Tag: Blaze Iannetti

by Mike Pavlichko

Jays, in a pinch! Dalton Michael’s walkoff conjures spirit of ’21 championship team as Middlesex drops Schalick, 4-3, in extras

With apologies to the great Mel Allen: Well, how about that?

Down 3-1 through two-and-a-half innings to Schalick at home in the Group 1 semifinals, Middlesex scored three unanswered runs – two in the bottom of the third to tie it and one in the eighth to win it – as they advanced to Saturday’s NJSIAA State Group 1 final with a 4-3, eight-inning win at Mountainview Park, as heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio Monday afternoon.

The hero was Dalton Michael, who pinch hit for Sean Hughes with Marcus Lavornia on second, following a double. On a 2-2 pitch – Michael rocketed a single to left field. Lavornia made the turn and headed home. The throw from Evan Sepers in left sailed over the catcher, Lavornia stepped on home, and chaos ensued.

Click here to listen to Dalton Michael’s pinch-hit single to give Middlesex a 4-3 win in 8 innings over Schalick in the Group 1 semifinals.

It was eerily similar to 2021, when Middlesex – also trailing by two – won in the state semis on a walk off grand slam by Bobby Ulmer, Jr. And that year, the Blue Jays would go on to win the Group 1 title on another walk off, in 13 innings against New Providence.

Middlesex (22-5) got on the board first, in the bottom of the first, when Dom Parenti led off with a solo home run, his second of the year, and just the third of the season for the Blue Jays.

But Schalick (25-3) got three in the top of the third off starter Chris Kozak, who had only faced one above the minimum, seven batters, through the first two innings. With two out and a man on first, Ricky Watt singled to put two on, Evan Sepers doubled to score one, and starting pitcher Jamari Whitley doubled to plate two, giving the Cougars a 3-1 lead.

But the Jays got two back in the bottom of the inning. Dylan Ianiero walked to lead off the inning, and after a strikeout, Owen Reynolds singled. After a fly out, Marcus Lavornia reached on a ground ball misplayed at second, then Sean Hughes scored Ianiero with a single to cut it to 3-2. The game was tied with Kozak at the plate, when Reynolds came home on a wild pitch.

Neither team got much going the rest of the way, and both starters came out with the game tied.

Middlesex had just two baserunners since the third as the Blue Jays headeed into the bottom of the eighth, after Dominic Long came in from centerfield to pitch for Kozak, and got two Ks sandwiched around a walk to strand two.

Owen Reynolds struck out, and Luke Jones flied out to left. But Marcus Lavornia doubled, and it would have brought up Hughes, who already had an RBI single, probably all they would have needed at that point. But head coach Blaze Ianneti put in junior Dalton Michael, a regular pinch-hitter.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Long (11-1) got the win in relief for Middlesex, while the loss went to Schalick reliever Lucas D’Agostino (4-2).

Next up, Middlesex will face Midland Park – the North Jersey, Section 1, Group 1 champ, which blanked North 2 champion Brearley 4-0 at home Monday – in the state Group 1 championship game at Veterans’ Park in Hamilton. Game time is scheduled for 1 pm.

Click below for postgame reaction, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Middlesex pinch hitter Dalton Michael and starting pitcher Chris Kozak
Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti
by Alec Crouthamel

Best served… hot and sunny? Middlesex gets revenge on Point Pleasant Beach, wins Central Jersey Group 1 title 7-1 for the first time since 2021

In a battle of elite offenses who can tally up runs in the blink of an eye, it had seemed like the Central Jersey Group 1 championship between top-seeded Middlesex and three-time defending champion Point Pleasant Beach – the seventh year in a row the two teams faced off in the sectional tournament – was headed for a barn-burner.

Even more so after one inning, where both teams put a run on the board in the near-ninety-degree weather in central New Jersey.

That’s where Blue Jays star pitcher Dominic Long stepped in.

After a shaky first inning, Long dazzled the Garnet Gulls, retiring fifteen straight batters at one point, finishing a complete game while allowing only one run, with two hits, one walk, and four strikeouts in seven innings to lead his team to a decisive 7-1 victory.

Point Pleasant Beach did some damage to start the game with its top of the order, with pitcher Tommy Conroy reaching on an error to lead off the game. Second baseman Brody Powers singled to advance Conroy to third, but was caught stealing second. Star catcher Daniel Lubach reached on a fielder’s choice to score Conroy, before Long struck out centerfielder Daniel Storch looking to end the inning.

The Blue Jays’ bats were revving to get started, and they did just that. Shortstop Dom Parenti drew a leadoff walk and stole second. After a flyout from right fielder Dylan Ianiero, Long stepped up to the plate and helped his own cause with a scorching RBI single down the third base line to score the Blue Jays’ first run of the game. Conroy eventually settled in, allowing another single before getting two flyouts to end the first inning.

It seemed like the offensive momentum would continue into the second inning, but Long shut that down immediately with a nine-pitch frame, punctuated by a strikeout looking.

Middlesex kept its offensive effort moving, this time with the bottom of the order. Centerfielder Chris Kozak singled, and left fielder James Matula reached on an error to put two runners on. After a flyout from Parenti, Ianiero went the opposite way with a flare shot to shallow right field to take the lead.

Like clockwork, Long retired the side in order yet again in an eight-pitch third inning with a lineout and two flyouts, putting the red-hot Middlesex offense right back at the plate. Conroy settled down in the bottom of the third, however, with only one batter reaching base with two outs before an inning-ending flyout.

After another eight-pitch frame from Long, the Blue Jays’ offense started humming once again. Kozak and Matula each singled to start the bottom of the fourth, followed by a hit-by-pitch from Parenti to load the bases and nobody out. Ianiero got plunked on the ensuing at-bat, bringing in a run and forcing Conroy out of the game.

Freshman pitcher Thomas Slobiski had a solid inning in relief, given the high-pressure situation he was put in. Kozak scored on a wild pitch, but Slobiski induced a ground ball from Long later in the at-bat, recording an out at the plate but keeping the bases loaded. First baseman Owen Reynolds launched a sacrifice fly to left field to score Parenti, and with runners on the corners with two outs, Long got caught stealing second to end the inning.

Can you guess what happened next?

Long retired the side, in order, once again, taking 11 pitches to do so in the top of the fifth.

Reliever and first baseman Noah Banick came into the game and walked two batters with two outs, before eventually escaping with a shutout frame.

In the top of the sixth, the Gulls finally got something to work off Long. Powers launched a fly ball to centerfield and over the head of Kozak, but a good recovery and throw back in limited Powers to only a single. Banick grounded out in the ensuing at-bat to keep the score at 4-1, with a fired-up Long racing back into the dugout to high-fives from his Blue Jay teammates.

Middlesex used that momentum and took its shot once again, scoring three insurance runs from the top of the order. Parenti, Ianiero, and Long all reached to load the bases with nobody out. Point Pleasant Beach made another pitching change, inserting shortstop Antonio Acevedo in a tough spot. Reynolds hit a ground ball to second base, but the throw home sailed over Lubach’s head to score a run. Designated hitter Luke Jones added a two-RBI single to push the lead to 7-1, all with one out.

In the top of the seventh, Long remained on the mound, looking to end the game and win the title.

Once again, he trusted his stuff and his defense, drawing two flyouts to Ianiero in right field, and a ground ball to third baseman Sean Hughes to clinch the title.

Remarkably, after the first frame that saw the Gulls put multiple runners and a run on the scoreboard, Long combined to throw just 54 pitches in the following six innings.

Conroy took the loss for Point Pleasant Beach, allowing four runs (all earned) in three innings with six hits, one walk, and two strikeouts.

Middlesex (21-5) advances and snaps the Gulls’ three-year championship streak, and will face South Jersey Group 1 champion Schalick in the Group 1 state semifinals. The Cougars upset top-seeded Audubon in Thursday’s sectional final.

Point Pleasant Beach ends its season at 20-8.

Click below for postgame reaction from Middlesex pitcher Dom Long, right fielder Dylan Ianiero, and head coach Blaze Iannetti, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

Long and Ianiero
Head Coach Blaze Iannetti
by Alec Crouthamel

Middlesex outlasts South Plainfield, pulls 5-4 upset in GMC Tournament quarterfinals

As the old adage in sports – and life – goes, “it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”

A good start certainly helps, however.

That is exactly what 10th-seeded Middlesex got, using a four-run second inning to take a lead it never relinquished to upset second-seeded South Plainfield 5-4 in the GMC Tournament quarterfinals at North Plainfield High School.

The Blue Jays also got a vintage performance from top pitcher Dominic Long, as he threw all seven innings and helped secure the win.

They got the scoring started to open the game in the first inning, with leadoff batter Dom Parenti reaching second base off an error in left field after a fly ball Parenti rocketed near the fence. A sacrifice bunt and another ground ball later, Parenti had scored on an RBI fielder’s choice from first baseman Owen Reynolds.

Long allowed two baserunners in the bottom half of the inning with a walk and a single with two outs, but got out of the frame clean.

Then the floodgates opened.

Middlesex ripped off four straight hits, followed by two consecutive walks from the bottom half of the lineup, scoring three runs before an out was even recorded. The Tigers prevented a run throwing home with the bases loaded on a ground ball to record the first out, but the Blue Jays added another the very next batter after the throw bounced to the plate and past the catcher.

Middlesex left the bases loaded after a lineout and groundout, but the damage had already been done.

Two more scoreless innings followed, before South Plainfield took its shot in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Similar to the Blue Jays’ scoring outburst, the Tigers kick-started their rally with production from the bottom of the order. Four consecutive batters smacked a hit before an out was recorded, and all of a sudden, South Plainfield had drawn to within two runs after an RBI groundout from leadoff batter Nick Irizarry.

The ensuing batter caught the courtesy runner for catcher Stephen Studlack, who had laced a double into the right-center gap to bring in a run, in a rundown to get a much-needed second out after a multitude of defensive errors from Middlesex. Dom Massaro flew out to right field to end the inning.

From there, it was a battle of defenses.

Long retired the side in order in the fifth and sixth innings – the first 1-2-3 inning for either team at that point – while South Plainfield pitcher Kevin Penny continued his strong stretch of pitching after the second. Standout reliever Jay Jimenez replaced Penny for the seventh inning, after the starter recorded six innings, allowing five runs (three earned) with five hits, two strikeouts, and seven walks.

Jimenez retired the side in order with two groundouts and a strikeout to give the Tigers one last chance in the bottom of the seventh, with the top of the order due up down 5-3.

Irizarry crushed a 1-1 fastball from Long, putting it in the right-center gap for a leadoff triple. Shortstop Dan Kapsch reached on an error, holding Irizarry at third to put runners on the corners with nobody out, and Massaro as the go-ahead run. He lined a single right in front of left fielder James Matula to score a run, putting runners at first and second down 5-4 and nobody out.

Aiden McCarthy nearly put one in the seats, but the ball harmlessly fell in the glove of centerfielder Chris Kozak for the first out.

South Plainfield left fielder Dave Butrico stood in next, and lined a fastball towards right fielder Dylan Ianiero. It looked like it was about to drop in for another hit, but Ianiero squeezed the ball in his glove and, noticing Massaro had gotten off the bag, fired a laser to Reynolds at first base, doubling up the Tigers and ending the game to secure the upset.

Long finished his complete game, throwing seven innings with five strikeouts and three walks while allowing seven hits and four runs. He battled the Tigers – and a rising pitch count – to keep the tournament run alive.

The Blue Jays (15-4) will face off against 11th-seeded Edison in the semifinals, after the Eagles upset third-seeded St. Thomas Aquinas 9-1 in the opposite quarterfinal, on Saturday at East Brunswick Magnet High School in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio. Alec Crouthamel and Mike Pavlichko will be on the call.

South Plainfield drops to 13-9.

Click below to hear Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Alec Crouthamel speak with Middlesex pitcher Dominic Long and head coach Blaze Iannetti talk about the win, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

by Mike Pavlichko

Middlesex wins pitchers’ duel, tops Colonia 3-1 behind solid Kozak in GMC 1st Round

Knowing that Middlesex beat Colonia this year 2-0 and Colonia got ’em back with a 1-0 win, the conventional wisdom was that their third meeting – this time in the GMC Jim Muldowney Championship Tournament’s first round would be a good one, and it was.

The tenth-seeded Blue Jays topped the seventh-seeded Patriots on the road in the rubber match, 3-1, Monday afternoon at Colonia High School. The deciding runs came in the sixth inning of a 1-1 game.

Leadoff hitter Dom Parenti started the inning with a walk, and Dylan Ianiero followed with a single to center that bounced off Nick Minue’s glove and went behind him. With the left fielder backing up the play on one side, the ball bounded away from him, and by the time he got to it, Parenti had scored and Ianiero was on third with a triple. A single by Own Reynolds knocked him in to make it 3-2.

Middlesex starter Chris Kozak went the distance, allowing a leadoff single in the bottom of the sixth, but getting the next six hitters out in order to close the game. He scattered five hits, walked one and struck out five in improving to 3-3 on the year. Kozak took the loss in the 1-0 regular season defeat to Colonia.

The Patriots (14-4) got on the board In the bottom of the first. Picture Corey pascarella singled, and moved up to second on a sac bunt by Dylan Chiers, then advanced to third on a fly ball to center by Colin Kroner, and came home on a wild pitch to Matt Fasulo.

Middlesex (14-4) tied it at one in the third.  With one out, Dom Parenti reached on an infield hit. Then Dylan Ianiero singled to right, which sent Parenti to third.  On the throw in, Ianiero tried for two, and as the ball was fumbled after the tag, Parenti used the decoy to come home and even the score.

The Blue Jays now move on to Wednesday’s GMCT quarterfinals against second-seed South Plainfield, which easily dispatched of 15th-seed Perth Amboy 11-0 Monday afternoon. Game times and field assignments for the quarters – which are set for North Brunswick Community Park at with two games at 4 and two games at 7 pm – will be determined by the GMC after Monday’s games are finished.

Click below for postgame reaction from Middlesex starting pitcher Chris Kozak and head coach Blaze Iannetti, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Kozak shines for Middlesex as Blue Jays “walk off” Sayreville 10-0 for fourth straight win

The recipe for the Middlesex baseball team this season has been good hitting and solid pitching.

They got both Tuesday afternoon in a 10-0 Greater Middlesex Conference White Division home win over Sayreville, heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Chris Kozak threw six scoreless innings, scattering four hits and striking out seven, walking just one – only his second base on balls issued in 33 innings pitched this season. He picked up his second win of the year against three losses.

Meanwhile, Middlesex scored early and often, then walked it off with four in the bottom of the sixth to activate the ten-run rule.

The Blue Jays sent eight to the plate in the bottom of the first en route to a 3-0 lead. Dom Parenti led off with a walk, and Dylan Ianiero hit one back to the pitcher to move Parenti to second. After an Owen Reynolds flyout to left, Dominic Long scored him with a single, moving to second when the throw to the plate was in the dirt and went to the backstop. Then there was a Luke Jones walk, and another from Marcus Lavornia to load the bases, before Sean Hughes made it 3-0 with a ground rule double to center field.

In the second, Middlesex sent seven to the plate. Parenti drew a one-out walk, Ianiero singled and Reynolds drove in one with a double. Long did the same with a single, and Jones drove in the third run of the inning with another single, making it 6-0.

That was all for Sayreville starter Logan Kaufman, who was 3-0 with a 1.20 ERA coming in, and just four earned runs allowed all season in 23 1/3 innings entering the game. He took the loss, going just two innings, allowing seven runs on six hits with three walks and one K.

Bryan Girodano came in and threw the next three innings for the Bombers, keeping them in the game and the Jays off the scoreboard. He scattered four hits, walked one and struck out one.

But Middlesex got to Tyler Yan in the sixth. With one out, he walked Long. And after Jones grounded to Yan – who won a foot race to the bag for the second out, he walked Lavornia and Hughes. That’s when Kozak made his excellent day at the mound an even better day at the plate.

He laced a shot to centerfield that Sayreville’s Jimmy Kehoe dove for and missed, allowing the ball to go almost all the way to the outfield wall. By the time left fielder Andrew Provenza got to it and got the ball in, Kozak might have had an in-the-park home run, but he was held at third and settled for a three-RBI triple to make it 9-0.

The finishing touch came from left fielder James Matula, who singled home Kozak with the tenth run, ending the game.

Middlesex improves to 9-4, 7-4 in the GMC White with the win, while Sayreville drops to 6-7, 4-7 in the division.

The Blue Jays pull to within a half-game of Spotswood (9-5, 7-3) pending the Chargers’ result Tuesday afternoon against Colonia (10-2, 8-2).

Click below for postgame reaction with Middlesex Junior Chris Kozak and head coach Blaze Iannetti, presented by Sportsplex at Metuchen:

by Mike Pavlichko

Sayreville, Middlesex square off Tuesday as Bombers, Blue Jays look to make inroads in highly competitive GMC White

The GMC Red Division is very good, and its winner will likely get the top seed in the GMC Tournament, which starts in just a couple of weeks. But the GMC White Division is a knock-down, drag-out battle, too, every time their teams take the field.

And you can expect much of the same on Tuesday afternoon when Sayreville (56-6) meets Middlesex (9-4) in a battle of two middle-of-the-pack teams in the White Division.

It’s a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio, with Mike Pavlichko and Alec Crouthamel on the call. Pregame is at 3:45; click here to listen.

The Bombers – who are 4-6 in the White and in 5th place, right behind the fourth-place Blue Jays (6-4) – snapped a three-game skid Sunday evening with a late game against Matawan at Trenton Thunder Ballpark. They won 11-8 in what was their second biggest offensive outburst of the season.

That’s a welcome sight for second-year head coach Tim Ballard, whose team is hitting just .200 through 12 games. And they’ve had many this year – some wins, some losses – that have been too close for comfort. On a mid-April three-game win streak, they beat Perth Amboy 4-3 and 4-2, then edged Jackson Liberty out of the Shore Conference, 5-4.

But they’ve also lost some close ones: 3-2 to North Brunswick, 2-0 to Spotswood, and a 4-2 decision at the hands of first-place St. Thomas Aquinas.

As for Middlesex, they’ve been hitting the ball well. The Jays – under first-year head coach Blaze Ianetti, who had been an assistant under previous coach Justin Nastasi – have a .340 team batting average and have scored almost twice as many runs (91) in 13 games as the Bombers have in a dozen (48).

They’ve also gotten really good pitching, with a team ERA of just 1.61, and only one pitcher who’s thrown at least nine innings this year with an ERA over three.

It’s also a series that’s been very even of late. Middlesex won three straight coming out of the missed COVID season of 2020, then split a pair in 2023 before Sayreville won both meetings last year, 4-3 and 7-2.

Click below for pregame interviews with both head coaches:

Middlesex head coach Blaze Iannetti
Sayreville head coach Tim Ballard
by Mike Pavlichko

Alum Blaze Iannetti elevated to head baseball coach at Middlesex after Nastasi steps down

One of the most successful small-school baseball programs in the GMC has a new coach, as the Middlesex Board of Education Thursday night approved the hiring of assistant Blaze Iannetti as the Blue Jays’ new skipper.

Iannetti replaces Justin Nastasi, who coached nine seasons to the tune of a 175-81 record, with five Central Jersey Group 1 titles and three Group 1 state championships, the most recent coming over New Providence in 2021. They also went back-to-back in 2017 and 2018, beating Emerson and Park Ridge, respectively.

Nastasi, who lives in Hillsborough, initially stepped down to spend some more time with family, but was offered a job this coming season as an assistant by Raiders’ skipper Matt Mosko, a position requiring significantly less time than being a head coach.

“I have so many great memories with Middlesex baseball,” Nastasi told Central Jersey Sports Radio. “I am extremely proud of the program that I helped build with Mike (O’Donnell, the Middlesex Athletic Director). It’s a great town that loves and supports its sports programs, especially baseball. I will obviously miss it greatly.”

Iannetti is a Middlesex alum who played for second base for the man who would eventually hire, and now, promote him.

O’Donnell was the Blue Jays’ baseball coach then. Iannetti graduated in 2009, before going on to Mitchell College in New London, CT.

Blaze Iannetti also has worked with now-former Middlesex head coach Justin Nastasi at Takeover Baseball. (Source: @Blaze_Iannetti on Twitter)

Right after he graduated, he was snapped up as the JV coach by Nastasi, who was in just his second year on the job.

“I know the program is in great hands with Blaze,” said Nastasi, “and I am very excited to see where he takes them. The kids will feed off his passion, energy and excitement for the game and the town of Middlesex. Nobody will be rooting harder for Blaze than me.”

O’Donnell was effusive in his praise of Nastasi.

“We appreciate all of Coach Nastasi’s contributions to our baseball program and after he stepped aside we are excited to promote Coach Iannetti to take the helm and continue the tradition of success on the diamond,” said Nastasi.

“He brings a wealth of knowledge and work ethic to match,” he added. “The program will remain in good hands.”

Iannetti will inherit a Middlesex squad that took some lumps last year as a young group, going 10-17, but only graduates one senior: infielder/pitcher Frank Berta. Of their top four pitchers in terms of innings thrown last season, one was a junior, three were sophomores, and one was a freshman.

Click below to hear new Middlesex baseball coach Blaze Iannetti talk with Central Jersey Sports Radio’s Mike Pavlichko: