RBC Rallies Twice For 5-4 Comeback Win Over Middletown South

Photo: Game hero Ryan O'Hara

RED BANK - Desperately needing a win and some offensive spark Red Bank Catholic junior Ryan O’Hara delivered just what the doctor ordered.

After the Caseys erased 3-0 and 4-3 deficits in the fifth and sixth innings respectively to tie the game, O’Hara completed the comeback in the bottom of the seventh with a booming double into the right-centerfield gap for a walk-off 5-4 win over Middletown South Thursday at Count Basie Field.

“We really needed a win coming in with two straight loses,” said O’Hara. “My previous at bats I was kind off ahead of it but on my last at bat I stayed back and drove it into right field. I had a 3-0 count, took a pitch for a strike, and at 3-1 I knew if I saw a pitch I liked I was going to swing as hard as I can.”

Junior right fielder David Glancy, who picked the Caseys up off the carpet drilling a two-run triple into the left-centerfield gap in the fifth to pull them to within one, 3-2, led off the bottom of the seventh with walk.

“We needed that hit bad,” said RBC head coach Buddy Hausmann of Glancy’s triple. “That’s what he’s capable of. He started the season out really good but was 0 for his last three games. We’re hoping this gets him and a lot of the guys going.”

Glancy then moved to second on a 6-3 ground out by sophomore second baseman Alexander Gonzalez. Glancy was running on the pitch and easily slid safely into second forcing Eagles shortstop Aurellio Licata to go to first on what looked like a potential double-play ball.

With Glancy now at second base with one out, Middletown South head coach Ryan Spillane elected to intentionally walk junior Vincent Bianchi before O’Hara unloaded on Eagles senior pitcher Joe Sprake’s 3-1 pitch for the walk-off win.

“We knew Middletown South was hot coming into the game and we were all fired for it,” O’Hara said. “We play travel ball with a bunch of those guys so we were ready to beat them and we needed a win bad. I think this game definitely woke our bats up too.”

Sprake started for the Eagles and was approaching the 110-pitch limit finishing with 103 pitches in 6 1/3 innings pitched. The loss was his first of the season after coming into the game with a 2-0 record. He was charged with five runs, six hits and five walks while striking out six in a gutty performance.

The Caseys entered the game on a two-game skid along with slumping bats that produced just three runs (one earned run) and five hits in those two loses.

“We’ve been trying to right it anyway we can,” said RBC head coach Buddy Hausmann. “They’ve been working hard but they’re young with not much experience. It’s been a learning experience so far and we’re just trying to speed the process up and hopefully this win helps.”

The Caseys had five juniors and two sophomores in the starting lineup Thursday and already lost a key contributor, senior JonMichael Rotondo, for the year.

The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second on a RBI single by centerfielder Jack Kensella. They added two more runs (one earned) in the fifth on a run-scoring double by Licata, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBI, and a base loaded RBI single into centerfield by Dylan Walling with Eagle runner Robby Zega, who had walked, thrown out at home trying to score from second.

With the Caseys now trailing 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, Sprake, who had thrown no-hit ball for 3 1/3 innings and a one hitter going into the fifth, got into trouble.

RBC designated hitter Dan Ianelli led off the bottom of the fifth with a clean single through the 4-3 hole and with one out sophomore centerfielder Elijah Ally lined a sharp single to left putting runners at second and third before Glancy cleared the bases with his triple.

Gonzalez then hit a text book grounder to the right side of the infield scoring Glancy for an RBI and the tying run to make it 3-3.

The Eagles answered with the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth scoring an unearned run on a Licata two-out RBI single after a walk and an error put the runner in scoring position.

RBC got that run right back to even the score in the bottom half of the inning. O’Hara got the rally started dropping a single into shallow right field before promptly stealing second. A wild pitch by Sprake moved O’Hara to third before a walk to sophomore first baseman John Scrivanic put runners on the corner.

Senior left fielder Nicholas Merlo then hit a tapper to third with O’Hara running on the play. Third baseman Chris O’Connor’s fielded the ball cleanly and his throw to the plate was on the money easily nailing O’Hara at home.

With runners now on first and second, Sprake fanned Ianelli for the second out but freshman shortstop Robert Gonzalez came up big in his first varsity start for RBC lining a game-tying RBI single into center. Sprake then got Ally on strikes to end the inning with the score 4-4.

Junior Vincent Bianchi, who came in relief for starter Blaise Panzini with two outs in the top of the fifth, plunked Sprake leading off the top of the seventh but retired the next three batters he faced including two K’s to set up the dramatic bottom of the seventh.

“Vinny did a great job shutting them down,” said O’Hara of Bianchi’s performance. “Vinny is actually a transfer from Middletown South and he really wanted a W in this game.”

Panzini had a quality start going 5 2/3 innings allowing four runs (two earned), three hits, and four walks while also striking out four. O’Hara went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI while Glancy finished 1-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and a walk.

The win moves the Caseys (3-2, 3-2) into a four way tie with Manasquan (4-2, 3-2), Middletown South (4-2, 3-2) and Monmouth (5-2, 3-2) in the Class B North two games behind division leader Wall (6-0, 5-0).

“We didn’t want to lose three in a row, losing three in a row is hard to turnaround at any point, so this was a big win for us,” said Hausmann.

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