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SOMERSET — The three-peat talk around school should be reaching new heights.
The No. 6 Somerset Berkley Regional baseball team is two wins away from giving Somerset Berkley Regional its third state title in as many athletics seasons this school year.
The Raiders reached the Final 4 of the Division 2 baseball tournament with an efficient 9-2 win over Milford on Sunday afternoon at James Sullivan Field.
The sixth-seeded Raiders (17-6) continue their quest to win a state title — as the SBR field hockey team did in the fall and boys' basketball did in the winter — in the state semifinals against the winner of last night's Round of 8 game between No. 7 Dartmouth and second-seeded Reading.
“It's been part of the goal all year,” senior Luke Thornton said of the Final 4, “and we're not done yet.”
“It's amazing,” said SBR shortstop Jayden Cruz, a team captain. “For your school to have such a great reputation in athletics and for you to do it every season consistently, there's nothing that beats it. It's amazing. It's fun. There's no better feeling.”
Center fielder Ryan Crook, a sophomore, played on both the field hockey and basketball teams. He enjoys the excitement and understands the three-peat talk. But he keeps a level head. “I've heard it a lot,” he said, “But it's got to go one game at a time. Hopefully we'll get there. I believe in everyone around us. Believe in the whole team.”
Junior righthander Kyle Sherman, Jr. tossed as complete-game five-hitter, shutting out 14th-seeded Milford (11-11 final record) until the Raiders broke away from a scoreless tie with a six-run third inning.
Head coach Jason Martin said Sherman (7-1, 1.89 ERA) had a knot in his back from the start. Martin said he was ready to get five innings out of the sore-backed Sherman, but the righty showed the grit to finish.
“I definitely was hurting a little in the back,” Sherman said. “But once you're on a stage like this, playing for the Final Four, you've got to do everything you can to get the team to win. So I just played through it, stretched as much as I can in the time between (half innings). Just fought through it.
“I had to play for my team. They played great behind me.”
The Raiders were, indeed, impeccable on defense. They made no errors and came up with some sparkling plays. Catcher Liam Meehan, a junior, threw out a would-be base stealer for the second out in the first inning, extra important as that was followed by a walk and a single.
In the top of the third, with the game still scoreless, first baseman and senior captain Hayden Teasdale gloved a big one-hopper, stepped on the bag, and fired to second base for a tag-out double play.
Cruz did nothing to dull his gold glove reputation. Nimble and strong-armed, he took care of six groundouts, two of them highlight film efforts — one in the hole and the other a charge and running-throw to first.
“I've said it for two years now. He is the best shortstop in the area,” SBR head coach Jason Martin said. “He makes the routine play look even more routine and he makes the hard play look routine.”
“I love playing defense,” Cruz said. “It's my favorite thing. I practice all the time and it translates to the game, and that's what you want.”
“When the ball's hit anywhere in my infield, I'm confident we're getting the out,” Martin said.
SBR won the battle of defenses decisively. While the Raiders were clean as can be, Milford committed two big throwing errors (on fielder's choice grounders) in the SBR six-run third inning. That uprising included just two hits, Ryan Cook's no-out bunt single and Teasdale's two-out RBI double to left, three walks (1 intentional) from D1 Bentley University-bound Ian Carter, and three stolen bases.
Enroute to out-hitting Milford 9-5, SBR bats came to life late. The Raiders started a two-run fifth with four straight hits, RBI doubles by Luke Thornton (2-for-3) and Meehan sandwiched between singles by Sherman and Brady Carpenter.
SBR added a run on two hits in the sixth ... Seven SBR batters had one hit.
Showing some spunk, Milford scored the single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, and in the fifth still had a runner at third with two outs. Closing then to 6-3 might have given this game a different feel. Instead, Sherman ended the rally by painting the outside corner for an inning-ending called third strike. He had already ended a laborious top of the first inning with a called third strike, stranding runners at first and second.
“I king of envisioned this all year, going back to last year,” Martin said of the Final 4 appearance. “So we're thrilled and we want to celebrate it for the time being, we're on to the next one.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset Berkley baseball topples Milford in Elite 8 contest
Continue reading...
The No. 6 Somerset Berkley Regional baseball team is two wins away from giving Somerset Berkley Regional its third state title in as many athletics seasons this school year.
The Raiders reached the Final 4 of the Division 2 baseball tournament with an efficient 9-2 win over Milford on Sunday afternoon at James Sullivan Field.
The sixth-seeded Raiders (17-6) continue their quest to win a state title — as the SBR field hockey team did in the fall and boys' basketball did in the winter — in the state semifinals against the winner of last night's Round of 8 game between No. 7 Dartmouth and second-seeded Reading.
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“It's been part of the goal all year,” senior Luke Thornton said of the Final 4, “and we're not done yet.”
“It's amazing,” said SBR shortstop Jayden Cruz, a team captain. “For your school to have such a great reputation in athletics and for you to do it every season consistently, there's nothing that beats it. It's amazing. It's fun. There's no better feeling.”
Center fielder Ryan Crook, a sophomore, played on both the field hockey and basketball teams. He enjoys the excitement and understands the three-peat talk. But he keeps a level head. “I've heard it a lot,” he said, “But it's got to go one game at a time. Hopefully we'll get there. I believe in everyone around us. Believe in the whole team.”
Solid pitching
Junior righthander Kyle Sherman, Jr. tossed as complete-game five-hitter, shutting out 14th-seeded Milford (11-11 final record) until the Raiders broke away from a scoreless tie with a six-run third inning.
Head coach Jason Martin said Sherman (7-1, 1.89 ERA) had a knot in his back from the start. Martin said he was ready to get five innings out of the sore-backed Sherman, but the righty showed the grit to finish.
You must be registered for see images attach
“I definitely was hurting a little in the back,” Sherman said. “But once you're on a stage like this, playing for the Final Four, you've got to do everything you can to get the team to win. So I just played through it, stretched as much as I can in the time between (half innings). Just fought through it.
“I had to play for my team. They played great behind me.”
Oh, that defense
The Raiders were, indeed, impeccable on defense. They made no errors and came up with some sparkling plays. Catcher Liam Meehan, a junior, threw out a would-be base stealer for the second out in the first inning, extra important as that was followed by a walk and a single.
In the top of the third, with the game still scoreless, first baseman and senior captain Hayden Teasdale gloved a big one-hopper, stepped on the bag, and fired to second base for a tag-out double play.
You must be registered for see images attach
Cruz did nothing to dull his gold glove reputation. Nimble and strong-armed, he took care of six groundouts, two of them highlight film efforts — one in the hole and the other a charge and running-throw to first.
“I've said it for two years now. He is the best shortstop in the area,” SBR head coach Jason Martin said. “He makes the routine play look even more routine and he makes the hard play look routine.”
“I love playing defense,” Cruz said. “It's my favorite thing. I practice all the time and it translates to the game, and that's what you want.”
“When the ball's hit anywhere in my infield, I'm confident we're getting the out,” Martin said.
SBR won the battle of defenses decisively. While the Raiders were clean as can be, Milford committed two big throwing errors (on fielder's choice grounders) in the SBR six-run third inning. That uprising included just two hits, Ryan Cook's no-out bunt single and Teasdale's two-out RBI double to left, three walks (1 intentional) from D1 Bentley University-bound Ian Carter, and three stolen bases.
Offense heats up in the latter innings
Enroute to out-hitting Milford 9-5, SBR bats came to life late. The Raiders started a two-run fifth with four straight hits, RBI doubles by Luke Thornton (2-for-3) and Meehan sandwiched between singles by Sherman and Brady Carpenter.
SBR added a run on two hits in the sixth ... Seven SBR batters had one hit.
Key strikeout
Showing some spunk, Milford scored the single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, and in the fifth still had a runner at third with two outs. Closing then to 6-3 might have given this game a different feel. Instead, Sherman ended the rally by painting the outside corner for an inning-ending called third strike. He had already ended a laborious top of the first inning with a called third strike, stranding runners at first and second.
Happy but not surprise
“I king of envisioned this all year, going back to last year,” Martin said of the Final 4 appearance. “So we're thrilled and we want to celebrate it for the time being, we're on to the next one.”
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset Berkley baseball topples Milford in Elite 8 contest
Continue reading...
