Tag: Chris Kozak

June 9, 2025 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

May 12, 2025May 12, 2025 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:

April 29, 2025 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.