No. 9 Middletown South Beats Howell 4-3 In Extra Innings

Photos by Tom Smith https://tspimages.myportfolio.com/portfolios

MIDDLETOWN – It isn’t often that a relief pitcher blows a save opportunity then an inning later gets a chance to redeem himself at the plate, but that’s exactly what happened to sophomore Jack Shea in Tuesday’s Middletown South, Howell baseball game.

Middletown South took a 3-0 lead into the top of the seventh behind starting pitcher Danny Minze (1-1), who had pitched brilliantly through six innings allowing no runs, two walks and just two infield hits, one of which easily could’ve been scored an error, before running out of gas with one out in the top of the seventh inning.

“His pitch count was higher than it’s been all year,” said Eagles head coach Ryan Spillane of Minze, who finished with an even 100 pitches in 6 1/3 innings. “Danny pitched his butt off today and did exactly what we needed him to do. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t finish it but he pitched great today.”

When asked if he thought about taking Minze out after six innings Spillane said, “I thought about it, but when he came off the mound I asked him how he felt and he said, ‘I’m finishing this coach’ and when a starting pitcher pitches his ass off the way he pitched you have to give him the opportunity to finish it off.”

Minze struck out leadoff batter Ryan Bearse for the first out of the inning but Chris Ellison and Chris Acampora then stroked solid singles putting runners on first and second and bringing Spillane out to the mound to take the ball from Minze.

“I was definitely gassed out a little bit there at the end,” said Minze. “Every game I’ve been trying to progress to get to later innings but I just stretched it a little too much this game. Up until the seventh I felt great. I was conserving my energy; they were clocking me behind the plate and I was getting faster as the game went on. So, I was just trying to keep my speed up and velocity going.

“I felt great out there, I was hitting my spots with just a couple misses, my changeup was really working down in the dirt and I just felt like I was really in control until that seventh inning.”

Spillane brought in Shea in relief of Minze, but the righty gave up a sinking line-drive single to pinch hitter Jack Bearse, that right fielder Jack Kinsella almost came up with, to load the bases.

Jake Kutcher cut the South lead to 3-1 with a sacrifice fly for the second out, but Shea loaded the bases again on a line drive single to right by Vin Impresa. Leadoff hitter Tommy Talbot then tied the game on a two-run single to center before Shea retired the side getting Antonio Gatti to line out to right - but the damage was done.

The Eagles had a chance to win it in the bottom of the seventh. Jack Sheridan and Minze sandwiched a couple of walks between an out and moved over to second and third on a 3-1 groundout by Chris Lotito. However, they were both left stranded when cleanup hitter Chris O’Connor, who drove in two first-inning runs with line drive single to center for a 2-0 lead, popped out to second to end the threat.

Minze helped his own cause in the bottom of the fifth lining a double to right to make it a 3-0 game scoring Trevor Brey, who led off the inning with a single and went 3-for-4 with two runs scored. At the plate Minze was 2-for-3, RBI, 2B, R.

Shea quickly set the side down in order with a dominating eighth inning and was scheduled to hit fourth in the bottom half of the inning.

“I blew it for Danny,” said Shea of his rough seventh inning. “I was just missing spots and was leaning back a little too much. I fixed a little mechanical thing in the eighth and started coming a little more over the top and started hitting my spots.”

Sophomore designated hitter Joe Stanzione (2-for-4) got the game-winning rally started grounding a single up the middle before senior catcher Robby Zega laced a double down the third-base line giving the Eagles runners at second and third with one out and Shea coming to the plate.

Shea didn’t hesitate, lofting a long fly ball to right field on the first pitch he saw for a sacrifice fly easily driving in Kinsella - running for Stanzione - from third with the winning run.

“It’s huge for a sophomore to have that composure,” said Spillane. “After the seventh inning doesn’t go the way he obviously planned it to go and for him to regain his composure to get that last kid in the seventh and then come out and go one, two, three in the eighth was huge. Then, give him credit, he jumped on that first-pitch fast ball and got it in the air into the outfield.”

“It felt great, especially after the seventh giving up three runs - I had to get it back,” said Shea. “I was looking for a fast ball and I got it.”

After a tough loss to Freehold in the Shore Conference Tournament round of 16 Saturday the Eagles (8-4, 7-2) rebounded nicely and remain in sole possession of second place in the A North two games behind undefeated and No. 1 Manalapan (14-0, 8-0), which they will face Friday at home.

In their previous meeting with Manalapan a couple of weeks ago, the Braves scored three runs in the bottom of the eighth on a walk-off home run by Michael Kuver for the win so the Eagles will be looking for a little payback.

But first they must travel to Howell Thursday for the back end of the home and home division series with the Rebels.

“The win was huge and we talked about what we need to do the rest of this week in order to stay in the A North race,” said Spillane. “Realistically, we need to win out this week to give ourselves a legitimate chance of catching Manalapan, so we have to take care of our own business first.”

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