Martorano's Walk-Off RBI In The Eighth Sends CBA Into SCT Semifinals

Photo’s above: Colts mob Martorano; Martorano’s game-winning swing

LINCROFT – Junior catcher Brandon Martorano dropped a single down the first base line with one out in the bottom of the eighth to score James Miller from second base with the winning run in Christian Brothers Academy’s 6-5 comeback win over No.6 seed Middletown South in Wednesday’s SCT quarterfinal matchup in Lincroft.

It was Martorano’s second game-winning hit in two days after his RBI double in the bottom of the seventh in Tuesday’s Monmouth County Tournament final gave the Colts (20-5) their second-straight and seventh overall MCT title.

The University of North Carolina-bound slugger also clubbed two mammoth home runs over the fence in the deepest part of the park in left centerfield Wednesday, including his second one in the bottom of the seventh with one out to pull the No. 3 seed Colts to within three, 5-2, while at the same time injecting some life into his team and igniting the four-run rally.

“I was looking for a fastball for sure there,” Martorano said. “I didn’t see any off-speed stuff and they were working me away so I got into a good 2-0 count where I could do some damage. The home run definitely sparked us, it gave us some juice - we were very, very flat today. I’ll knock us for that, but it’s also tough to play a night game that ends at twelve and then come back the next day, but this team has a lot of fight.”

“I was worried about a letdown, we were a little flat at the start,” Colts head coach Marty Kenney said. “Even after a win like that it’s tough to come right back. I was just hoping eventually we’d get a little bit of fight in us and we did. I thought we played well the final three innings; you saw a lot more life.”

Junior Luca Dalartri - another UNC recruit – followed Martorano’s homer with a line-drive double down the third base line before Eagles shortstop Johnny Zega misplayed a bad-hop grounder off the bat of leftfielder Shane Turk positioning runners at the corners.

Senior Matt D’Angelo then drilled a sinking liner to centerfield that Nolan Pereless dove for in vain with both Dalarti and Turk scoring and D’Angelo taking third on a wild throw by Pereless to make it 5-4 still with only one out.

Eagles senior right-hander Zac deRocco relieved junior Bobby Gyurindak and promptly uncorked a wild pitch to tie the game before getting the final two outs of the inning.

In the top of the eighth, the Eagles (20-8) advanced runners to second and third with only one out but failed to push a run across the plate. With one out, deRocco was hit by a pitch and pinch-run for by Tom Frandsen. Sophomore Jeremy Joyce reached on an infield hit putting runners on first and second and Frandsen stole third on a controversial call with Joyce taking second.

However, Colts pitcher Ken Campbell, who had relieved James Miller in the top of the sixth with one out – worked his way out of the jam striking out sophomore Jeff Lewandowski and getting Pereless to fly out to centerfield leaving the runners stranded.

Miller led off the bottom of the eighth with a bunt single against the Eagles fifth pitcher of the day Colin Bergin and junior centerfielder Sid Porter beat out a perfectly placed intended sacrifice bunt down the first base line for a hit, putting Miller in scoring position. Senior Andrew Buccellato then popped out to short before Martorano ended it the game-winner.

“We definitely like to keep it interesting,” Martorano said. “We’re really good at getting clutch hits and I’ve just been lucky enough the last two games to get up and get the job done. But it would not be possible without those baserunners getting on, so they did a great job getting on with a couple of great bunts and I just happened to get a bloop hit.”

“Sometimes you can wait too long but I could sense even at the start of the inning they knew they had to make something happen,” Kenney said. “Generally we have fought back in situations like this and today, fortunately, things went our way.”

Martorano finished 3-for-5 with three RBI, two home runs and two runs scored, Dalattri went 2-for-2 with two walks, a double and a run scored, Miller had two singles in four at bats with a run scored and Porter added a double and a single in five trips to the plate.

Campbell picked up the win in relief going 2.2 innings allowing one unearned run on four hits, struck out three and walked two.

For the Eagles, Pereless went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, Mangarelli had two singles and two RBI in four plate appearances, Austin Markmann added a single, sacrifice fly RBI, walk and run scored while Joyce went 3-for-4 with an RBI. Bergin took the loss in relief.

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