Sports

Sports & Recreation

Several local teams enjoying solid baseball seasons at the midway point

Photo by Jason Bernstein

Kearny and Nutley line up for a game in West New York recently.

By Jason Bernstein

Observer Sports Writer

Nutley baseball coach Robert Harbison isn’t ready to say his Maroon Raiders are close to playing up to their true potential. But after a rough start to the season, Nutley is starting to round into form right as the calendar turns to May and tournament play is about to begin.

In Saturday’s 10-5 victory over Kearny at the Hudson/ Essex Challenge to Cure Alzheimer’s at Miller Stadium in West New York, Nutley showed some of the characteristics needed to make a run in the upcoming Greater Newark Tournament and state playoffs.

“Right now you’re concerned about playing well in the tournaments and I think we’re playing ok,” Harbison said. “We gotta clean up our base running a little bit, but defensively, we’ve been good all year. As long as we can throw strikes, (we should do well).”

The win was Nutley’s fifth in the last six games, a streak that has mainly been on the strength of a pitching staff that is short on experience as it has given up two runs or less in four of those games. To be more precise, it’s been Harbison’s bullpen which has shined of late. For the second time in five days, lefty Chris Pierro was dominant in long relief, pitching three perfect innings out of the pen with four strikeouts to close it out.

Pierro and the return of Joe DeLanzo (eight scoreless innings) from an injury that kept him off the mound to start the season suddenly gives Harbison two quality relief arms to use late in games.

Meanwhile, an offense that was expected to be a strength, came alive on Saturday, in particular in the fourth inning when it erupted for eight runs.

DeLanzo, one of Essex County’s top players, opened the inning with a double, followed by a Dylan Santos single. Brandon Lucia and Frank Contella each had an RBI before Santos delivered the crushing blow of the inning, a two-run double into the leftfield corner, scoring two and making it 9-3.

Santos went 2-for-3 with a walk, three RBI and two stolen bases on the day, DeLanzo was 3-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and two stolen bases. Lucia drove in two runs and Pierro went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run for an offense, which has struggled, but has the potential to put up runs like it did on Saturday.

“I’m not happy with where we are offensively yet, but we have enough bats that we can score some runs,” said Harbison. “It’s a short season, but can we turn it around offensively? Yes, but it’s gotta happen soon.”

Carselda, a sophomore, matures on the diamond quicker than anyone could have imagined

By Jason Bernstein

Observer Sports Writer

Robert Carselda may only be a sophomore, but the North Arlington shortstop/relief pitcher has already acquired a well-earned reputation as someone who thrives in the big spot. It’s a trait he credits to trying to remain even-keeled from the first pitch to the final out.

“The key is just to stay consistent really and when you come back into the dugout after scoring or striking someone out, you can’t let the emotions get too crazy,” Carselda said. “You gotta keep them under control. You gotta stay consistent throughout the game until it’s over. I don’t like to celebrate until the game is over.”

In recent days, Carselda’s play, especially in the later innings, has been worthy of celebration.

Carselda’s walk-off single against Weehawken on April 19 not only gave the Vikings a much-needed victory, but it served as a springboard for a torrid four-game stretch that saw him go 8-for-14 with seven runs scored. Then, a day later, on April 27, Carselda was summoned from the bullpen to strike out the side to preserve an 8-6 win over perennial Group 1 contender Hoboken and earn his second save of the young season.

Carselda’s big numbers and most importantly, when he got them, is why he has been named The Observer’s Athlete of the Week.

He entered the weekend hitting .371 (13-for-35) with six walks, 12 runs scored, seven RBI and eight stolen bases. On the mound, in five appearances, he had a 2.17 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 9 2/3 innings.

“Robert wants the ball, he’s not afraid of the big situation on the mound. He wanted to close that game out against Hoboken,” North Arlington head coach Paul Marcantuono said. “He wants the ball hit to him, he wants to be up in the big spot.”

“I just get out and honestly just throw,” said Carselda. “I don’t even think about what I have to do, I just go out there and throw.

“I think it’s better personally not to think (out there). When you think too much, then it’s going to affect the way you hit or the way you pitch. So I just go out there with the mindset of doing what I have to do to the best I can.”

Having that mindset wasn’t easy last year, when he was trying to prove he belonged on varsity as a freshman. Playing in a utility role, he recorded just four hits in 25 at-bats, but offered a glimpse in the final game of the season with two RBI in a state tournament loss to Dayton.

Heading into this year, Carselda gained 10-15 pounds in muscle, while also improving his footwork and quickness to not only earn himself the starting shortstop job, but become the Vikings’ leadoff hitter.

“Last year as a freshman I probably was a little nervous,” said Carselda, who is 5-foot-10 and 155

See ATHLETE, Page 11

BASEBALL

Continued from Page 9

Now at 8-6, Nutley has earned the sixth seed in the Greater Newark Tournament and will face 11th-seeded West Orange in the first round on Friday.

“Winning is more of a feeling than anything else and when you start to win baseball games. I think your attitude changes and you start to expect to win, instead of expecting to lose,” Harbison said. “I think we can be a challenge for anybody that we come across.” n

The Raiders aren’t the only local team that has come on in recent days after uneven starts to the season. Lyndhurst has won four of its last five games — the most recent, a 22-5 victory over Harrison on Wednesday — to improve to 8-6 and keep its Bergen County Tournament hopes alive.

North Arlington is now at 6-6 after late-inning victories over Ridgefield Park and Hoboken as it heads into a big week with matchups against division foes Hasbrouck Heights and Becton.

Also at the Hudson/ Essex Challenge to Cure Alzheimer’s, Bloomfield snapped a four-game losing skid when it scored seven runs in the top of the sixth inning to defeat North Bergen, 9-3. Tyler Bell went 4-for-4 and Nico Ong reached base three times for the Bengals, who are the seventh seed in the GNT and will host Glen Ridge in the first round on Friday.

Unlike Nutley and Bloomfield, Belleville did not earn a bye into the round of 16 and will need to win two preliminary round games to reach the first round alongside their neighboring foes. The Buccaneers are now halfway there after defeating East Orange, 131, in the play-in round on Friday behind 13 strikeouts by Mike Napolitano.

Napolitano also continued his stellar year at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. Belleville’s next GNT opponent is Newark East Side on Wednesday with the winner earning a spot against top-seeded and defending champion Millburn.

Photos by Jason Bernstein

Joe Delanzo

Whoever your heart beats for, our hearts beat for you.

Leaders in emergency and elective angioplasty.

Ever feel tightness in your chest when going up a flight of stairs, or short of breath after carrying in the groceries? These can be signs of coronary artery disease. If you think you may be at risk, you should talk to a cardiac specialist at Clara Maass Medical Center. As one of the first community hospitals to perform emergent and elective angioplasty, our heart team can clear blocked or narrowed arteries to safely restore blood flow to your heart. Schedule an appointment with one of New Jersey’s top cardiac specialists at rwjbh.org/heart