Highlights from Bergen County Baseball Tournament Round of 16 include a grand slam
RAMSEY – JT Deriso labeled it “probably my best performance,” and it came in the 64th Bergen County Baseball Tournament.
The sophomore left-hander pitched Pascack Valley to a 5-1 victory over Ridgewood during Saturday’s Round of 16 doubleheader at Don Bosco.
DeRiso allowed a first-inning run before settling in and tossing a seven-hitter with no walks and four strikeouts to lead No. 10 Pascack Valley past No. 7 Ridgewood.
“JT did a tremendous job,” Pascack Valley coach Will Lynch said, adding, “He settled down and he threw all three pitches for strikes today. Today is all him.”
Deriso, after allowing three hits in the first inning, had control of his fastball, curve and changeup. He threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of 26 batters, only reached three balls in the count three times, and was aided by double plays in the first and fourth innings.
“I think I did very well,” said Deriso, who helped Pascack Valley become the only lower seed to win Saturday and advance to next weekend's quarterfinals. “My teammates had my back all the way.”
Zach Novakowski put Pascack Valley (14-9) ahead in the third with a two-run homer. During a three-run seventh, Charlie Saul and Evan Biener had run-scoring singles and Ryan Mancinelli drove in the final run on a sacrifice fly.
Elsewhere in the Round of 16:
Don Bosco bats set records
Don Bosco set multiple tournament records during a 20-2 victory in five innings over No. 18 Pascack Hills. The second-seeded Ironmen’s 21 hits tied the record set in 1988 by Cresskill. The Ironmen also became just the second team to score 20 runs, joining that Cresskill team that scored 21.
Don Bosco scored nine runs in the third to open a 12-0 lead. The first 10 Ironmen reached base, with Eric Becker becoming the first to hit two triples in the same inning, and he’s the first to hit two triples in two different games.
Don Bosco scored eight runs in the fourth. Freshman Junzen Sarsa became the first in tournament history to register two pinch hits in the same inning.
Ramsey has grand time
Junior Aidan McNally hit a grand slam in the third to give host and No. 6 Ramsey all its runs in a 4-2 victory over No. 22 Teaneck. He hit the first pitch to right-center for a 4-0 lead.
“He’s been working his behind off all season and he’s starting to get hot,” Rams coach Paul Urbanovich said, adding, “He put a great swing on it.”
“It’s a thrill. You don’t get those kind of moments often,” said McNally, who bats fifth for the defending NJSIAA Group 2 champion. “To play in front of your home crowd, with everyone here, and there’s so much more to come, but it’s exciting.”
Junior left-hander William Kirk tossed a five-hitter, allowing two earned runs in the fourth, while striking out 15 for Ramsey.
St. Joseph chips away
Myles Gomez had two homers and five RBIs and No. 3 St. Joseph scored in each of the first five innings in a 7-2 win over No. 14 St. Mary. Gomez had three hits, a walk, and stole two bases. Chad Falcon tossed a six-hitter with one walk and seven strikeouts for the Green Knights at Ramsey.
Bergen Catholic a big hit
Braden Connors had a homer and three RBIs and Jamie Zee had two doubles and three RBIs to pace top-seeded Bergen Catholic to a 13-0 victory over host and No. 16 Wood-Ridge. Christian Charalambous and Dhruv Vengurlekar combined on the five-inning shutout.
Glen Rock rallies
Owen Litvany tossed a seven-hitter with no walks and six strikeouts and drove in a run and No. 5 Glen Rock defeated No. 12 Westwood, 3-2, in Wood-Ridge. Peter Lagemann had one of Glen Rock's three hits and an RBI, and Tony Atme also drove in a run.
Ramapo by shutout
Kyle Purvin tossed a four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts to lead No. 8 Ramapo to a 4-0 victory over No. 9 Bergenfield. The Green Raiders scored two runs apiece in the first and second innings, and Payne Teel had a double and two RBIs at Lyndhurst.
Old Tappan survives
Alex Kranzler threw a one-hitter with no walks and 13 strikeouts and defending champion and No. 4 Old Tappan held off No. 20 Hackensack, 2-1. Alex Gioffre had two hits and scored a run, and Kai Ross and Anthony Onnembo each drove in a run at Lyndhurst.
Jim McConville contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NJ baseball: Highlights from Bergen Tournament include a grand slam
