Sports
Montville Baseball Falls in Wayne, But Grabs No. 1 Seed in States
The Mustangs drop just their third game of the season; team begins state play on Monday.
The baseball team lost to Wayne Valley 10-3 on Thursday afternoon in Wayne. The loss was just the Mustangs' third on the season, but Wayne Valley controlled the game from the first inning. The loss came on the same day the Mustangs were named the No. 1 seed in the North 1, Group II state sectional playoffs.
1
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
2
3
Find out what's happening in Montvillefor free with the latest updates from Patch.
4
5
6
7
Final
Montville (17-3)
0
1
0
2
0
0
0
3
Wayne Valley (13-5)
3
0
2
3
0
2
x
10
IN SHORT
Montville fell behind 3-0 after just one inning, but was able to get one run back on an RBI single by catcher Mike Dellostritto in the second. It was 5-1 Wayne Valley in the top of the fourth when Montville's offense began a two-out rally with a home run blast by left fielder Mike Manfra. Dellostritto and centerfielder Chris Cerami then found themselves on second and third, but lead-off man and shortstop Bryan Keane's drive into centerfield was caught for the third out, ending the rally. Outside of the homer, the Montville offense was unable to get many runs across the plate. Although the team did muster eight hits and three walks, they stranded eight runners on base.
The Mustangs, however, did get some good news on Thursday, as they were named the top seed in North 1, Group II. The Mustangs will host No. 16-seed Pascack Valley on Monday at 4 p.m. to begin the state tournament.
MUSTANG OF THE GAME
John Marchionda–The Mustangs first baseman went 2-for-3 with two singles and two runs scored.
OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES
Mike Manfra–Montville's left fielder went 1-for-3 on the day, but his two-run home run in the fourth inning was the biggest blast from the Mustangs on the day.
Mike Dellostritto–The Mustangs' catcher went 2-for-2 with two singles and an RBI, and also was hit by a pitch.
COACH’S TAKE
“It's not a shock, they're a good team. They hit the ball, they pitched the ball and they played good defense. They were better than us today. If you don't show up ready for a dogfight, you're going to get beat. Even though its only our third loss, I'm not surprised.”-Head Coach Joseph Cardinale
THEY SAID IT
“Obviously not our best performance. The toughest thing about baseball is showing up every day ready to go. It's a grind and we just didn't grind today. Hopefully they learn from it and we get better.”-Cardinale
UP NEXT- Vernon at Montville High School on Friday at at 4 p.m.
