Sunday, June 8, 2008

By Scott Van Dorn
NJS.com Student Intern

TOMS RIVER -- Even before Saturday’s Group 2 state final game against Allentown, Mahwah’s baseball team had already turned in a spectacular season.

“This season has been a bunch of miracles,” is how Mahwah’s centerfielder Anthony D’Alessandro explained it.

In one regular season game against Ramapo the Thunderbirds were down 14-4, two outs away from a mercy rule loss, before coming back to win the game 20-16. Mahwah was a below .500 team before it reeled off six consecutive wins just to make the state tournament before it upset its way through the North 1, Group 2 state sectional tournament as the No. 14 seed in a 16 team bracket.

Were those sports-versions of miracles? Or were they just a testament to the unwavering determination and heart of the Mahwah players and coaches? While there was no storybook ending on Saturday, Mahwah still proved why it had come this far.

Its opponent, Allentown, came into the game as one of New Jersey’s best teams, having posted a 26-3 record and was ranked No. 2 in the Star-Ledger Top 20.

Allentown immediately backed up its ranking by scoring five runs in the top of the first inning off Mahwah starter Doug Hanig; the same Doug Hanig that gutted out a complete game victory of Hanover Park in the Group 2 semifinals on Monday. Hanig then proceeded to blank Allentown over the next two innings with some key pitching. In the third, he walked the first two batters and was able to escape without a run.

Hanig faltered in the fourth inning, but left to an ovation from his hometown fans who have appreciated his effort all season. Mahwah coach Jeff Remo attributed some of Hanig’s struggles on Saturday to all of his use throughout the season and the state tournament.

“I think we kind of burned his candle,” Remo said.

In the bottom of the first, Mahwah struck right back with two runs of its own off Allentown’s star pitcher Ethan Perro. D’Alessandro led off the game with a home run, followed by a walk to Chris McAvey who then stole second, third, and home.

Allentown’s Perro then settled into peak form, striking out nine batters in only five innings of work.

“He’s a very good pitcher, they said he throws mid-80s,” Remo said, “But I think he was cranking it up even better than that today.”

D’Alessandro, a sophomore, was the only Mahwah player who seemed to be able to handle Perro’s high velocity, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs.

“I play summer league against guys just like that,” D’Alessandro said, “And I think everybody else got psyched out because he throws hard and is better than most pitchers.”

Coach Remo could not say enough about D’Alessandro.

“I’ve been saying it all along, he’s one of the best players in Bergen County. The kid is very, very talented. And he’s certainly going to go on and play at the next level.”

Mahwah was consistently on the verge of the mercy rule throughout the game, but refused go away quietly. They were down 9-2 after the top of the fourth, but scored two runs in the bottom of the inning off a single from D’Alessandro.

In the bottom of the seventh, with the game and their season three outs from being over, Mahwah continued to hit. The T-Birds scored two more runs and put two more men on base before finally giving in.

While the Mahwah players may have looked on with disdain as Allentown raucously celebrated on the field after the victory, it also served as a symbol to the fighting spirit of the Thunderbirds to evoke such a strong reaction after a seemingly lopsided 11-6 score.

Even without the title, the season certainly was not a waste for Mahwah.

“It was a great year,” Remo said, “We showed a lot of fight and belief.”

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