Abrahamsen, DeFeo

beat Morris Hills, 10-3

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      DENVILLE - C.J. Abrahamsen pitched a five-hitter and Marc DeFeo had a two-home run game with four RBIs when Morris Knolls beat sister-school Morris Knolls, 10-3, in a high school baseball game played at Knolls on Wednesday, May 26.
      Abrahamsen allowed but one earned run, struck out eight and walked three in a complete-game effort that raised his pitching record to 8-1 for the season.
     Morris Knolls (17-12) broke a 2-2 tie with a five-run flurry in the bottom of the fifth inning and then added three more runs in the bottom of the sixth to seal the victory.
      Morris Hills (14-16) got an RBI double by Chris Fleischman, an RBI single by Joe Casale and a sacrifice fly by Doug Juno to account for its three runs.
 DeFeo finished 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored to lead the Eagles' 14-hit attack.
     Ryan Weinberg, who finished 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored, also homered for Knolls.
     Jackson Baird and James Aliotta also had three-hit days for the Eagles as Baird finished 3-for-4 with a double,  two RBIs and two runs scored and Aliotta was 3-for-4 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored.
     Dylan Argenziano was 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored; Cody Greehagen was 1-for-4 with a run scored; and Taylor Isenberg was 1-for-3.

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There was a lot at 'steak' when DeFeo beat MC

      DENVILLE - At first, Adam Bonfiglio couldn't figure it out.
      Marc DeFeo, a senior pitcher/infielder on the Morris Knolls High School baseball team, had just finished one of the best games of his high school career and Bonfiglio spotted DeFeo slowly shaking his head as if he had just lost the game instead of won it.
       DeFeo (5-3) threw a complete-game four-hitter and was 3-for-3 with a three-run homer when Knolls beat Morris Catholic, 5-1, at Knolls on Tuesday, May 25 ... and yet DeFeo was not acting like a happy camper after the game.
      "I went up to him and asked him what was wrong," Bonfiglio said. "And he told me he was mad at himself because he didn't get the steak dinner I had promised him if he shut out Morris Catholic ... I had forgotten all about that!"
      Bonfiglio has this thing worked out with his pitchers where they'll get to take batting practice with the team if they pitch a shutout. Pat Golden threw a shutout against Roxbury last week and he got to take his swings at practice the next day.
      "Marc is an every-day player, though, so I had to sweeten the deal for him," Bonfiglio said. " I told him he'd get a steak dinner for his shutout ... and when he lost it in the last inning, he wasn't too happy about it
       "But steak dinner or not, Marc had a fantastic day ... he was a one-man show out there for us."
       Morris Knolls (16-12) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Dylan Argenziano hit a two-run triple and Jackson Baird followed with a single.
       In the third, Argenziano walked, Baird doubled him to third, and DeFeo homered to give Knolls a 4-0 lead.
       Jake Moran manufactured the fifth and final run in the fourth inning when he singled, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and then scored on a short passed ball on an attempted squeeze play.
      DeFeo lost his shutout and his steak in the seventh when Morris Catholic (13-10) loaded the bases on two singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out and scored when the next batter bounced out into a force out at second.  The next batter also grounded into a force at second for the final out of the game.
      "We have two games left to play but no practices, so we'll have steak dinners on the table for our next two pitchers," Bonfiglio said. "C.J. Abrahamsen goes against Morris Hills (Wednesday, May 26, at home, 4 p.m.) and Golden will throw against West Morris (Thursday, May 27, at West Morris, 4 p.m.)."

      Two games, two dinners at steak ... er, stake.

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Knolls plays Seton Hall tough in losing 6-4 decision

      DENVILLE - It would have been easy for the Morris Knolls baseball team to roll over for Seton Hall when the Pirates visited Knolls on Saturday, May 22.
      After all, the Eagles had just been bounced out of the state tournament by Montclair the day before ... The Hall brought a 21-6 record and a state ranking (No. 19 by the Star-Ledger) into the game ... Knolls' starting outfield was not available (hand injury, shoulder injury, flu) ... and the Pirates had a 5-0 lead after it's third at-bat and looked as if they were ready to open up the floodgates for more runs.
      Seton Hall won the game, 6-4, on a four-run third inning when the Pirates scored their runs on back-to-back two-run doubles.
      But it wasn't easy ... and it wasn't over until the final out of the game, either.
 "This was another tough one," said head coach Adam Bonfiglio after the game. "We had our opportunities but just couldn't get the big hits when we needed them ... we were right there in the last of the seventh, too, but we just couldn't pull the trigger.
     "Again, I'm just thrilled with the fight in this team ... there were a number of reasons they could have used to just pack it in but they didn't ... there is no quit in these guys.
       "It would have been nice to have won this one - and we could have won this one - but you have to be pleased as anything with the overall effort these kids made out there today."
    Knoll starting pitcher Andrew Mannello (2-4) gave up a run first-inning run but ran into a rough patch in the top of the third when Seton Hall scored its four runs. Mannello retired the first two hitters he faced in the inning but the next six reached (three hits, three walks) base and the Pirates had their 5-0 lead.
      Jackson Baird was brought in to pitch in the fourth when the Pirates got the first two runners on (and eventually scored an unearned run) and Baird pitched four scoreless innings of four-hit ball with one strikeout and no walks to finish the game.
      "Andrew is a battler but he's not going to throw the ball past anybody," Bonfiglio said. "He has to hit his spots and change speeds in order to be effective and he did that well the first two innings before running into trouble in the third inning.
     "Jackson did a tremendous job of shutting down Seton Hall and allowing us to get back into the game."
     Knolls had its defensive moments, too. Marc DeFeo made a nice play on a grounder that had been deflected by Baird and Justin Masino - who had never played outfield in high school before Saturday - made two "... big-time, highlight reel plays" in right field.
      "Before the game, I asked Justin if he had ever played outfield before and he told me he had not," Bonfiglio said. "I told him he was starting in right field today and then wished him luck."
      He threw out a runner who had turned the bag too far on a base hit to right, "... throwing a strike to catcher Steve Rosen" who had trailed the play.
      In the seventh, with bases loaded and two out, Masino went after a ball hit into the gap in right-center and saved at least two if not three runs when he made a diving catch to retire the side.
      Morris Knolls (15-12) got all four of its runs of starter and winner MIchael Sheridan (3-0), the first of three Seton Hall pitchers who went the first five innings and gave up four runs (one earned) while striking out one and walking none.
     Trailing 5-0, Knolls got two back in the bottom of the third when Taylor Isenberg reached on an error, Masino was hit by a pitch and Jake Moran singled to load the bases with no outs. After a strikout, Isenberg scored on a wild pitch and Masino scored when Dyland Argenziano grounded to short.
     Trailing 6-2 in the sixth, Knolls got two more runs to pull within two. Singles by DeFeo, James Aliotta and Rosen (a bunt) loaded the bases - again, with no outs. Isenberg drove in DeFeo with a sacrifice fly and Masino bounced back to the pitcher who got the force at second but couldn't turn two and Aliotta scored to make it 6-4.
      In the seventh inning, Knolls gave the Pirates a finish when they loaded the bases with two outs but couldn't push across another run.
     Moran finished 3-for-4 to lead the Eagles' 10-hit attack. DeFeo, Aliotta and Rosen each finished 2-for-4 with DeFeo and Rosen scoring runs. Ryan Weinberg was 1-for-3 to account for the final hit.
      Argenziano, Isenberg and Masino were held hitless but each finished the game with an RBI.

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Eagles KO's from states by Montclair, 3-0

     DENVILLE - Morris Knolls gave up three early unearned runs and the Eagles scored none of their own in a 3-0 quarterfinal-round loss to Montclair that knocked Knolls out of the North 1, Group 4 state sectional baseball tournament game played at Montclair on Friday, May 21.
     Montclair, the No. 4 seed in the 16-team sectional, took a 1-0 first-inning lead on a double, error and a sacrifice fly and then added two more runs in the second on a walk, sac bunt, infield single, two-out error that allowed one run to score and a bunt single for the second run that gave the winners their 3-0 lead.
    Junior C.J. Abrahamsen  threw a six-hit complete game with five strikeouts and four walks in suffering his first loss of the season after seven wins.
    "C.J. did a real nice job once again," said Knolls coach Adam Bonfiglio after the game. "We couldn't get any runs for him and our defense cost us ... we get those two outs instead of making two errors and we might still be playing.
    "It was one of those game where you just shake your head and ask "... what if?" ... one of those games where you just knew the team making the fewer mistakes was going to win -- and Montclair didn't make any errors."
     Morris Knolls was held to four hits by Montclair starter and winner Chris Pignatello, who struck out five and walked two.
    Cody Greenhagen got Knolls' first hit - a single in the top of the fifth inning. Dylan Argenziano, Marc DeFeo and Jake Moran also had singles.
    "We didn't get the hits when we need them and they made some some nice defensive plays on us, too ... you have to give them some credit, too, for keeping us off the board.
    Indeed, the No. 12-seeded Eagles (16-11) did have their chances.
    "In the first inning, we had a man on second and Jackson Baird hit a two-out hard line drive that was caught that cost us a run," Bonfiglio explained. "In the second, we had a man on first with two outs and their first baseman made a nice play on a ball down that line that would have gone for a run-scoring double.
     "We left the bases loaded in the fifth ... and we lost a leadoff single on a double play ball in the sixth. Later, Aliotta hits one about 400 feet with a man on that their centerfielder seemed to chase down forever to make a nice running catch -- on a field with a fence that's a two-run homer.
     "Despite the loss, I am really proud of these guys ... they are really a scrappy bunch of guys who just don't quit ... they fought to the end and they played hard and, at the end of the day, that's all you can ask of them."

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Golden 5-hitter shuts down Roxbury, 5-0

      DENVILLE - The Roxbury hitters found out exactly why Morris Knolls coach Adam Bonfiglio has been saying that senior lefthander Pat Golden  "... is a lot better than his record" these past few weeks.
      Golden entered Wednesday's (May 19) high school baseball game against Roxbury with a 1-2 pitching record. Roxbury entered the game winners of 10 of its last 12 games, turning a 4-7 start into a 14-9 ... make that 14-10 after running into Pat Golden.
      Golden pitched a complete-game five-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and three walks to lead Morris Knolls (15-10) to a 5-0 victory in a game played at Knolls.
      "Pat has quietly put together a very nice year," Bonfiglio said after the game. "With a little luck, he could have had four or five wins ... he came out of two games with leads that our bullpen failed to hold for him.
      "He was super tough against Roxbury, a team that always has a lineup full of tough outs. He threw primarily fastballs and did a very good job of hitting his spots.
      "A pitcher's job is never 'easy' against Roxbury, but scoring two first-inning runs took a lot of the pressure of Golden and off our defense."
     Morris Knolls took a 2-0 lead in the first inning; scored a single run in the bottom of the fourth; and added another two runs in the fifth inning. In all, the Eagles had baserunners in five of the six innings they batted.
      "We did a nice job of putting the pressure on them," Bonfiglio said. "And Golden did the rest -- clearly, this best game of the year."
      The Eagles finished with eight hits with Ryan Weinberg leading the hits parade by going 2-for-3 with a two-run homer.
      Jackson Baird also had two hits, going 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored; Cody Greenhagen was 1-for-1 with two runs scored; Marc DeFeo tripled in a run; Steve Rosen scored a run; Jake Moran drove in a run; and Dylan Argenziano (1-for-3) and Taylor Isenberg (1-for-3 with a double) had hits that did not figure into the scoring.
     Morris Knolls, the No. 12 seed in the North 1, Group 4 state sectional tournament, will fact No. 4 seed Montclair in a quarterfinal on Friday, May 21, at Montclair at 4 p.m.

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MK edges Hackensack in states; Montclair next

     DENVILLE - When Marc DeFeo singled and stole second to give Morris Knolls a runner on second with no outs in the top of the fourth inning of a 2-2 game, Knolls baseball coach Adam Bonfiglio decided to go "small ball" and called on sophomore James Aliotta to bunt DeFeo over to third.
     He didn't do it.
     "It was a big spot in the game for us and he didn't get the ball down," Bonfiglio was explaining the day after No. 12 seed Morris Knolls needed eight innings to beat No. 5 seed Hackensack, 3-2, in a North 1, Group 4 first-round game at Hackensack on Monday, May 17. "I kind kind of got on him a little about it, too."
     But Aliotta made up for it in the next four innings - not once - but twice.
      In the bottom of the fifth, Aliotta was playing a shallow left field for Hackensack's No. 9 hitter, the first batter up in the inning.
      "The kid hit one that had double written all over it," Bonfiglio said. "James went back and to his right and made a great running backhand catch."
      In the top of the eighth, Aliotta came through again.
      With two out, DeFeo reached on an outfield error and hustled his way into second on the play.
      Aliotta followed by lining a first-pitch fastball to right center for a single that drove in DeFeo with what proved to be the winning run.
      DeFeo, who had relieved Knolls starter C.J. Abrahamsen when Abrahamsen walked the leadoff batter in the bottom of the seventh, then retired the side in order on two infield grounders and a strikeout (looking) in the Hackensack half of the eighth to end the game and make Aliotta's RBI stand up as the winning hit.
      Knolls (14-10) meets No. 4 seed Montclair in a quarterfinal game scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, May 21, at Montclair. Montclair beat No. 13 Kearny, 12-0, in their first-round game Monday.
     The Morris Knolls-Hackensack game started out with both teams scoring twice in the first inning before settling  into a pitchers' duel.
     Cody Greenhagen led off the game for Knolls with walk and, after Ryan Weinberg flied out, Greenhagen stole second. Dylan Argenziano walked to put runners on second and third and Jackson Baird followed with an RBI single, Greenhagen scoring and Argenziano stopping at second. When the Hackensack pitcher tried to pick off Baird, Argenziano took off for third and came in to score when the Hackensack first basemen threw away the ball trying to cut down Argenziano.
     Hackensack wasted no time in tying the score in its half of he first as its leadoff runner reached on a slow roller to short. After a force at second, a steal of second and a strikeout, the Hackensack cleanup hitter hit a pop-up that fell in for an RBI single. A walk put runners on first and second and the next batter fought off an inside pitch and blooped an RBI single over first base to tie the score at 2-2 ... where it stayed until the eighth.
     "C.J. should have been out of the inning without a run being scored because we had a little defensive communication problem on the pop-up hit by their cleanup hitter," Bonfiglio said. "C.J. gave up three soft hits in the inning and gave up only one hit in the six innings he worked. He struck out nine and walked five - which is high for him - so when he walked the first guy in the seventh inning, I brought Marc in to pitch."
     DeFeo (4-3) pitched two innings of hitless ball, getting out of a two-on, two-out jam in the seventh on an infield pop-up. He finished with one strikeout and a walk (intentional) and picked up the win when Aliotta came through with his game-winning hit in the eighth.
      "It was nice to see James come back that way with the nice catch and the game-winning hit," Bonfiglio said. "I was happy for him."
      So was Aliotta.

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Weinberg drives in only run in 4-1 loss to Mt. Olive

     DENVILLE - Ryan Weinberg's RBI single in the top of the seventh inning drove in the only run for Morris Knolls when the Eagles lost a 4-1 decison to Mount Olive in a high school baseball game played at Mount Olive on Thursday, May 13.
     Weinberg finished the game 2-for-4, accounting for half the hits allowed by Mount Olive starter and winner Tom Portesy, who homered and drove in two home runs. Mount Olive is 7-14.
     Morris Knolls (13-10) was seeded No. 12 in the 16-team North 1, Group 4 state sectional tournament and is scheduled to play No. 5 Hackensack in a first-round game at Foschini Park in Hackensack on Monday, May 17, at 4 p.m.

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Abrahamsen's one-hitter shuts down Jefferson

      DENVILLE - Junior pitcher C.J Abrahamsen took advantage of an early lead his teammates built when Morris Knolls beat Jefferson, 17-0, victory over Jefferson at Jefferson on Monday, May 10, to work on his changeup under live game conditions. 
      He did well.
      Abrahamsen threw a five-inning one-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks to win his seventh game of the season without a loss. The only hit Jefferson got off Abrahamsen was a second-inning bad-hop single.
      "C.J. has been tough on opposing hitters all season," said Knolls head coach Adam Bonfiglio after the game. "All the runs he got allowed him to work on his changeup ... he has had difficulty in throwing it for strikes and the nice cushion he had gave him the chance to work on it without fear of giving up a lead.
      "By the end of the game, he said he had a better feel for it ... hopefully, this will give him the confidence he needs to use the change more in tight spots."
      Morris Knolls (13-9) finished the game with 20 hits - five of them home runs. Cody Greenhagen hit a grand slam; Dylan Argenziano and Steve Rosen hit three-run homers; and Jackson Baird and Jake Moran each added solo home runs.
    Greenhagen finished 2-for-3 with his bases-loaded homer, a double, five RBI and two runs scored; Ryan Weinberg was 3-for-4 with two runs scored; Argenziano was 3-for-3 with his homer, three RBIs and three runs scored; Baird was 2-for-3 with a homer, double, two RBI and two runs scored; James Aliotta was 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored; Rosen finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored; Moran was 2-for-4 with a homer and RBI.

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Red Bank's 7-run 5th sinks Eagles

     DENVILLE - Red Bank broke open a close game with a seven-run fifth inning and went on to defeat Morris Knolls, 11-6, in a high school baseball game played at Red Bank on Saturday, May 8.
     Red Bank had a 4-2 lead after three innings before exploding in the fifth.
 The loss dropped Morris Knolls' spring record to 12-9; Red Bank improved to 10-7.

     Ryan Weinberg was 2-for-3 with a solo homer in the first inning, his first varsity four-bagger for Knolls.

     Cody Greenhagen was 1-for- 3 with an RBI single; Jackson Baird was 1-for-2 with an RBI single; and Bobby Hanson had a pinch-hit two-run single in the seventh when Knolls sent five straight pinchhitters to the plate and four of them reached - a Justin Masino double, a Rob Sinegra single, a walk to Bobby Santoro, and Hanson's two-run single.

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High Point scores early, hangs on for 10-5 win over MK

      DENVILLE - Morris Knolls found itself down by five runs after High Point opened the game with two three-run innings on its way to a 10-5 victory over the Eagles in a high school baseball game played at Knolls on Friday, May 7.
      Knolls (12-8) closed a 6-1 deficit with three runs in the third inning but the visitors answered with a four-run flurry in the fifth to take a 10-4 lead. Knolls' run in the fifth was the last score of the game.
      The Eagles got 10 hits - four for extra bases - with Jackson Baird leading the way by going 3-for-4.
      Marc DeFeo was 2-for-2 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored; Steve Rosen was 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI; Ryran Weinberg was 1-for-4 with a double with an RBI; Taylor Isenberg was 1-for-4 with an RBI; Cody Greenhagen was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored; Dylan Arenziano was 1-for-4 with a run scored; and Bobby Santoro scored a run.
      DeFeo (3-3) took the loss. He gave up 10 runs - but only five were earned as Knolls made five errors - on 11 hits while striking out four and walking none in five innings. Pat Golden and Baird each pitched a scoreless inning to finish up.
      High Point, which finished with 14 hits off three Eagles' pitchers, improved to 12-5 with the victory.

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Abrahamsen (6-0) 3-hits Montville, 4-1

     DENVILLE - Unbeaten C.J. Abrahamsen won his sixth game of the year as he pitched a complete-game three-hitter as Morris Knolls  beat Montville, 4-1, in a high school baseball game played at Montville on Wednesday, May 5.
     Abrahamsen struck out nine and walked three and gave up his only run when Jordan Gajdos hit a home run in the second inning to give Montville (9-12) an early 1-0 lead.
     A little more of Knolls' "two-out magic" helped the Eagles scored three runs in the top of the third inning to take the lead for good.
     The day after the Eagles had scored four two-out runs in a 6-4 win over Mount Olive, Dylan Argenziano hit a two-out double to drive in the first run in the third inning. Jackson Baird and James Aliotta followed with RBI singles for a 3-1 and Abrahamsen shut the door on Montville the rest of the way.
     Knolls - now 12-7 - added an insurance run in the top of the sixth on an RBI single by Justin Masino.
     "C.J. was great out there today," said Knolls coach Adam Bonfiglio after the game. "He gave up a second-inning home run but the other two hits were bloop singles.
     "He has really been tough lately ... in his last 22 innings he has given up four runs on 10 hits while striking out 30."
     Bonfiglio was also particularly happy with Masino delivering his RBI hit in the sixth.
     "Justin was our starting third baseman for the first seven games but got off to a slow start and I put Taylor Isenberg in at third," Bonfiglio explained. "Justin continued to work hard and has shown he wants to play and he want to help ... I gave Taylor the day off today and Justin did a nice job filling in, even though we all know it was just for the day.
     "But it was nice to see him do well ... his single in the sixth was a hard one-hopper off the fence ... he hit the ball hard in another at-bat ... and he made a nice play for the out on a slow-roller hit to him at third." 

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Mannello, Baird 'recover' to beat Mount Olive, 9-4

     DENVILLE - Morris Knolls pitchers Andrew Mannello and Jackson Baird bounced back Tuesday, May 4, two days after they were bounced around by Morristown's bats in a 9-5 Morris County Baseball Tournament loss.
     It was a different story against on Tuesday, however, as Mannello started and went six solid innings to get his second win of the season and Baird pitched a 1-2-3 seventh with two strikeouts for his second save of the year as Morris Knolls beat Mount Olive, 6-4, at Knolls.
     "They both had rough outings in relief against Morristown and they were both pretty upset about it," said Eagle's coach Adam Bonfiglio after the game. "So it was important to the team that they both came back and had successful outings today.
     "Mannello in particular had me a bit concerned because I wasn't sure how he was going to react. But when I watched him warm up and I could tell by his body language he was OK ... he was confident and it looked as if he had something to prove."
     Mannello gave up six hits and four runs (all earned) and struck out three and walked three in his six innings of work. He took a 5-2 lead into the sixth and allowed two runs to make it a one-run game and Bonfiglio brought in Baird to close after the Eagles had scored an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth to make it 6-4.
     "I was good to see Baird come back, too ... he took the loss in the Morristown game," Bonfiglio said. "It's great that both these guys were able to bounce back from the Morristown game and have successful outings."
     Knolls (11-7) took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Dylan Argenziano drew a two-out walk, Baird followed with a single, and Marc DeFeo singled in Argenziano.
     The Eagles made it 3-0 in the bottom of the third when Argenziano doubled with one out, took third on a groundout to second by Baird, and scored when DeFeo followed with a single for his second RBI of the game. Defeo then stole second and scored on James Aliotta's double.
    Both teams scored twice in the fourth with the Eagles scoring runs on an RBI double by Cody Greenhagen and an RBI single by Jake Moran.
    After Mount Olive (5-12) closed to within a run in the sixth, Knolls scored an insurance run when Bobby Hanson walked, took second on a fielder's choice. After Justin Masino went in to run for Hanson, Moran chopped a ball to short and beat the throw to first for his second hit and Masino never stopped running and scored from second on the play, giving Moran his second RBI of the game.
    "That was a big insurance run for us," Bonfiglio said. "And it would not have happened if Masino hadn't been running hard all the way on the play.
    "That was the fourth run we scored with two outs ... the guys did a great job of hitting in the clutch today."
     Knolls finished with nine hits with DeFeo finishing 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored and Moran going 2-for-4 with two RBIs to lead the way.
     Aliotta was 1-for-2 with an RBI double; Greenhagen was 1-for-3 with an RBI double; Argenziano was 1-for-3 with two runs scored; Isenberger was 1-for-3 with a run scored; Baird finished 1-for-3; and Bobby Santoro and Masino each scored a run.

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Knolls ousted from MCT by Morristown late rallies

     DENVILLE - The Morris Knolls baseball team took the field in the bottom of the fifth inning with a 5-1 lead over top-seeded and defending champion Morristown in their Morris County Baseball Tournament quarterfinal game at Morristown on Sunday, May 2.
     Three outs later the game was tied at 5-5 and, after Morristown had batted again in the sixth and scored another four times, the score was 9-5 in favor of the defending champs.
    Winning pitcher Ian Wukitsch, the third of Morristown's three pitchers, put the lid on Morristown's 9-5 victory over Morris Knolls by  completing his two-inning scoreless relief stint to end the game and send Morristown on to the semifinals.
     Morristown will play Knolls sister-school and No. 12 seed Morris Hills in the 3 p.m. second game of an MCT doubleheader at Delbarton School on Sunday, May 8. Morris Hills beat No. 4 Pequannock, 9-4, in their quarterfinal on Sunday.
    The other game starts at noon and features No. 2 Randolph against No. 3 Delbarton. Randolph outlasted No. 10 seed West Morris, 14-12, at Randolph and Delbarton beat No. 6 seed Whippany Park, 8-5, at Delbarton in their quarterfinals on Sunday.
    Through the first 4.5 innings of the Knolls-Morristown game, however, it looked as if Morris Knolls, the No. 9 seed, would be joining the MCT semifinal doubleheader party at Delbarton.
     Knolls (10-7) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in its first at-bat and Morristown (14-4) scored a run in the bottom of the first. Knolls made it 4-1 with a two-run fourth and took a 5-1 lead after scoring a single run in the fifth.
     But Knolls starter Pat Golden, who had given up a run on four hits through the first four innings, opened the Morristown fifth by walking the leadoff batter and then hitting the next batter.
     Knolls head coach Adam Bonfiglio went to the Eagles' bullpen but the Morristown bats suddenly came alive as the Colonials went on to score four runs in the fifth to tie it and then broke out with  another four-run rally in the bottom of the sixth to win it.
     Knolls scored two first-inning runs with two outs when Dylan Argenziano singled, Jackson Baird followed with an RBI double and Mar DeFeo singled in Baird.
     The Eagles added another two runs in the fourth when Steve Rosen walked, courtesy runner Bobb Santoro went to third on Taylor Isenberg's single, and Jake Moran squeezed in Santoro. Cody Greenhagen then drove in Isenberg with a sacrifice fly.
     In the fifth, the Eagles made it 5-1 and scored their last run of the game when Argenziano drew a leadoff walk, Baird followed with a single and, after both runners moved up on a wild pitch, James Aliotta's squeeze bunt was so well placed he was able to beat it out for an RBI single.
     The Eagles finished with nine hits as  Moran was 3-for-3 with an RBI; Baird was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored;  Aliotta was 1-for-4 with an RBI; DeFeo was 1-for-3 with an RBI; Argenziano was 1-for-2 with two runs scored; and Isenberg finished 1-for-4 with a run scored.
      "We had control of the game early on but Morristown came back on us ... give them credit for that," Bonfiglio said after the game. "We have to play a full seven innings ... and that didn't happen for us this time.
      "Still, we're playing really good ball right now and we can't let this loss affect us ... the state cutoff is Friday (May 7) and we have to keep our focus and continue to play well to get the best possible seed in order to get a home game.
      "The loss to Morristown was tough to take, but I'm not worried about these kids ... their focus and their toughness has translated into some good things and I'm sure that good things will continue to happen to this team."

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Knolls tops Mo-Beard to reach MCT quarters

     DENVILLE - Moments after Morris Knolls had defeated Morristown-Beard, 7-4, in a first-round Morris County Baseball Tournament game at Mo-Bead on Saturday, May 1, Eagles' coach Adam Bonfiglio announced he had changed his mind as to which team he thought was gong to win the MCT this spring.
     In an informal poll among coaches at the meeting where the 25-team field was seeded, Bonfiglio had agreed with the majority of the coaches in the county and said that top-seeded Morristown had the best chance to win the county title.
     All that changed on Saturday when No. 9 Morris Knolls beat No. 8 Morristown-Beard and, coupled with Morristown's 4-1 victory over No.16 Mount Olive, to put Knolls and Morristown against each other in a quarterfinal-round game scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, May 5, at Morristown.

    "You'd have to say I like our chances, now," said Bonfiglio after the game. "They'll be gunning for us because we beat them before, but our guys think we can beat them again."
     Against Morristown-Beard, Marc DeFeo gave up nine hits but was tough with men on base, striking out six and walking only two. He helped himself out at the plate by going 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs, driving in one of his runs in the fifth inning when the Eagles scored three time to take a 7-2 lead.
     Taylor Isenberg and Jake Moran both finished 2-for-3 with a run scored and Jackson Baird also had an RBI single in the Eagles' three-run fifth.

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Abrahamsen, Baird stop Sparta, 3-1

     DENVILLE - Jackson Baird hit a three-run home run in the first inning and C.J. Abrahamsen pitched a complete-game five hitter when Morris Knolls defeated Sparta, 3-1, in a high school baseball game played at Morris Knolls on Friday, April 30.
     Ryan Weinberg opened the Eagles home half of the first inning with a doubled and Dylan Argenziano followed with a walk before Baird launched his home run that gave Abrahamsen his three-run cushion.
     Abrahamsen, now 5-0 for the season, finished the game with nine strikeouts, walked three and allowed only a fifth-inning unearned run.
     Two of his strikeouts came in the top of the seventh when he fanned the first two batters before walking No. 2 hitter John Brucker, who finished the game 3-for-3 with three of the five Spartan hits.
     The base on balls prompted a visit to the mound from Knolls head coach Adam Bonfiglio.
    "I wasn't going to take him out, I just wanted to make sure he was OK and give me a little breather," Bonfiglio explains. "I wasn't two steps out of the dugout and C.J. is waving me away! 'No, no ... I'm good,' he said. 
    "I told him to bear down and make the next batter the last out and he gave me a 'Yes, sir!' and I walked back to the dugout. I had to laugh a little, though ... C.J. did NOT want to come out of the game."
     Abrahamsen got Sparta's No. 3 batter Ryan Quinn on a fly to deep center for the last out of the game.
     "Off the bat, I thought it was a home run ... but it stayed in and Jake Moran squeezed it for he final out of a great ball game," Bonfiglio said. "C.J. did an amazing job... he shut down a good hitting club and worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third and had two runners on in each of the fourth and fifth innings."
    Knolls also had scoring opportunities, leaving the bases loaded in the second and third innings without scoring. Sparta pitchers retired the last 10 Knolls batters as the Eagles got only three singles - by Bobby Hanson, Taylor Isenberg and Jake Moran - off three Sparta pitchers after the first inning.
     "Both clubs were held to five hits by some real clutch pitching ... but both club also had scoring opportunities, which made it an exciting game," Bonfiglio said. "Both defenses were solid, too, as we hit a lot of balls really well, but they made the plays ... it was simply a fantastic high school baseball game."
     No wonder C.J. didn't want to come out of the game.

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MK 4-game win streak ends with loss to Roxbury

    DENVILLE - Morris Knolls had it four-game winning streak snapped with a 7-4 loss to Roxbury in a high school baseball game played at Roxbury on Wednesday, April 28.
    Roxbury (7-7) scored the deciding runs in the bottom of the fourth when the Gaels scored four times to turn a 3-2 edge into a 7-2 lead. Morris Knolls (8-6) rallied for two runs in the top of the seventh to pull to within three.
    Dylan Argenziano, Jackson Baird and Mark DeFeo each finished with two hits for the Eagles.
    The Eagles, the No. 9 seed in the Morris County Baseball Tournament, faces No. 8 seed Morristown-Beard at Mo-Beard in a quarterfinal-round game on Saturday, May 1, at 3 p.m.

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DeFeo sparks Knolls to 13-2 MCT win over Dover

     DENVILLE - After one half inning of their Morris County Baseball Tournament preliminary game against Dover, Morris Knolls and starting pitcher Marc DeFeo were looking at a 2-0 deficit.
     Morris Knolls got those runs back quickly with a four-run first and five-run second and DeFeo had four RBIs and kept Dover off the board the rest of the way with a complete-game four-hitter as the 9th-seed Eagles roared back to defeat the 25th-seed Tigers, 13-2, in a five-inning game played at Knolls on Saturday, April 24.
     The victory was the fourth in a row for Morris Knolls (8-5) and puts them into the tournament's first-round against No. 8 seed Morristown-Beard in a game scheduled for Saturday, May 1, at a time that has yet to be determined.
     DeFeo finished the game 2-for-3 with a three-run homer, an RBI triple and two runs scored. His pitching stats were also good as he gave up four singles and two runs (both unearned) while striking out seven and walking none to even his record at 2-2.
     Jackson Baird, Cody Greenhagen, Ryan Weinberg and Dylan Argenziano each had two hits for the Eagles as they reached two Dover pitchers for 12 hits and took advantage of three walks for their 13 runs.
     Baird finished 2-for-3 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored; Greenhagen was 2-for-2 with a double and three runs scored; Weinberg was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI; and Argenziano was 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and three runs scored.
     Junior Rob Sinegra got his first varsity hit - a two-run single in the fourth inning.
     Bobby Hanson was 1-for-1 with a run; James Aliotta was 1-for-3 with two RBIs; Steve Rosen finished 1-for-2; and John Rotella scored a run.
     Weinberg leads the team with a .480 batting average (21-for-44) while Argenziano is right behind him at .460 (18-for-39) and Greenhagen is hitting .450 (18-for-40).
     Notes: Mo-Beard beat No. 25 Boonton, 7-3, in its prelim ... figure the MK-Mo-Beard game to be a mid-afternoon or later start since May 1 is an SAT day for the student-athletes ... Morris Knolls and sister-school Morris Hills square off Monday, April 26, in a 7 p.m. game at Gardner Field in Denville.

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Eagle "squeeze" Morristown in eight innings, 7-3

     DENVILLE - Morris Knolls warmed up for its first 2010 MCT game by knocking off defending champ and tournament top-seed Morristown, 7-3, in an eight-inning regular-season high school baseball game played at Morristown on Friday, April 23.
     Morristown (11-2) took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but Morris Knolls (7-5) went ahead by a run with a three-run fifth before Morristown tied the game a 2-2 with a singleton in the bottom of the sixth.
    After neither team scored in the seventh, Marc DeFeo reached on an error and pinchhitter Bobby Hanson singled him to third from where he scored what proved to be the winning run on Taylor Isenberg's suicide squeeze bunt.
     Pinchrunner Justin Masino gave the Eagles a 5-3 lead when he scored on an error on a pickoff attempt and, after Cody Greenhagen was walked intentionally and Ryan Weinberg was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Dylan Argenziano blooped a two-run single over the second base to knock in the third and fourth runs of the inning for Knolls.
     Relief pitcher C.J. Abrahamsen, who pitched 2.1 inning of scoreless relief, shut down the Colonials in their half of the eighth to pick up his fourth win of the year against no losses.
     Argenziano finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBIs; Weinberg was 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI; Greenhagen was 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored; and Jake Moran finished 2-for-3.
     Abrahamsen allowed two hits and struck out four in relief, coming on for starter Pat Golden, who allowed but two earned runs in hits 5.2 innings of work.
     "Pat and C.J. did a tremendous job in shutting down Morristown's offense," said Morris Knolls head coach Adam Bonfiglio after the game. "Pat struggled with command of his fastball early but his curve was great all along and he did a great job of keep Morristown's big hitters off the bases.
    "C.J. was simply fantastic ... he got us out of trouble in the sixth kept us out of trouble the rest of the way."

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Mannello's two-hitter defeats Blair, 7-2

     DENVILLE - Andrew Mannello pitched a complete-game two-hitter for his first varsity victory when Morris Knolls beat Blair Academy, 7-2, in a high school baseball game at Blair on Wednesday, April 21.
     Mannello struck out five and walked only two in seven innings to even his record at 1-1.
     "Andrew has been pitching great for us all year but hasn't been able to catch a break and get a win," said Knolls head coach Adam Bonfiglio after the game. "He opened the season for us against Delbarton and did a great job of keeping us in the game but did not get credit for our win.
     "He lost a 2-1 decision to Pope John and had some other no-decisions. He is consistently around the strike zone and keeps hitters off-balance with his cure and change ... he battles every time out.
     "The coaches and the player are really happy that he finally got that first win under his belt."
     Mannello got 12-hit support from his teammates with Ryan Weinberg leading the way with three hits and two runs scored in four official at-bats.
     The win put the Eagles at one game
     Mark DeFeo was 1-for-3 with a double and three RBIs; Dylan Argenziano was 2-for-4 with with a triple, an RBI and two runs scored; James Aliotta was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored;  Taylor Isenberg was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored; Cody Greenhagen was 2-for-4 with an RBI; and Jackson Baird scored a run.
     Morris Knolls was seeded ninth for the Morris County Baseball Tournament and faces No. 24 seed Dover on Saturday, April 24, in a 1 p.m. game at Knolls.
     "Our 5-5 record at the time was not that impressive," Bonfiglio said. "But I still though we had a chance to be seeded in the top ten, so I'm happy with what we got.
  "Four of our five losses were against strong teams and we have wins over Delbarton and Westfield, which is ranked No. 1 in Union County." 

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Abramsen earns third W by beating Par Hills, 10-6

     DENVILLE - C.J. Abrahamsen won his third game without a loss and Ryan Weinberg and Dylan Argenziano each had two hits and drove in two runs as Morris Knolls defeated Parsippany Hills, 10-6, in a high school baseball game played at Par Hills on Tuesday, April 20.
     Abrahamsen pitched five innings and allowed two runs and two hits while striking out eight and walking only one batter. He left the game with Knolls holding a 10-2 lead.
     Morris Knolls evened its record at 5-5 with the win; Par Hills fell to 1-10.
     Weinberg and Argenziano each finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored to lead the Eagles' 10-hit attack.
     Jake Moran was 2-for-3 with a double, one RBI and three runs scored and Marc DeFeo was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Cody Greehagen finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored and Justin Masino was 1-for-1. 
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Unbeaten Randolph pins 13-3 defeat on Knolls

    DENVILLE - Unbeaten Randolph's seven-run explosion in the third inning  was too much for Morris Knolls to overcome as the Eagles lost a 13-3 decision to the 9-0 Rams in a high school baseball game played at Knolls on Monday, April 19.
     Jackson Baird was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Eagles (4-5).