Marchionda Blasts 2 Homers, Drives in 5 as Montville Outslugs Pope John

After giving up three runs in the second inning, the Montville High School baseball team exploded, beating the second-ranked team in The Star-Ledger Top 20 on Monday.

In Short

The name of the game was offense on Monday, with both teams making contact early and often. Montville was able to hold Pope John (5-1-1) on defense while capitalizing on mistakes and stolen base opportunites, scoring seven runs in the third and fourth innings. Montville (5-0) held off a late-game rally attempt thanks to strong infield play and the fresh pitching late in the game.

MUSTANG OF THE GAME

John Marchionda—In a game that saw almost every Mustang get a hit, Marchionda went 2-for-2 at the plate with two home runs, a two-run shot in the fourth inning and a deep three-run blast in the sixth to give Montville insurance late in the game. The first-baseman finished with five RBIs on the day.

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES

Jordan Gadjos (Montville) struck out five and gave up six runs in five inning on the hill. He went 1-for-3 at the plate with an RBI double in the third. Ryan Karl (Montville) was strong at the plate,including a 2-RBI double in the fourth and single in the sixth. Kelly also tacked on a stolen base in the third. 

THEY SAID IT

"Coach has a saying, 'you've got to get 21 outs a game,' so we knew we wouldn't get down or panic. Our infield play is great, and our defense can play really well and that helps when a team is getting hits." —John Marchionda

Up Next—Sparta away on Wednesday at 4 p.m.