Woodbridge senior Brett Lukachyk lines a single to center in the fourth inning of a 4-2 home win over Sayreville on April 6, 2024. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
In his first start of the year, Shawn Kish looked well on his way to a complete-game win.
The senior entered the seventh inning Saturday for Woodbridge with a 4-0 lead, having allowed just one hit and three base runners through the first six innings. But when he started to lose a little of his command, Dean Fiore came in from center field to get the final out, inducing Sayreville’s Jake Romanello into a 5-4 ground out.
The ironic part was that Kisch – who moved to second after coming off thew mound – got the final putout.
In the end, the 8th-ranked Barrons beat No. 9 Sayreville at home 4-2 Saturday afternoon in a GMC White Division game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Woodbridge went up 1-0 in the first inning when leadoff man Gavin Slicner led-off with an infield hit, advance to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a groundout, the scored on another to second by DH Drew Lukachyk.
Both pitchers fared farely well until Woodbridge got three runs in the fourth. Lukachyk led off with a single off Sayreville starter Thomas Schlaline, while Xavier Diaz and Kish followed with singles of their own to load the bases with nobody out.
Bryan German then bounced one back to Schlaline whose throw home for a force pulled catcher Mikey Robinson off the plate making, scoring Lukachyk it 2-0. Then, a grounder to short by Tim Diegnan saw Chase Cannan throw high to the plate for an error, scoring Diaz to make it 3-0.
After Derek Oxner struck out, a Derek Anderson ground out to third brought home Kish to make it 4-0.
And Kish continued to cruise until the seventh. He walked leadoff man Moe Hedderman. After Schlaline popped out for the first out, and with Hedderman on second with a stolen base he was erased on a single by Robinson, when he took a big turn at second and got caught off the bag. Robinson advanced to second on the play, with two out, down by four.
But then James Kehoe walked and Justin Marrero singled to drive in the first run of the game for the Bombers. That set up first and second for the tying run at the plate in Logan Kaufman. But after he walked and Kish plunked Cannan on the first pitch, Woodbridge head coach Mike Monaco made a change, and Fiore needed just four pitches after coming in from center to get the final out and end the ballgame.
Woodbridge starts the season 3-0, with Kish getting the win and Fiore getting the save. Kish allowed two runs and just three hits in 6 2/3 innings. Schlaline took the loss for Sayreville (1-1).
Click below for postgame reaction with Woodbridge pitcher Shawn Kish and head coach Mike Moncao, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen: