By Rich Fisher | Correspondent
Whether it’s young or old, the Red Bank Catholic baseball team is starting to get the hang of this Monmouth County Tournament thing.
After losing in the finals to CBA in 2016, the Caseys have made it two straight titles and three in six years after taking a 5-1 victory over 12th-seeded St. Rose High School, Belmar, in the MCT finals May 8 at First Energy Park, Lakewood.
Photo Gallery: RBC vs. St. Rose in Monmouth County baseball title
Unlike last year, when coach Buddy Hausmann trotted out a veteran team in the final against Freehold Boro, this year’s version was short of big-game experience. Only centerfielder David Glancy was in the starting lineup of last year’s championship game.
Blaise Panzini was in at the end of the game in 2017 as he pitched the final two innings against Boro. This time, the senior got the starting assignment and set the tone by striking out the talented Riley Maypother to begin the game.
Panzini told a friend before the game he would start Maypother off with a curveball, which he did and got it over for a called strike. That was followed by a swinging second strike, followed by a swinging strike three at a pitch in the dirt.
“You go out and you see Riley Maypother step in the box, he’s All-Shore last year and you know the power this kid packs,” Panzini said. “That first out really sets the tone. A kid like that, you strike him out on three pitches, that really pumps up your team and gets you going.”
After Panzini pitched a scoreless first, Glancy built on the momentum by doubling and scoring on Vincent Bianchi’s ground-out in the bottom of the inning. With Panzini dealing on the mound, RBC forged what proved to be an insurmountable lead in a three-run third. Glancy hit an RBI double, Alex Gonzales delivered an RBI single and Nick Merlo followed with a run-scoring single to make it 4-0.
Panzini gave up his only run on Pat Ferrante’s RBI ground out in the fourth but Merlo got the run back on a ground-rule, RBI double in the fifth. The Seton Hall-bound senior was removed after five innings, having allowed four hits and two walks while striking out nine. John Nimeth threw two scoreless innings with three Ks.
“When you hear you’re getting the ball in a game like that, the adrenaline starts running, and you can’t sleep for a few days,” Panzini said. “You’ve got to mentally prepare yourself. This is a really young team, so you have to just be confident and really show these young guys how to do it.”
Which is exactly what coach Buddy Hausmann was counting on.
“We don’t have many other seniors around, so he’s really taken the leadership role since the off-season,” Hausmann said. “He showed it with getting the ball in this game and the performance. He’s gonna show all these little guys that this is the way things are gonna get done.”
Little guys, by the way, means young players, he said, explaining that he had a sophomore at first, third and at catcher.
“I knew they had talent; I knew they’d work hard; I knew they’d get along,” he continued. “I knew the pieces were there to have a good season, but it was more like ‘Let’s get them some good experience this year and maybe next year we can do some stuff.’”
That timetable got moved up throughout the MCT. Sixth-seeded RBC dominated the competition, beating Freehold Boro 8-0, Long Branch 16-0 and 3rd-seeded CBA 6-3. Austin Nappi threw a complete game, allowing Panzini to start against St. Rose since he was scheduled to relieve if Nappi faltered.
“When you beat a team like CBA you’re all pumped up,” Panzini said. “We’ve seen good pitching all along. We don’t shy away from that. We really just attack. You gotta beat the best at some point, why not go out and do it now?”
“I think they rose up the occasion,” Hausmann said. “They didn’t feel the pressure, they took advantage of it. They had the attitude ‘We’re gonna win, we’re gonna play well. This game matters, there is no tomorrow, we’re defending the championship.’”
It didn’t stop with the county final. The next night, the Caseys defeated Middletown North’s Tyler Ras, who is being projected to be chosen in the top 10 rounds of the MLB draft. Amidst a season that started with low-key expectations, the Caseys are suddenly looking forward to the Shore Conference and Non-Public A tournaments.
“These young guys are really learning fast, the power strokes are coming along. It’s scary what this team is gonna do in the future,” Panzini said.