-speed breaking ball and a blazing fast ball for the second out.

Crusader first baseman Ryan DiMeo extended the inning with chopper up the middle and went to second base on Colts centerfielder Cid Porter’s ill-advised throw to third that put runners in scoring position at second and third. With the go-ahead run now at the plate, Dalatri relied on his fastball to strike out No.5 hitter Steve DeBellis on a foul tip that Colt catcher Brandon Martorano held on to for the third out.

Dalatri then worked a perfect 1-2-3 seventh, in which he struck out the final two batters he faced to give him five K’s in two innings pitched.

“It was something I had to do (relief) for the first time this season,” Dalatri said. “I just got loose and went out there like it was the second or third inning. I knew I could let go a little bit more today and throw a little harder.”

“His fastball (Dalatri) had some great life on it today,” Martorano said. “He had control of his slow breaking pitch and that’s key for him. He was working low in the zone going inside-and-out with it.”

“Mike (Garvey) did a great job - you couldn’t ask for anything more,” Dalatri added. “He settled in to be such a good pitcher. He went out there and pitched his heart out for us. He knew this was going to be his last start of the season and career and he wasn’t going to lose.”

The Colts scored in the bottom of the second when Martorano – a University of North Carolina recruit - hit a towering fly ball that easily cleared the fence in left field for his tenth homer of the season and 1-0 lead. Dalatri followed with a walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Shane Turks line-drive single into right-centerfield to make it 2-0.

D’Angelo then lined a single into centerfield to keep the inning going, putting runners at first and second and still no outs, before Ken Campbell whiffed, James Miller bunted the runners over and Porter grounded out to end the inning.“ Brandon’s home run was huge; it gave us a lot of confidence at the start,” Kenney said. “He always comes up big and battles at the plate - he’s got surprising power for a kid his size.”

“I’ve been playing with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder,” Martorano said. “I want to be considered one of the best players in the state. That’s been my goal since freshman year and I’m just happy I can go out there and do a good job for the team. I was looking fastball but he hung a curve and I did the best I could with it.”

CBA enters Saturday’s showdown with Don Bosco having won 11 games in a row but still has some unfinished business to take care of Thursday night when they face Red Bank Catholic in the Shore Conference Tournament final which was originally scheduled for last Monday.

“This program has had phenomenal success and we just want to keep it going,” Martorano said. “We want to be able to get coach his third state title - that’s huge for us - and we want to be remembered as the team that got five championships (in one season) for CBA.”

CBA tied Middletown South for the Class A North championship, won the Monmouth County Tournament, yesterday took home the Non-Public South A title, tonight they go for the SCT title and Saturday the Non-Public A championship.

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