Paramus Beats High Point, Goes 3-0 This Week

Spartan pitcher Joe Szorentini had something to confess.

“After the first three innings I was a little flustered,” the righty said. “I’m not gonna lie.”

After allowing the lead off batter to reach in the first three frames, Szorentini (7-1) settled down and retired the last 13 hitters he faced. He struck out eight.

“I listened to my coaches,” said Szorentini, who yielded two hits. “I had to settle down and believe in myself. As long as you believe in yourself and you’re confident, you can do anything.”

Along with the senior’s strong pitching performance, the Spartans (22-4) racked up 10 hits in an 8-2 win over High Point in the second round of the North 1, Group 3 state tournament.

Both High Point runs were unearned, stemming from Paramus errors.

Freshman infielder Alex Castro drove in his first run on the varsity level with a single in the third.

Castro, who plays both second base and third, won the Bergen County championship with the freshman team, and has been with the varsity squad in their pursuit of a state title.

“At first I was a little nervous,” Castro said about his call-up. “Now it’s awesome. I love playing with these guys.”

Paramus scored four runs in the first and another four in the third, batting around in both innings. High Point (13-9) cut the lead to 4-2 in the third.

Szorentini also had a good day at the plate, going 2-for-4, including a two-run triple. First baseman went 2-for-4 with a RBI, and designated hitter Matt Krum, , was 2-for-3 and plated a run.

“It wasn’t the prettiest game in the world,” Paramus head coach Joe Cervino said. “We’re moving on, we’re still alive.”

On how it feels to still be going in the state tournament after an early exit from counties, the skipper said, “It feels good. Gotta them them [our games] one at a time. Whoever we get [next] is going to be tough in the semifinals.”