By TJ Hunt
Scouting Director, New Jersey 

DEMAREST -- The countdown to crowning a Bergen County Champion got closer yesterday - with the four Quarterfinal games taking place at both Emerson High School and Northern Valley at Demarest High School. In Emerson, Bergen Catholic made quick work of Dumont, winning 12-0 in a run-rule shortened game. The following game in Emerson saw Don Bosco beating a tough Ramsey team, 3-2.

In Demarest, the first game of the day featured 20th seeded Paramus Catholic against 12th seeded River Dell. River Dell scored first in the bottom of the first inning, when 20172B Garrett deMarrais reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch. This would be the only score for the majority of the game until the fifth inning. P.C. starter RHP Jeremy Torres seemed to work in and out of trouble for most of the game. In the second inning, opposing pitcher Brian Rosen reached on an error and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. Conor McCorry singled to right, but 2017 RF John Lewis gunned down Rosen trying to score, with the help of cut off man 1B Gavin Niland. Situations similar to this occurred in almost every inning for the Paladins until the fifth.

In the fifth inning, with River Dell still leading 1-0, McCorry was hit by a pitch and deMarrais walked. With two outs Mike Fasano reached on an error. RBI singles by C Steve Yelin and Julian Smith extended the lead to 4-0. River Dell plated five runs in the fifth on starter Torres, all of them unearned. 

P.C. would get on the board in the top of the sixth, highlighted by a Yuki Sakurai RBI single, but it was too little too late. River Dell advanced to the Final Four of the Bergen County Tournament with a 6-2 victory.

 

ST. JOSEPH MONTVALE 4 NORTHERN HIGHLANDS 2

 In what had shaped into as the marquee pitching matchup of the entire tournament so far, St. Joe's toppled Northern Highlands 4-2. There was a lot of buzz around this game, as the two top prospects in the area faced off on the mound. PBR NJ's No. 1 2017 prospect, St. Joe's RHP Devin Ortiz went up against No. 3 prospect Northern HighlandsRHP Zack Dreznin. 

Highlands got on the board first, when lead off batter of the game 2016 CF Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Seton Hall) singled and 2019 SS Breyln Jones singled - moving the speedy Shedler-McAvoy to third. With runners on first and third, Matt Dipasupil (James Madison) tapped one between Ortiz and No. 1 2018 prospect, 3B Justyn-Henry Malloy(Vanderbilt). Malloy fielded and threw to second for a fielder's choice, scoring Shedler-McAvoy.

In the bottom of the first, 2016 RHP/2B Austin Bodrato (Florida) reached on an error. Dreznin then hit Ortiz and Malloy with pitches to load the bases with nobody out. Pumping his fastball up to 90 and touching 91 on the first pitch of the game, Dreznin got tough. He got Matt Cocciadiferro to ground into a double play that was nicely turned by Jones and Dipasupil to score a run, before getting a strikeout to end the inning.

Ortiz and Dreznin would then trade 1-2-3 innings and scoreless frames until the fifth inning. Ortiz dialed up his fastball to 89 MPH, sitting at 86-87 for the majority of the game.  Dreznin sat comfortably at 87 for the rest of the game as well. 

With one out in the fifth, Shedler-McAvoy singled again, his second of three hits on the day - and stole second. After Ortiz worked a strikeout, Dipasupil singled to bring in Shedler-McAvoy making it 2-1. In the bottom half, Joe's sent eight batters to the plated answered with two runs. Bodrato led off with a single and Ortiz walked. Malloy reached on an infield single to load the bases with nobody out. After Dreznin worked a strikeout, 2018 1B Matt Alaimo doubled down the left field line to plate two and give the Green Knights the lead. Joe's would add another run in the bottom of the sixth.

Ortiz made quick work of the Highlanders with the new lead, and the Green Knights coasted to a 4-2 win and a birth in the Semifinals of the Bergen County Tournament.


BIG DAYS
River Dell:
2017 2B Garrett deMarrais - 1-2, BB, 2 Runs Scored
2017 C Steve Yelin - 2-2, BB, RBI

Paramus Catholic:
2017 C Yuki Sakauri - 1-3, RBI
2017 RHP/Ut Matt Goehrig - 1-4; 1 IP, 2 K sat at 85 MPH

Northern Highlands:
2016 CF Tyler Shedler-McAvoy (Seton Hall) - 3-4, 2 Runs Scored, Stolen Base
2017 RHP Zack Dreznin (Notre Dame) - 5+ IP, 5 H, 7 K,  2 BB, 2 HBP

St. Joseph's Montvale:
2016 RHP/2B Austin Bodrato (Florida) - 2-4, 2 Runs Scored
2018 1B Matt Alaimo - 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
2017 RHP/Ut. Devin Ortiz (Virginia) - CG 7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K