Pitching powers Pascack Hills to opening win by Greg Tartaglia of The Record
CLIFFSIDE PARK – Jack Brodsky proved himself to be a capable ace during Pascack Hills’ run to the North 1, Group 2 baseball final last spring.
The junior right-hander looked the part again in the Cowboys’ 2017 debut. He struck out 13 over six innings and permitted two hits and one walk in a 6-1 victory at Cliffside Park.
Brodsky did not allow a hit through the first three innings, matching zeroes with Red Raiders starter Carlos Nunez on a breezy, 43-degree Saturday.
“It was really my fastball [responsible for the strikeouts],” Brodsky said. “The wind made it move a little bit more than usual.”
The Big North cross-divisional contest was one of the few openers that got played. Friday’s steady rain, which lasted overnight into Saturday, did little to affect the Red Raiders’ turf field, where the only patch of dirt is located in front of the pitching rubber.
Pascack Hills (1-0) gave its starter all the support he would need in the top of the fourth. Senior designated hitter Jon Gifas tripled home Paul Sullivan, then scored on a Tom Brown groundout.
Cliffside Park shortstop Luis Aires broke up the no-hitter with a bloop single in the home fourth and later scored on an errant pickoff throw. The visitors responded with three runs in the fifth to pull away.
“We were lucky, we got down to Myrtle Beach and got five [preseason] games in down there,” said Cowboys coach Kevin Kirkby, whose team made the South Carolina trip from March 18-21.
“We saw some real good arms down there, which hopefully will help us as we go forward,” Kirkby added. “A lot of teams haven’t been able to get out and get a whole lot of scrimmages and live action up here.”
The Pascack Hills offense produced six hits and made the most of them. Sophomore Julian Bulzomi reached base three times and singled home a run in the fifth. The Nos. 3-4 hitters, Christian Piantino and Paul Sullivan, followed with RBI groundouts.
The bottom of the order also contributed. Sophomore catcher Marc Hernandez (double, triple) and senior left fielder Brandon Kreindel (two runs, steal of home) each batted 2-for-3.
“We don’t have the guy who’s going to hit 12 homers and whatnot,” Kirkby said. “But we’ve got guys in the lineup who can all do the little things pretty well, and we have decent team speed.”
Not to mention pitching. Including last year’s sectional tournament, Brodsky has allowed one unearned run in his last 17 innings pitched. Sophomore lefty Ryan Ramsey finished off Saturday’s game by striking out the side in the ninth.
Next up behind Brodsky in the rotation are Piantino and Sullivan, both right-handers.
“Paul has been a really dominant pitcher, especially last season,” Brodsky said. “And Christian throws the ball really hard… he’s committed to college [Trinity in Connecticut] and everything.”
Nunez pitched four-plus innings for Cliffside Park (0-1) before giving way to Ethan Lara (2⅓ innings, one run) and Julio Rodrigues (⅔ inning, no runs, one strikeout). The Red Raiders are in their third season under coach Ben Luderer, a Don Bosco graduate who was a senior catcher on the Ironmen’s 33-0 team in 2008.