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WAYNE – Jason Amalbert and his senior teammates wore their graduation robes in the morning, their baseball uniforms in the afternoon, and the day was a big hit.
Amalbert and the Spartans fought off division rival Bergen Catholic, 8-5, in a North Non-Public A semifinal on June 2 to earn a return trip to the sectional final for the second consecutive year.
“Graduating, and going out and beating a team, a rival, just like this, it’s cool,” Amalbert said.
DePaul secured the final out on an unusual play that can only happen in North Jersey on its home field, which is laid across the football field and features a never-ending left field and a short porch in right field.
With the bases loaded and two out, Bergen Catholic senior Thomas Harmke ripped a grounder through the right side that would have been a run-scoring single on any other field. However, because of the short porch in right, sophomore right fielder Eric Marano was playing shallow and was able to grab the ball on the run and throw to senior first baseman Jaydyn Dowd for a 9-3 putout.
“We practice it, and it’s a testament to their preparation,” DePaul first-year coach Joe Gambardella said of his right fielders throwing runners out on the bases. “A sophomore out there, the kid [Eric Marano] didn’t panic."
Amalbert was all over the bases. He was 2 for 2, featuring a two-run homer. He had two RBIs, scored three runs, was twice hit by a pitch, and stole three bases. His two-run homer in the second put the Spartans ahead to stay, 4-2. Freshman Jackson Toland’s solo homer in the second tied the score, 2-2.
Bergen Catholic’s leadoff hitter, sophomore Aquiles Hache, had a stellar day. Hache had three hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI. Sophomore Michael Alberto hit a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the deficit to 8-4, and he drove in another run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk.
“Obviously the end of the season is always disappointing,” Bergen Catholic coach Bob Muggeo said. “I’m proud of my guys. At this point, I look at the bigger picture versus the smaller picture. We played as hard as we could, and today they were a better team, and they’ve been great all year.”
Second-seeded DePaul (22-5) faces host and top-seeded Delbarton (26-4) in the North Non-Public A final on June 4 at 4:30 p.m. Delbarton won its semifinal over Seton Hall Prep, 2-0. DePaul last won a sectional title in 2018, in North Non-Public B.
DePaul lost in last year’s North Non-Public A final at Don Bosco, 6-4. But this year’s Spartans outlasted Don Bosco to win the Big North United Division title, captured their first Passaic County championship since 2018 by unseating defending champion Passaic Tech, and want to continue their success.
“These are goals,” said Gambardella, whose Spartans are ranked No. 1 in the North Jersey Top 25. “We come here to win the conference first, we did that, then to win the county, and we did that, and the last goal is right in front of us.”
“Going there back-to-back years, it means something special,” Amalbert said. “This time we’re going to try and bring it home. Last year we fell short to Bosco, but we’re coming for revenge this year.”
DePaul’s three pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts. Junior Chase Colaianni earned the win, striking out 12 in 5 2/3 innings. Junior Jackson Schessler closed the sixth with a strikeout. Senior Christopher Marano struggled with control in the seventh, allowing three walks and a single, but he survived with two strikeouts and the game-ending 9-3 putout.
“Resilient like they have been all year,” Gambardella said. “I thought Chase Colaianni was fantastic. Jason Amalbert shows up in big games because he’s the best player in New Jersey. And it’s a resilient group. We play great defense. We had our guy at the end, and he struggled a little bit, but I’d go with Chris Marano every day.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: DePaul baseball continues playoff run by holding off Bergen Catholic
Continue reading...
Amalbert and the Spartans fought off division rival Bergen Catholic, 8-5, in a North Non-Public A semifinal on June 2 to earn a return trip to the sectional final for the second consecutive year.
“Graduating, and going out and beating a team, a rival, just like this, it’s cool,” Amalbert said.
DePaul secured the final out on an unusual play that can only happen in North Jersey on its home field, which is laid across the football field and features a never-ending left field and a short porch in right field.
With the bases loaded and two out, Bergen Catholic senior Thomas Harmke ripped a grounder through the right side that would have been a run-scoring single on any other field. However, because of the short porch in right, sophomore right fielder Eric Marano was playing shallow and was able to grab the ball on the run and throw to senior first baseman Jaydyn Dowd for a 9-3 putout.
“We practice it, and it’s a testament to their preparation,” DePaul first-year coach Joe Gambardella said of his right fielders throwing runners out on the bases. “A sophomore out there, the kid [Eric Marano] didn’t panic."
Amalbert was all over the bases. He was 2 for 2, featuring a two-run homer. He had two RBIs, scored three runs, was twice hit by a pitch, and stole three bases. His two-run homer in the second put the Spartans ahead to stay, 4-2. Freshman Jackson Toland’s solo homer in the second tied the score, 2-2.
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Bergen Catholic’s leadoff hitter, sophomore Aquiles Hache, had a stellar day. Hache had three hits, a walk, two runs and an RBI. Sophomore Michael Alberto hit a two-run homer in the fifth to cut the deficit to 8-4, and he drove in another run in the seventh on a bases-loaded walk.
“Obviously the end of the season is always disappointing,” Bergen Catholic coach Bob Muggeo said. “I’m proud of my guys. At this point, I look at the bigger picture versus the smaller picture. We played as hard as we could, and today they were a better team, and they’ve been great all year.”
What it means
Second-seeded DePaul (22-5) faces host and top-seeded Delbarton (26-4) in the North Non-Public A final on June 4 at 4:30 p.m. Delbarton won its semifinal over Seton Hall Prep, 2-0. DePaul last won a sectional title in 2018, in North Non-Public B.
DePaul lost in last year’s North Non-Public A final at Don Bosco, 6-4. But this year’s Spartans outlasted Don Bosco to win the Big North United Division title, captured their first Passaic County championship since 2018 by unseating defending champion Passaic Tech, and want to continue their success.
“These are goals,” said Gambardella, whose Spartans are ranked No. 1 in the North Jersey Top 25. “We come here to win the conference first, we did that, then to win the county, and we did that, and the last goal is right in front of us.”
“Going there back-to-back years, it means something special,” Amalbert said. “This time we’re going to try and bring it home. Last year we fell short to Bosco, but we’re coming for revenge this year.”
By the numbers
DePaul’s three pitchers combined for 15 strikeouts. Junior Chase Colaianni earned the win, striking out 12 in 5 2/3 innings. Junior Jackson Schessler closed the sixth with a strikeout. Senior Christopher Marano struggled with control in the seventh, allowing three walks and a single, but he survived with two strikeouts and the game-ending 9-3 putout.
They said it
“Resilient like they have been all year,” Gambardella said. “I thought Chase Colaianni was fantastic. Jason Amalbert shows up in big games because he’s the best player in New Jersey. And it’s a resilient group. We play great defense. We had our guy at the end, and he struggled a little bit, but I’d go with Chris Marano every day.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: DePaul baseball continues playoff run by holding off Bergen Catholic
Continue reading...
