Pioneers Bust Out of Offensive Funk Against Oratory Prep

The New Providence varsity baseball team has been searching for a small spark, anything to help keep its struggling offense afloat.

What it got was an explosion.

The Pioneers blasted away the doldrums on Thursday afternoon, crushing Oratory Prep 12-2 in five innings.

The win comes on the heels of three-straight losses in which the Pioneers scored a combined four runs.

“It’s like feast or famine a little bit, but today it was feast,” New Providence coach Chris Brodeur said. “It was nice, it was real nice to see a bunch of kids produce and get on base.”

New Providence (5-6) took advantage of several Oratory miscues to jump out to the large lead, and sophomore pitcher Michael Marchesano kept the Rams from charging back into the game.

“[Marchesano] did a real nice job, he did a real good job, he’s starting to find his rhythm I think, and his tempo,” Brodeur said. “With the rainouts, he missed a couple starts this year, and I think he’s starting to really start to feel it a little bit, and at the right time because we are going to need him going forward.”

The righthander tossed five innings of two-run ball to get the win in a game that ended in the bottom of the fifth when senior Doug Pastore crushed a walk-off, two-run inside-the-park homer over the right fielder’s head.

The Pioneers quickly fell behind 1-0, but stormed back in the top of the second to make their offensive issues a thing of the past.

Center fielder Joe Meyers singled to right field, stole second and reached third on Mike Felezzola’s infield single. After Chris Fezza’s groundout tied the game, David Dinerman laced an RBI single to give New Providence the lead.

The Pioneers gave the run back in the top of the third, as Marchesano issued walk, single and hit batsman all with two outs, and catcher Stephen Zimmerman threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt at third base.

New Providence didn’t roll over after the Rams tied the game. Rather, it put together a marathon inning in which it batted around and scored six runs. Pastore and designated hitter Joe Randazzo both singled, and that’s when things got away from Oratory Prep.

The Rams made three straight errors on hard-hit, but playable balls, and allowed another man to reach on an infield single. Dinerman then stepped up and put the dagger in Oratory with a single to right field that scored two runs, and the Pioneers led 8-2.

Dinerman finished with three RBIs, and Brodeur commended the production the junior provided out of the ninth hole in the lineup.

“Dave has worked very hard, he hasn’t always been like this,” Brodeur said. “He’s worked very hard and he’s done a real nice job the last couple days. I’m hoping he’s getting hot.”

Pitching with a big lead, Marchesano pitched to contact in the fourth and fifth, getting four quick outs on infield grounders and striking out two men looking to end both innings.

“He’s sneaky fast a little bit,” Brodeur said of the sophomore starter. “He’s not lighting up any radar guns, but he’s kind of slow on the delivery, and it kind of stays on a nice, low plane going into the strike zone.”

The Pioneers picked up two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, and went into the bottom of the fifth needing two runs to reach the 10-run mercy rule. After Zimmerman walked, they got those two runs off the bat of Pastore, as Brodeur waved both runners around when he realized the ball was not going to be caught. 

“I’m usually pretty cautious with the ball in the air, especially because we have no fences here and kids have a tendency to track them down, like last Tuesday against Roselle Park,” Brodeur said. “I just saw it and after a second look, I said, ‘it’s gone,’ and it’s just a matter of whether [Pastore] can make it around the bases.”

The Pioneers will host Roselle today at 4 p.m.