Tony Billera and the Spartans could finally rest.
“It’s like a weight was lifted,” the first baseman said after delivering a walk-off RBI single in the eighth inning to give Paramus a 5-4 win over West Milford in the opening round of the North 1, Group 3 state tournament.
The Spartans were fresh off a 5-1 loss to Old Tappan in the Bergen County Tournament over the weekend.
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“We’re not where we want to be right now,” said head coach Joe Cervino. “We have to play a lot better than this to get further than this. We’ve got a long way to go still.”
Paramus (20-4) got on the board first with an RBI double by catcher Rob Bonastia (3-for-3) in the second inning.
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Starter Nick Henriquez looked sharp in the early going, as he didn’t allow a hit until the fourth inning, a leadoff hit by Highlanders center fielder Nick Oriolo.
West Milford first baseman John Quazza would tie it up with a base hit.
Paramus regained the lead in the bottom half of the frame when designated hitter Anthony Matesic lined one to center and Oriolo dropped it, allowing second baseman Joe Szorenti, who hit a single earlier in the inning, to score.
Both teams continued trading runs as West Milford (10-11) scored in the fifth and sixth to chip away, and once again tied the game in the seventh.
Paramus regained the lead in the bottom of the sixth when Mike Woods, who was pinch running for Bonastia, took off for second. While caught in the run down, Frank Colasante, who was running for Szorentini, took off for home and scored in a bang-bang play at the plate.
Szorentini relieved Henriquez in the seventh with two on and one out. Oriolo scored his second run of the game on a fielder’s choice to knot the game at 4-4.
Szorenti would have a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eight before Billera delivered the game-winning hit.
“Szorentini came through and Billera had a nice game, so it worked out okay for us,” said Cervino, who is in his final year at the helm.
Up next for Paramus is a make-up game against Ridgewood at Veteran’s Park in Ridgewood on Wednesday. The winner will win the league crown.
