Tag: Vinny Abene

April 23, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

Edison bats explode against Barnegat to notch 19-9 win in 5 innings at Autism Awareness Classic

With none of Sunday’s games at the Autism Awareness Classic playable at North Brunswick’s Community Park playable due to field conditions after heavy rain overnight, only half the games on the schedule wound up being played, all at alternative locations.

That sent Edison back home to play Barnegat on their red turf at the originally-schedule time of 1 pm, and it had absolutely zero effect on the Eagles, unless maybe they felt emboldened playing on their home field, and sitting in their own dugout.

That’s because they scored 17 runs on 13 hits in the first two innings of their game against the Bengals, ultimately leading to a 19-9 five-inning win over the visitors.

Edison freshman Robert Roma – who’d only thrown 6 2/3 innings all year, got the start Sunday, and promptly mowed down the first three batters he faced, all on strikeouts.

Then he did his real damage.

He had a two-RBI double and a two-RBI single bating in the cleanup spot, to help his team to a 10-0 lead after one inning of play, driving in nearly half those runs, with 4 RBIs.

In the second – when Edison slapped on another seven runs – he scored one of them after getting aboard with a walk.

All that action on offense for Roma may have taken him out of his rhythm a little bit. He allowed a two-out double in the second, then got a strikeout to end the inning.

But in the third, he gave up a two-out, two-RBI double to DH Matt Hwang, then allowed a grand slam in-the-park homer in the fourth on a fly ball to right that went over backup outfielder Ryan Berner’s head after he initially broke in, then stumbled and fell going back for it.

Barnegat got two in the third, four in the fourth and three more in the fifth to cut it to a nine-run lead to temporarily avoid the mercy-rule ending.

But Edison walked it off in the bottom of the inning, when Darren Tirado walked, Connor Murphy reached on an infield hit, and Noel Pichoco hit a shallow fly ball that should have been caught but appeared to be completely missed by Julian Marfino to drive in the 19th run that gave the Eagles a ten-run lead, and ended the game.

Jaxon Appelman hit a two-run home in the second inning, his second of the year, while Jordan Martins hit a bases-clearing, three- RBI triple in his second at bat of the first inning.

Roma didn’t pitch long enough – just 3 1/3 – to get the win, as Edison emptied its bench and brought in seven new position players, only keeping third-baseman Dom Innocenti in the game, moving him to short.

The win puts Edison at 8-3 on the year, surpassing last year’s win total in a 7-17-1 season.

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Click below for postgame reaction brought to you by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Edison freshman pitcher Robert Roma

Edison head coach Vinny Abene

April 21, 2023April 21, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

diPasquale’s complete game shutout helps Edison nip JFK, 1-0 in GMC crossover

Both pitchers were pretty much humming along until the fifth inning.

That’s when Edison small-balled its way to the only run of the ballgame, to get past visiting JFK Friday afternoon, 1-0, in a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

That turned out to be all the Eagles would need, as senior Paul diPasquale threw seven strong innings – and got out of some late-inning jams to pick up his third win of the season.

Edison (7-2) left five runners on base through the first four innings, but finally cashed in during the bottom of the fifth.

Declan DiCarlo, pinch-hitting for centerfielder Matt Yasko, reached with a leadoff infield hit too deep for Justin Rodriguez – who fielded the ball near the second base bag – to make a throw. Yascko re-entered to run the bases, after after Jaxon Appelman popped out to second, Jordan Martins got aboard with another infield hit, this time to short, again fielded cleanly, but too deep for shortstop Jeremy Ricourt to make a throw.

After Charlie Taub struck out, Paul DiCarlo – the Eagles’ leading hitter at .478 heading into the day, but oh-for-2 coming into the at bat – drove in Yascko with an RBI single.

Yascko was stranded when Anthony Calantoni struck out to end the inning, but again, it was all they would need.

Through the first five innings, diPasquali fanned seven, and had allowed only two baserunners, on a hit and a walk.

He allowed a leadoff double to Grant Lorentzen for JFK (5-4) in the sixth, got Ricourt to fly out, then walked Gabriel Perez to put runners at first and second. But he got Lerentzen erased on a force out fielders’ choice on a ball hit to third, and the defense bailed him out.

Donovan Claiborne hit a laser up the middle into centerfield. Yascko fielded it and threw a strike to the cutoff man, first baseman Jackson Ferrer, who fired his own strike to the plate where catcher Charlie Taub applied the tag in plenty of time to nail Perez trying to score from second, ending the inning.

There would be one more jam in the seventh, as diPasquale stayed in the game to try and nail it down. He gave up a leadoff walk to Justin Rodriguez, but struck out Kevin Portorreal. A single by Braden Mellage led to a sac bunt by Marcus Bullock that advanced Rodriguez to third, but left Matt Cook – a courtesy runner for Mellage – at first.

But with two out and runners on the corners, diPasquale got Lorentzen to fly out to center to end the game.

Click below for postgame reaction brought to you by Sportsplex at Metuchen!

Edison senior pitcher Paul diPasquale

Edison head coach Vinny Abene

April 21, 2023April 21, 2023 by Mike Pavlichko

Edison’s improvement at the plate has helped elevate Eagles’ play overall

Nine games into the 2022 season, the Edison baseball team was 4-5, and by the time it was all over, the record was 7-17-1, with a team batting average of .209.

Fast forward a year, and the Eagles are 6-3, and hitting 153 points higher, at .362.

Granted, they saw some really good pitching in the Red Division last year, but a number of players are tearing the cover off the ball this year.

After a slow start, catcher Charlie Taub is hitting .417, shortstop Jordan Martins is hitting .379, and first baseman Jackson Ferrer is at .478 with a team-leading eleven RBIs.

The common thread? They’re all seniors.

Not to mention, the Eagles are getting good pitching, too. Senior Jaxon Appelman – who is also hitting .414 with ten RBIs – is 1-2 in three starts, having not allowed a run in two of them, in five innings of a 23-0 win over Perth Amboy and a complete game 2-0 shutout at JP Stevens back on Tuesday.

All that points to a solid season for the Eagles, who despite having lost 7-1 at Middlesex Thursday afternoon, come into a Friday afternoon affair with JFK our of the Blue Division having won three of their last four.

You can hear Friday’s game on Central Jersey Sports Radio, starting with pregame at 3:45, and first pitch against the Mustangs at 4:00. Mike Pavlichko will call all the action; click here to listen

Click below to hear Edison head coach Vinny Abene talk about the season so far and the matchup with JFK:

May 3, 2022May 2, 2022 by Mike Pavlichko

Let’s play two! Edison, South Brunswick to square off in Tuesday doubleheader

Two games, four solid starting pitchers.

That’s the story heading into Tuesday afternoon’s GMC Red Division doubleheader as Edison (5-7) travels to South Brunswick’s Rowland Park to play two against the Vikings (5-8).

Central Jersey Sports Radio will broadcast both games, with the pregame show at 3:15, and first pitch of game one slated for 3:30. The second game will follow about 20 minutes later. Mike Pavlichko will call all the play-by-play; click here to listen.

Each team has had its share of successes, and each had its share of struggles in 2022, and often for the same reason. Both have some veteran players and good pitching, but sometimes the hits and runs just don’t come.

It’s one reason both teams have lost three of their last four games.

But the matchup also is a chance for both to right the ship. The GMC Red can be unforgiving – especially for an Edison team playing its first year in the division, moving up from the White – but it’s an opportunity for each team against a similar team. A split may be status quo, but a sweep could turn the tide for whoever can grab both.

Click below to hear both head coaches talk about Tuesday’s doubleheader with Edison visiting South Brunswick.

South Brunswick head coach Tim Sweeney

Edison head coach Vinny Abene

April 6, 2022April 5, 2022 by Mike Pavlichko

Rebuilding South Plainfield looks for sweep of Edison, while Eagle bats look to take flight off Tigers’ ace

South Plainfield will have its best pitcher on the mound, while Edison’s heavy hitting lineup will try and tee off on him.

And we haven’t even played a full week of high school baseball yet. Isn’t it great?

The Tigers rallied late to beat the No. 7 Eagles Tuesday afternoon at home, 5-4, handing Edison (0-1) a loss in its opening game, while giving South Plainfield (1-2) its first victory, after a rough opening weekend against Monroe.

Wednesday afternoon – if the rain holds off, which it should, expected to end around midday – the two teams will square off on the red turf on the Boulevard of The Eagles, in a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Mike Pavlichko will have all the live play-by-play, beginning with the pregame show around 3:45, and first pitch at 4:00. Click here to listen.

Click below to hear previews of the game with both head coaches:

Edison head coach Vinny Abene

South Plainfield head coach Scott Gleichenhaus

May 28, 2021May 28, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Edison looks to keep special year rolling when Eagles face St. Joe’s in GMCT semis

From 1990 to 2001, Edison won eight GMC Tournament championships.

They haven’t been back to the finals since that run ended, but this year’s group is looking to change all that.

Coming off the pandemic year where no high school baseball was played in New Jersey, the 6th-seeded Eagles have had a solid season, bolstered by a strong pitching staff, lef by Dom LaPelosa, Sal DellaFave, and newcomer Jaxon Appelman, who was strong Tuesday in the quarterfinals, and a 7-2 winner over perennial contender South Plainfield.

READ & HEAR MORE: Edison reaches first GMT semifinal since 2008 with upset win over South Plainfield

That strength will be on display Monday afternoon when Edison (16-6) takes on second-seed St. Joseph Metuchen (16-9) in the GMC Tournament semifinals on Central Jersey Sports Radio, presented by Bellamy & Son Paving. First pitch slated for 2:30 pm.

Click here to listen to the live broadcast, with Mike Pavlichko and Justin Sontupe calling all the action.

The semifinals were originally scheduled for Saturday, but the threat of rainy, windy, and cold weather – with temperatures not expected to get out of the 50s – prompted the move, announced this morning by GMC President Mike Pede.

Edison will throw Dom LaPelosa (4-1, 2.33 ERA) on the mound, a dominant pitcher who struck out 15 in a win over Colonia earlier this month, heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

“K” PARADE: Listen to all Dom LaPelosa’s 15 Ks from Edison’s win over Colonia

The year has quietly been a special one for Edison, which has not been to the GMC Tournament semifinals in 20 years. That capped a stretch of eight titles in 12 years, where the Eagles had won in 1990, then four in a row from 1992 through 1995, then back to back titles in 1998 and ’99, and one more for good measure in 2001.

Ironically, that 2001 roster had a third baseman named Mark Blevins, who’s now in his fourth year as North Brunswick skipper, and his team is also in the semifinals, as the Raiders play South Brunswick in the opening GMC Tournament semifinal game. Wins by the Eagles and Vikings would pit Blevins against his alma mater for the title a week from Sunday.

Click below to hear CJSR’s Mike Pavlichko chat with Edison Head Coach Vinny Abene about the 2021 season and the Eagles’ semifinal meeting with St. Joseph-Metuchen:

May 25, 2021May 25, 2021 by Mike Pavlichko

Edison reaches first GMT semifinal since 2008 with upset win over South Plainfield

It’s not like Edison hadn’t beaten South Plainfield in years. In fact, their last win over the Tigers was in their first meeting in 2019.

But Tuesday night’s 7-2 win at North Brunswick Community Park over their White Division foes was monumental, in that it sent the third-seeded Eagles to the GMC Tournament semifinals for the first time since 2008, when they lost to Old Bridge 2-1.

In a game heard on Central Jersey Sports Radio, powered by Bellamy & Son Paving, freshman pitcher Jaxon Appelman held third-seed South Plainfield (17-3-1) to just one hit through 6 1/3 innings, allowing two unearned runs in the seventh.

But the Edison bats did a job as well, scoring seven runs against a South Plainfield team that entered the game with a 0.86 team ERA. The run total was the second highest allowed all season by the Tigers (Woodbridge scored nine in a 12-9 South Plainfield win on May 13th), and they had surrendered fewer than five runs in all but five games before Tuesday night.

Senior centerfielder Evrin Virola knocked in three runs on a 2-for-4 night, including a two-run double in the third that made it 3-0 Edison.

The win pits third-seeded Edison (15-6) against second seed St. Joseph of Metuchen (16-8), which beat 10th-seed Spotswood 14-3 in five innings Tuesday night. The Eagles and Falcons will play in Saturday’s 2:30 semifinal at East Brunswick Tech, a game you can hear on Central Jersey Sports Radio.

Click below to hear postgame reaction from Edison’s 7-2 GMCT quarterfinal win over South Plainfield: