CLARK, NJ – After a rough home loss to New Providence which featured their lone hit in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders took back to their home field to kick off play in the 2018 Union County Tournament with a first round game.
The sixth-seeded Crusaders used an offensive outburst and a great pitching performance from sophomore starter Pat Grady to defeat the 11th-seeded Roselle Park High School Panthers in the first round 11-1 Saturday afternoon in Clark.
Grady pitched a complete game of the season, with everything working on the mound for him on the afternoon.
“Coming into the game, I really wanted to get a nice feel for my offspeed [pitch],” Grady said. “Right from the start, I had everything going for me.”
He allowed the lone run in the top of the third inning and didn’t allow too much to a Panthers team that recently had a seven-game winning streak.
“Pat pitched a great game. It’s the first complete game of the year,” Johnson head coach Dave Kennedy said. “For the most part, he was strike one and that’s huge for a team that’s starting to feel good about themselves and get back into playing and swinging for hits.”
Grady scattered four hits and allowed the lone run in the top of the third inning, recording one strikeout.
“My changeup, my curveball, my cutter, everything was working for me,” Grady said of his pitch selection. “That played a big part in me being successful here today.”
The offense was sparked by senior Joe Turek, who went 2-for-2 with five RBIs, including a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning. He spoke of the turnaround his team displayed after a rough performance at the plate on Thursday.
“We knew we had to hit the ball hard to win,” Turek said. “Our approaches were great today and that was a huge part of our success today.”
Full Coverage of Johnson Varsity Baseball Win Over Roselle Park HS Here
