Bloomfield HS baseball team drops heartbreaking 3-2 decision to West Orange in state sectional tournament first round

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BLOOMFIELD – The 13th-seeded Bloomfield High School varsity baseball team lost a tough 3-2 decision to West Orange in the first round of the state North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 tournament on May 23 in West Orange.

Senior Luis Rullan and freshman Rob Reboa each had a single for the Bengals’ only hits of the game. The Bengals scored two runs on an errant throw by the WOHS shortstop with the bases loaded and two outs in second inning.  Senior Josh Cruz scattered hits and allowed three earned runs with seven strikeouts in pitching a complete game for BHS, which moved to a 9-17 record.

The Bengals were scheduled to visit Morris Knolls in the season finale on May 24.

In earlier action, the Bengals scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning for a thrilling walk-off 12-11 win over Livingston on May 18 at Bloomfield Middle School field in a Super Essex Conference-American Division game.

The Bengals were leading 8-4 going into the top of the sixth inning. Livingston got a single, double, two singles, a stolen base, walk and a bunt single. Senior Ray Ramos was replaced on the mound with junior Joe Giliberti. A grand slam followed as Livingston scored seven runs without an out. Giliberti then got two groundouts and fly-out to end the inning.

BHS scored a run in bottom of the sixth to cut it to 11-9.

Heading to the bottom of seventh inning, Reboa singled. Giliberti ran for him. Sophomore Craig Dittrich reached on an error and senior Dionisios Bello walked to load the bases with no outs. After junior Chris Veloz struck out, senior Brian Rennie hit a two-run single to tie the game, 11-11, as Bello advanced to third on the play. Livingston brought in a relief pitcher to face Cruz. On a 1-1 count, he threw a wild pitch and Bello scored the winning run on the play.

Giliberti pitched two innings of one-hit relief for the win.

Junior Danny Carter went 3-for-4 with two singles, a double and three RBI; Rennie went 3-for-5 with three singles, three RBI and three stolen bases; Cruz went 2-for-4 with two singles and two RBI; and junior Andrew Altiery went 1-for-4 with a single and two RBI as the Bengals snapped a seven-game losing streak.

Carter went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Rullan had one hit with an RBI in the 10-3 loss at Roxbury on May 17 in a non-conference game. Altiery went 1-for-3 with a double.

  Bloomfield High School baseball