Seton Hall Prep senior Alex Kim rounds third base in the 11-1 win over West Essex in the season opener on Friday, April 1, at home.
WEST ORANGE, NJ — The Seton Hall Prep baseball team opened the 2022 season with two victories last week.
On Friday, April 1, the Pirates opened their Super Essex Conference–American Division schedule by defeating West Essex, 11-1, at Porcello Field on a very cold and windy afternoon. Senior right-hander John Cerwinski threw a five-inning complete game, allowing one unearned run on one hit, with eight strikeouts.
Leading the offense was senior Matthew Monteleone, who was 2-for-2, two runs scored, two runs batted in, two walks, and one stolen base. Senior Chris Maldonado was 2-for-4 with one run batted in, while senior Ryan Sprock was 2-for-3 with one run batted in. Juniors Elijah Foster and Justin Shadek each had one hit with one run batted in. Seniors Sam Nomura was hit by a pitch and Alex Kim walked with the bases loaded to each drive in a run.
Following the game Cerwinski said, “Throughout the game my slider was working really well off my fastball. Mixing in the changeup and curve also helped keep the hitters off balance. There were really rough conditions today, but the team pushed through it for a good first win of the season.”
Monteleone added, “It felt really good to be back out there with my teammates playing baseball again. I thought I saw the ball pretty well today and was able to drive in a couple of runs.”
The next day the Pirates hosted Monsignor Farrell High School from Staten Island, N.Y. In a tight game, Seton Hall won 4-2. Senior right-hander Patrick Walega threw five shutout innings, allowing three hits with five strikeouts to pick up the victory. Junior Berkeley Harsch pitched the sixth inning, allowing two runs, and Maldonado picked up the save with a scoreless seventh inning with two walks and one strikeout.
In the first inning, Maldonado hit a triple off the right–center field fence and scored on a wild pitch. In the fourth inning, junior catcher James Grizzetti hit an RBI single to left field, and senior Luke Mahala hit an RBI double into the right-field corner to increase the Pirates’ lead to 3-0.
After the Lions scored two runs in the top of the sixth to make the score 3-2, the Pirates added an insurance run when Shadek singled to right field and pinch runner Evan Ravalli went to second and third on wild pitches and scored on an error.
After the game, Walega said, “It felt great to be able to go out there and help my team get the win today. I knew all I would have to do is throw strikes and the defense behind me would take care of the rest. Monsignor Farrell has a great team, and it was great to get this win under our belts.”
Photos Courtesy of Rich Morris/SHP
Pirates vs. West Essex
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