Baseball: Pesky Edison manufactures runs, gets strong pitching in Central Group 4 quarters
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EDISON – Baseball teams have their dominant pitchers and big boppers. However, it’s those pesky spark plugs that get things going. You know, the do-anything-it-takes guys who find ways.
Enter Edison’s Anthony Calantoni in Thursday’s tight Central Group 4 quarterfinal. The senior reached base twice and small-balled his way into scoring position.
Robert Roma drove him in twice as Edison broke open a pitching duel to beat Franklin 4-2. Next up is a fourth meeting against second-seeded Old Bridge in Tuesday’s semifinals.
The No. 3-seeded Eagles (17-10) advanced by manufacturing rallies in the fourth and sixth innings and limiting Franklin’s offensive momentum.
“We have to force the action especially in a game like today,” Edison coach Vinnie Abene said. “We saw the way the kid was throwing. We needed to do anything to get a runner in scoring position. Obviously, we stole a few bases today, we got a couple bunts down. It worked out but it was a dogfight.”
Edison’s Connor Murphy allowed two runs in five innings with six strikeouts and gave up five hits, one of which was a comebacker off his glove. Dom Innocenti closed by facing the minimum six hitters in the final two innings with a pair of strikeouts.
Murphy, who now has a 1.82 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 65 1/3 innings, said the tight games he’s been in earlier in the season helped him Thursday, and he was relying on his teammates.
In the seventh, Franklin’s Shayne Rooney led off with a single but Edison catcher Brody Ferrer threw him out trying to steal. Innocenti at third base made a nice stop and throw in the third inning and center fielder Darren Tirado made a running catch in the first.
Franklin starter Dafraily Sosa kept his team in the game and lasted 5 1/3 innings, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks with two strikeouts.
Edison did not have a hit entering a 0-0 game in the bottom of the fourth. Calantoni got hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and stole second.
Roma, the No. 3 hitter, then doubled to the gap in left center field for a 1-0 lead. The cleanup hitter Murphy advanced Roma with a sac bunt and Ray Tavarez’s single over the third baseman’s head made it 2-0.
Franklin scored twice in the fifth to make it 2-2. In the bottom of the sixth, Calantoni led off with a single up the middle. He took off on an errant throw by the pitcher on a pick-off attempt that went wide right of the first baseman and didn’t stop running all the way to third base.
Roma again came through with a deep sacrifice fly to left field for the 3-2 lead. Murphy walked and Dom Innocenti brought him home with a double to right for an insurance run.
Calantoni, who was Edison’s starting quarterback the last two seasons, said it’s about being “cool as a cucumber” and not feeling pressure.
“You just got to take advantage of the mistakes, you know,” Calantoni said. “You got to take advantage of every opportunity you get.”
The 11th-seeded Warriors (11-9), which reached the Somerset County Tournament semifinals, threatened in the fifth. Rooney, the No. 9 hitter, had a one-out single and Izaiah Robinson and Shaylen Patel each walked.
Mike Schiermeyer’s single to right brought in a run followed by Jacob Gordon’s RBI-groundout to tie it 2-2. Murphy got out of the inning with a strikeout.
Edison, though, hung on. The Eagles lost in the GMCT final last Saturday on a walk-off to St. Joseph. Edison came right back to beat Sayreville in Tuesday’s first round sectional game and now they’re moving on.
“The whole team has showed a lot of character after Saturday,” Abene said. “Lot of grit, lot of character, they put it behind them. I thought the win Tuesday was huge and then coming out today and playing a Franklin team that I think is a very, very good team and playing a good, solid baseball game and getting a win is huge for everybody.”
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: Baseball: Edison tops Franklin in Central Group 4 quarterfinals
