Piners in the hunt for some hardware
Lakewood boys eyeing conference, state titles
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

WALL — The cool demeanor of pitcher John Girgenti and a couple of timely hits combined for the expected result last Saturday as the Lakewood High School (LHS) baseball team knocked off Wall High School, 3-2, in a Shore Conference second-round game at Wall Municipal Complex.

Lakewood squared off against Christian Brothers Academy in the quarterfinals Wednesday.

Girgenti worked out of a number of jams, including a bases-loaded mess in the opening frame, en route to the Piners winning their 18th game of the season.

“He was very composed out there,” LHS assistant coach Vinnie Currao said. “He was able to settle down when things got tough and get the big outs. He is the guy we go to in a big game. He certainly came through in a big spot for us.”

Girgenti, who improved to 7-1 overall, scattered 10 hits and struck out two en route to the complete-game victory.

Girgenti doused a possible big first inning for the Crimson Knights. With the bases jammed and just one out, Girgenti followed a ground-ball out with a pop fly to squelch the threat.

“That was huge,” Currao said. “Keeping a team from having a big first inning in any game is huge. They were threatening and he managed to get through it.”

Girgenti found himself in trouble again in the second inning. The senior right-hander put two men aboard before getting the third out to escape another threat.

In the seventh, Wall trailed 3-2 and had the tying run at second with one out. Girgenti got the next batter to pop out and closed out the win by getting the third out with a ground ball.

“We played pretty good defense behind him,” Currao said. “Our guys have been solid in the field the whole year. But there is no question our pitching has been great.”

Lakewood scored one run in the first inning on an RBI single by Garret Mackolin. The Piners made it 3-0 with a pair of runs in the second.

Louis Rodriguez and Joe Componile each delivered RBI doubles to put Lakewood ahead.

“All year, we’ve been getting timely hitting,” Currao said. “We only had six or seven hits total, but the kids came through when we had guys in scoring position.”

Shortstop Ricky Maldonado has been the Piners’ leading hitter in 2005. The senior is batting just around .500 and has delivered clutch hit after clutch hit.

In addition, Maldonado has registered five wins from the mound.

“He has been a key player the past two years,” Currao said. “He is stroking the ball extremely well. I can’t say enough about his defense. He has been outstanding.”

The Piners still need to square off against Toms River South in the Ocean County Tournament semifinals. That game is to be scheduled for the near future.

As a No. 2 seed in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II tournament, Lakewood meets the winner of Freehold-Hamilton on Friday.

“We still have a lot of big games ahead of us,” Currao said. “We’re excited about the kind of season we’ve been having. The kids have played well and are continuing to work hard.”