SUMMIT, NJ — The Union County Conference schedule maker presented the Jonathan Dayton High School baseball team with a very challenging first three games right off the bat, no pun intended.
Among the top teams in the Mountain Division, the Bulldogs opened with contests against three of the upper Watchung Division schools before they were scheduled to play someone in their division.
Jonathan Dayton got off to a good start by winning at Summit High School, 10-7, on Tuesday, April 1, before falling at Cranford High School, 5-2, on Thursday, April 3, and then at Arthur L. Johnson High School, 13-3, on Friday, April 4.
As a result, the Bulldogs began the week with a record of 1-2 heading in its scheduled game on Tuesday, April 8, at home against Mountain Division foe Elizabeth High School. The Minutemen began the week at 4-2 overall and were 1-0 in the division with an 8-3 home victory against David Brearley High School on Friday, April 4. Elizabeth was a team that was able to begin its season before Tuesday, April 1, thus getting six games in, prior to this week.
Since Jonathan Dayton had to play its season-opener at Summit’s Memorial Park field, the Bulldogs were scheduled to play their first game at their Ruby Field in Springfield on Tuesday against Elizabeth.
Jonathan Dayton and Elizabeth were two of the best teams in the UCC last year, with Jonathan Dayton finishing 17-12 and Elizabeth 16-9. They split their two Mountain Division games, both winning on the road.
Jonathan Dayton’s other two scheduled games this week are at David Brearley High School on Thursday, April 10, and at Somerset County foe North Plainfield High School on Friday, April 11.
Here’s an account of Jonathan Dayton’s season-opening win against the Summit Hilltoppers:
Never, ever underestimate the importance of insurance runs.
Jonathan Dayton took its second lead of the season against Summit and then added on for a comfortable eight-run cushion going into the final inning.
As it turned out, the Bulldogs needed every one of those insurance runs.
Summit took advantage of some sloppy Jonathan Dayton defensive play in the top of the seventh and battled all the way back to having the tying run on deck.
Senior right-hander Frank Dasti, Jonathan Dayton’s third pitcher, retired the game’s final batter on a fly ball to right that was not-so-easy for sophomore Niko Sieminski to catch.
However, Sieminski did hold on for the game’s final out as Jonathan Dayton held on to top Summit, 10-7, in the opening day game on Tuesday, April 1, played at Summit’s Memorial Park field. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Jonathan Dayton’s Ruby Field in Springfield, but was moved because of the heavy rainfall on Monday, March 31.
Jonathan Dayton, as the home team in this Union County Conference-crossover clash, was sparked by key efforts from practically all involved, including starting pitcher Michael Ramirez and infielder Mikey Corea.
Ramirez, a senior left-hander, pitched the first four innings complete, earning the mound victory. Jonathan Dayton took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the fourth for a 4-2 advantage going into the fifth.
Ramirez allowed just two runs on two hits, with the first run he gave up unearned on an infield error. Ramirez struck out four, walked five and hit one batter. He also picked off a runner in the third and struck out the final batter he faced in the fourth, looking. His first strikeout came on an off-speed pitch.
“I felt great,” Ramirez said. “My four-seam worked best. In the past, I struggled (with) throwing it.”
Jonathan Dayton took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on an RBI-groundout to first, hit by Nico Davila. The big at-bat in the inning was produced by the lefty-swinging Corea, on the first pitch he saw this season, executing a hit-and-run that saw Jackson Babiarz move to third after Corea placed a single into right field.
“I worked on hitting line drives in the off season,” Corea, also a senior, said.
Summit came back in the top of the fourth to take its only lead at 2-1, with runs scoring on an error and a passed ball.
The Hilltoppers, however, were not able to hang on to that lead for very long. Jonathan Dayton came right back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to remain ahead for the rest of the game. Corea again came through for the Bulldogs.
With the bases loaded and nobody out, this time, Corea was behind in the count at 0-2. After fouling off the third pitch, Corea managed to get his bat on the ball again and, this time, drove it the opposite way to left field, driving in one run for an RBI-single to tie the game at 2-2.
“I didn’t like one of the calls in that at-bat,” Corea said. “I just tried to stay focused.”
There were four separate times in the inning where Jonathan Dayton had the bases full. The second time saw Davila walk on a 10-pitch at-bat that got him to first base with an RBI, giving Jonathan Dayton its second and last lead at 3-2. That prompted Summit head coach Kevin Zaleski to remove starting pitcher Gavin Smith after he threw 65 innings in more than three innings.
Jonathan Dayton’s third and final run of the fourth was scored as the result of a sacrifice fly hit to center field by designated hitter Richie Huber.
Jonathan Dayton scored its next two runs in the fifth to extend its lead to 6-2. Both came home on a squeeze bunt put down by Nate Goldman, who was safe at first on a throw that was bounced. Coming around to score on the play were Ramirez and Babiarz.
Jonathan Dayton scored its final four runs in the sixth to go up 10-2. The seventh run was scored on a wild pitch and, during the same at-bat, Babiarz came through with a two-run single to center. An infield RBI-single by Goldman plated Jonathan Dayton’s final run.
Patrick Ferguson, a junior, started the game at first base for Jonathan Dayton. He then pitched two scoreless innings in the fifth and sixth, allowing only one hit. Ferguson’s fifth inning was a 1-2-3 frame that included his only strikeout.
In a game that featured three double plays, Summit executed two 4-6-3 gems in the third and fourth innings, and Jonathan Dayton had a big one in the sixth. With runners on first and third with nobody out, Corea caught a smash at third and then threw to first to get that base runner off the bag.
Dasti came in to pitch the seventh and after a single, a fielder’s choice and another single where Summit had first and third with one out. After a pop up for the second out, a wild pitch made the score 10-3.
Another infield error saw Summit score again to make it 10-4.
Ryan Flack followed with an RBI-infield single and, then right after his at-bat, Matt McKeever drilled an RBI-single to left to pull Summit to within four at 10-6. Another run scored on a wild pitch and now Summit trailed 10-7 and still had a baserunner. Dasti then retired Smith on the fly ball to Sieminski, with the game closing at 10 minutes shy of three hours.
“I like that we got contributions from one through nine,” Corea said.
Jonathan Dayton took advantage of 10 base-on-balls issued by the four Summit pitchers.
“Plate discipline is important,” Corea said. “We need to keep that up.”
Jonathan Dayton, situated in the UCC’s Mountain Division, is coming off a 17-12 season that saw it capture another North 2, Group 1 sectional state championship.
“We have a chance to be even better this year,” Ramirez said.
Summit junior first baseman Ben Cohen, batting sixth in the Hilltopper lineup, reached base all four times up. He walked to lead off the second, reached on an error in the fourth, led off the sixth with an opposite field double to right-center and then reached again on an error in the seventh.
Summit, once again in the UCC’s Watchung Division, produced an 18-6-1 campaign a year ago, which included a division win against eventual Union County Tournament and Group 2 state champion Governor Livingston High School. The Hilltoppers went 8-4 in the Watchung Division last season.
Photo by JR Parachini