Belleville HS baseball team defeats East Side, 13-1, for first win of the season

BELLEVILLE, NJ — The Belleville High School baseball team defeated Newark East Side, 13-1, on Saturday, April 16, at home for its first win of the season.

“Following a 4-0 loss at Cedar Grove (on Monday, April 11) and a 5-2 loss to Verona (on Wednesday, April 13, at home), we played very well against East Side,” said BHS head coach Joe Sorce, whose team is now 1-5.

Mike Napolitano allowed three hits and struck out seven in a five-inning game. At the plate, Napolitano had three hits and five RBIs.

“Mike is off to a great start,” said Sorce. “He’s batting over .500 and has pitched well in his three starts.”

The Bucs have been working hard and it paid dividends with the big win.

“(Starting) 1-5 obviously isn’t the start we wanted, but the players are working hard and focusing on getting better each day,” said Sorce.

The Bucs will visit Caldwell on Monday, April 18. Josh Abramson will get the start on the mound.

Colin Cook will be the starting pitcher when the Bucs visit Payne Tech on Wednesday, April 20.

Napolitano will get the start as the Bucs host Columbia on Friday, April 22.

“It’s a long season and as long as we focus on getting better each day, we will continue to improve,” said Sorce.