South Slides Past Mater Dei in SCT

The ending only seemed fitting.

In a game filled with odd bounces and missed oppurtunities, the Middetown South Eagles boys baseball team was able to slip past Mater Dei in the first round of the Shore Conference Tournament. And the team did it without managing to score a single hit in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Stefan Poggioli lead off the inning by striking out, but was able to reach first base as the strike-out pitch was mishandled and the ball landed at the backstop.

Next up to bat, Mike Gannon sacrificed a bunt as Poggioli took off for second. Poggioli would take off for third when he realized that the bag was open and would eventually score. The throw to third base was wild, giving the Eagles the thrilling 2-1 victory.

"That kind of summed up our day," Eagles head coach Ryan Spillane said, "It was an ugly day at the plate. I'm not happy with our performance at the plate — poor approaches; but a win is a win."

After falling behind 1-0, Middletown South rallied back in the bottom of the fourth. After Gannon lead off the inning with a single to left field, and Rob Marcickiewicz grounded into a fielders choice at second base, courtesy runner Erik Obsteins stole second to get into scoring position with one out.

Obsteins would advance to third on a ground ball to the pitcher, and with two outs Dan Sweeney would drive him in with an RBI single to left.

Mike Bergin started the game on the mound for the 10-seed Eagles, throwing three strong innings, allowing one run on one hit. Mater Dei — seeded 23rd — scored their only run by virtue of the suicide squeeze in the top of the third.

"I wanted to spread the pitching around," Spillane said, "That was the gameplan coming in, so I wouldn't have to rely on just one guy. But it didn't work out that way, because we didn't hit well."

South's ace Will Siegfried would take over after Bergin, throwing the final five innings, allowing three hits, hitting one batter, but striking out an impeccable 11 Mater Dei batters, essentially taking them out of the game.

"He's been dominant for us all year. We're a different team with him on the mound," Spillane said of Siegfried, "He's been our ace for three years now."

Being named the A-North pitcher of the year less than 24 hours earlier, Siegfried's performance put the Eagles over the top, playing a vital role in their advancement in the Shore Conference Tournament.

Siegfried ran into trouble in the top of the sixth inning, when he allowed a one-out hit and then hit a batter. After a big strikeout, he allowed another hit to load the bases, but was able to strike out the next Mater Dei batter to get out of the jam.

Siegfried, who was asked to bat after Brian Healy left the game with a facial injury, hit single to right to lead off the seventh inning. The powerful right-hander would reach third with one out, but was tagged on the failed suicide squeeze play with Nick Mariniello at the plate.

The Eagles left runners in scoring position in the first, fifth and sixth innings in an attempt to pull ahead all three times.

Gannon belted a double to left field with one out in the first, but was stranded at second base.

Mike Grossi ripped a one-out double to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, but courtesy runner Brian Wajda was left at second base as well.

Chris Mangarelli and Sweeney both drew two-out walks in the sixth inning but were unable to advance.

"It was an ugly day," Spillane said, "Still, we were confident that we were going to score a run. And, although it's not the way I thought we would score it, a win is a win."

South's Eagles will now soar to Howell to take on the seventh-seeded St. Rose Purple Roses at 11 a.m.