Marlboro Wins Third Straight To Open Season Handing Middletown South First Loss

Photo above: Jeremy Dyzenhaus on the mound in Wednesday 3-1 win over Middletown South

MIDDLETOWN – Most Shore Conference sportswriters had Marlboro pegged as the fifth or even sixth best team in the rugged Class A North in their preseason picks.

However, after yesterday’s 3-1 win over Middletown South – their second consecutive division win of the season after beating Freehold 1-0 on Tuesday – the Mustangs are 3-0 and appear to have been highly underestimated.

On Wednesday, senior right-hander Jeremy Dyzenhaus followed senior Danny Alfano’s lights out complete game five-hit shutout on Tuesday with a pitching gem of his own.

Dyzenhaus (2-0) picked up his second win of the season going the distance while allowing just one run on four hits, striking out three and walking three with two hit batsman in some very difficult weather conditions.

He also worked himself out of a two out bases loaded jam in the bottom of the sixth to set up the decisive seventh inning when the Mustangs took a 3-1 lead.

“That was huge, bases loaded is always a huge intensity situation,” Dyzenhaus said. “It pumps me up a lot and I expected to get out of that with my defense behind me; they’re always great. I usually have my off speed working more but I had my fastball on today which got me ahead. With the weather it was tough to grip the ball so that’s why I relied on the fastball a little more today.”

“It was cold with a lot of wind blowing and Jeremy pitched well,” Marlboro head coach Jim Ferraro said. “It’s the second time he threw for us and Middletown South is a heck of a team; they scored 26 runs coming into this game. He had them off on their front foot a little bit, we defended the ball and our infield cleaned them up; Jeremy was awesome today.”

Middletown South came into the game 2-0 having outscored their two divisional opponents 26-7.

“We knew about Midd. South, that they put up 14 yesterday and 26 in their two games,” Dyzenhaus said. “We also know about projections but we also know we started our 7-0 last year so we’re looking to pick it up right away. We have three seniors at the top of the rotation so it’s definitely big to have a deep rotation.”

The Mustangs scored two unearned runs in the top of the seventh off Eagles ace Austin Markmann on two hits and two errors by Middletown South to take a 3-1 lead before Dyzenhaus set the side down in order in the bottom of the seventh to preserve the win for the Mustangs.

In the top of the seventh, number-nine hitter Jared Wright reached on an error before moving to second on a ground single through the right side by leadoff hitter Will Trochiano. An error by second baseman Ryan Ruziecki on a Andrew Gambardella grounder scored Wright giving the Mustangs a 2-1 lead and putting runners at second and third. Junior catcher Gene Napolitano then lined a single down the first-base line scoring Trochiano with Gambardella getting thrown out at the plate to make it 3-1 with two outs.

Joe McLaughlin came in for Markmann and got freshman cleanup hitter Justin Kapuscinski to fly out to left field for the third out with the Eagles coming to bat in the bottom of the seventh needing two to tie.

Dyzenhaus appeared stronger than ever in the seventh, inducing two ground-ball outs and a strike out in the bottom of the frame to put the finishing touches on his masterful performance.

In addition to driving in a key insurance run in the seventh, Napolitano called an excellent game from behind the plate in adverse weather conditions with frigid winds gusting into the 25-30 mph range. He also nailed two baserunners trying to steal second, including one in the Eagles one-run third inning.

“Gene’s been good for us all season,” Ferraro said. “He’s added about 15 pounds to his frame from last year and you’re seeing the payoff of his hard work, he’s rewarding himself for all the hard work he’s done in the off season.”

Marlboro initially took a 1-0 lead in the top third and could’ve done a lot more damage, but Markmann worked himself out of a no-out bases loaded jam giving up only one unearned run.

Two walks and a hit batsman to the first three hitters of the innings loaded the bases with Napolitano coming to the plate. He then lined a pitch directly at centerfielder Tom Gannon who dropped the ball allowing Wright to score and leaving the bases loaded with no outs.

Nonetheless, Markmann bore down getting a strikeout, a looper to the shortstop and a strikeout to end the inning.

Middletown South came right back in their own half of the inning to tie the game at 1-1 on a line drive RBI single to center by senior shortstop Jonny Zega scoring Gannon, who was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a fielder’s choice groundout.

Napolitano finished 2-for-4 with an RBI while Trochiano went 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored. Wright added a walk and two runs scored.

For the Eagles, Markmann was the hard luck loser going 6 2/3 innings allowing three runs- none earned- on three hits, with five K’s and five walks. As a team, Middletown South committed five errors leading to three unearned runs.

Zega went 2-for-3 with an RBI while junior first baseman Ben Porpora was 1-for-2 with a walk as was Ruziecki.

“I think we knew what we had but I’m not sure the Shore Conference knew,” Ferraro said. “I think because of what we had last year (Nardi and Epstein) I don’t think anybody saw the under belly of this team, but there’s an underbelly. Aside from Dyzenhaus and Alfano – who’s going to Ramapo - we have Bello (Jeremy) and Kaplan (Justin) sitting here with their tongues hanging out ready to pitch, but I also know it’s early.”

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