by ANTHONY TAGLIAFERRO Staff Writer
The Monroe Township High School Falcons baseball club lost their final game against the John F. Kennedy Mustangs on Thursday, May 30 in the GMC Championship Finals at T.D. Bank Ballpark.
The Falcons finished the season with .500 record of 13 wins and 13 losses. Even though they did not come out on top on May 30, they made it to the finals for the first time in school history.
Head Coach Pat Geroni said, “This season was not what we wanted it to be, but we cannot complain. We could have won a lot more games than we did, but I am extremely proud of all of them. One through 17 in the lineup contributed and I could not be more proud.”
The Falcons senior ace pitcher Danny Marsh faced all the odds on Thursday as he took the mound for the last time ever in a Falcon jersey before he plays in college at Wagner for the next four years.
He threw an amazing game, allowing a mere five hits to JFK’s offensive powerhouse. The Falcons lost 4-2 in a game most would say was the best they have seen.
It was a battle the whole game with big hits from both sides. Freshman Anthony Tagliaferro led off the top of the 5th inning with a base hit to spark a two run inning with a two RBI base knock from senior third baseman Jonathon Rodriguez.
The difference in the game was that in the bottom of the 6th inning, the opposing Mustangs strung together hits to accumulate four runs. Then, their rock this year on the mound, Adonis Hernandez, shut down the Falcons to close the game.
Senior shortstop Jeff Htam said,”The difference in the game was that they [JFK] hit some balls that fell for hits, and we hit some that were caught. We could not have done more to prepare, and we played with our hearts, but even that, sometimes, isn’t enough. It’s the great game of baseball, and it could be anyone’s game at any time.”
All in all, the Falcons had some big wins this year, including beating Hudson Catholic and Sayreville in the regular season, and standing up against Middlesex and South Brunswick in the GMC playoffs.
They faced adversity, knowing that they were not the best hitting squad out there, but they made up for it with playing exceptional defense and maintaining the best pitching staff in the state with right-handers seniors Andrew Cohen and Marsh, and lefty Zach Gorham.
Cohen said, “The game I knew in high school is really going to change when I get to the next level in college ball, but I can never forget all the lessons I have learned playing for the Falcons. I have learned to battle adversity and be clutch, but most of all, I learned how to be a good teammate and that is the lesson that I take the most to heart.”
Were you at the game that night? What was the most exciting moment for you?