Manville senior James Mascola pitches against Bound Brook on April 9, 2024, in Manville. (Photo: Mike Pavlichko)
Manville baseball coach Rob Snyder gathered his team on the right field grass after the Mustangs’ first win of the season to tell them this is what the season is all about. Worry about your own play, keep fighting, overcome adversity.
The did that in two different ways Monday.
First, they rebounded off a 7-0 season-opening loss at Warren Hills Saturday to get to 1-1 on the new year. They also came back from a 2-0 deficit after one half inning Tuesday to beat Bound Brook.
It all added up to a 10-5 home victory over the Crusaders in a Skyland Conference Mountain Division game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.
Evan Canica ended up with a two-RBI double in the first – to give the Mustangs a 3-2 lead – a 2-for-4 day at the plate including two runs scored, and he also pitched three innings of middle relief to keep a fiery Bound Brook squad at bay.
The Crusaders pushed across two runs in the top of the first on an RBI triple by Jarred Wooden and an RBI single by starting pitcher Damian Ogonowski. But Manville took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the inning on a groundout by Sebastian Carvajal and the two-RBI two-bagger by Canica.
In the third, Bound Brook added a run on a single by Aiden Boehm to tie the game at three, but the Mustangs got it right back, and then some. Canica knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice, Justin Petti knocked in another on an E-5, and Bobby Petrone made it 6-3 on an infield hit.
Manville tacked on four more in the sixth, where the Mustangs batted around, sending nine men to the plate.
Collin Shimp led off with a double, a Canica single moved him to third and a Petti single scored Shimp. An infield hit by Petrone off the Bound Brook pitcher loaded the bases, and after Aidan Shimp struck out, Josh D’Ambrosio hit a grounder to third. Ray Konkle tried for the force at home, but the throw pulled catcher Lucas Coleman off the dish, allowing Canica to score.
With the bases still loaded, James Mascola got hit by a pitch to drive in a run, and a groundout to second by Carvajal knocked in the tenth run.
By now, Manville starter James Mascola had been out of the game for two innings, and after a couple of scoreless innings of relief, he allowed two runs that turned out not to affect the outcome. Bound Brook’s Jayden Cruz and Lucas Coleman sandwiched a pair of singles around a Roman Dabrowski strikeout. Jon Coiro knocked in the first run with a single, then an E6 allowed Wooden to reach safely, and Coleman to score.
James Mascola – who started the game for Manville – pitched three innings and got the win, allowing three earned runs on just three hits, striking out eight. Ogonowski took the loss for Bound Brook, allowing all ten runs, eight of them earned.
Click below for postgame reaction with sophomore Evan Canica and head coach Rob Snyder:
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