CLARK, NJ- The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity baseball team returned to their home field, looking to prepare for the upcoming state tournament after their run in the 2018 Union County Tournament came to an end on Saturday. They used a ten-run fifth inning to rally past the Metuchen High School Bulldogs 13-7 Monday afternoon in Clark.
They appeared to be riding high after a three-run bottom of the first inning and with freshman starting pitcher Kyle Adorno cruising on the mound through the first two innings.
Sophomore Steve Harrington got the Crusaders on the board with a deep double, scoring senior Zach Thornton and sophomore courtesy runner Saul Lopez to give his team a 2-0 lead. Adorno added to the inning with an RBI single, scoring Harrington to make the game 3-0 Johnson.
It only took a span of five batters for everything to temporarily unravel in the top of the third inning.
Adorno allowed two walks and a single to open the inning, immediately getting into trouble. Metuchen junior Will Hronich got his team back in it with a deep double towards the left field line, scoring two runs, cutting the Crusaders lead to 3-2. Senior Matt Volpe followed with a long three-run home run and the Bulldogs suddenly led the Crusaders 5-3.
To add to that, Johnson had runners on base for the next two innings but couldn’t drive anyone home. After Adorno escaped through the top of the fifth inning with no damage, Johnson went to work. In most of that inning, they were able to overpower Metuchen not by hits initially, but through patience at the plate.
Harrington led off the inning with the bases loaded and went to second base after a single by Adorno. Senior Anthony Caldiero walked to load the bases with no outs for Johnson. Junior Nick McCaffery got the rally going with a four-pitch walk, scoring Harrington to cut the deficit down to 5-4.
Junior Brett DaCosta battled at the plate through an eight-pitch at-bat, working a second straight walk, scoring Adorno to tie the game at 5-5. At that point, four walks were drawn in the inning and only one hit, an alternate way for Johnson to drive in the runs.
“We had to take all the high fastballs. You’ve got to get your pitch [at the plate],” Johnson senior Joe Turek said of his team’s approach at the plate. “The whole team bought into that. That was a big part of it.”
Senior Mike Casalino stepped up to the plate, with still no outs, clawing out an RBI single to give his team back the lead at 6-5, with still no outs recorded in the inning.
“We had a couple of innings where we couldn’t get runs, like the third and fourth innings,” Casalino said. “In the fifth inning, we just exploded. It was great for the team to get some hits going and get the win.”
Turek followed with an RBI single, scoring McCaffery as it became 7-5 Johnson. Senior Kevin Metz kept the inning going after being hit by a pitch with the bases once again loaded, the lead now 8-5.
Harrington drew another walk with the bases loaded, making it 9-5. Adorno provided the big blow with a hit, a two-run double to make it 11-5 Johnson.
“We were in a tough spot and we found a way to get back in it and take a commanding lead,” Johnson head coach Dave Kennedy said.
Caldiero and McCaffery drove in a run each later, plating ten runs and making it 13-5 Johnson.
Full Coverage of Johnson Varsity Baseball Comeback Win Over Metuchen HS Here
