Top-ranked Ridge wins pitchers’ duel on Opening Day, drops Immaculata 2-0

What did we learn from Opening Day?

Well, Ridge learned it can put the bat on the ball, and that it can rely on its top to pitchers, Brendan Callanan and Connor Byrne.

But we also learned Immaculata has pitching, too.

No. 1 Ridge eked out a 2-0 win on Opening Day over No. 9 Immaculata at Diamond Nation in Flemington, behind seven scoreless innings from the two pitchers head coach Tom Blackwell used.

Callanan started the game, and threw five shutout innings, allowing just two hits and five baserunners. One was caught stealing, one was picked off, one was erased on a fielder’s choice to end the third, and the other two were left on.

When Byrne came in to start the sixth, he one-upped his teammate. He retired all six batters to face him, striking out two, avoiding any chance of a comeback by the Spartans.

The Red Devils themselves didn’t get on the board until the sixth. At that point, they had already stranded eight runners, and ended up leaving on 11 in the game.

Catcher Nick Rossi drew a one-out walk, then after a Steven Dressner fly-out, Zack Kucerka – pinch-hitting for Adam Meiner – was hit by a pitch, leaving runners on first and second with two out for leadoff man Nick Selitti, who singled to drive in Josh LaTourette, the courtesy runner for Rossi, the catcher. But Matt Shawah struck out to strand two.

In the top of the seventh, Ridge pushed an insurance run across. Callanan – still in the game at second base – singled, stole second, and moved to third on a wild pitch, then scored when Jonathan Kielb hit a sharp grounder to short that rocketed up in the air off Troy Rabosky’s glove, and was scored a bit.

For the Spartans, despite the loss, their pitchers did pretty well, and once the bats come around, could be a force to be reckoned with.

To wit, starter Josh Thompson pitched five-and-a-third solid innings, allowing just one run and four hits, striking out two, and hitting two batters. On any other day at the plate that would be enough for the win.

And after Greg Zimmerman got in trouble in the top of the seventh, Nick Bozzo retired all three batters he faced to keep Ridge from picking up any extra insurance runs.