A Message from the Head Coach
On behalf of my coaching staff and players, I want to thank all of the advertisers and friends of Don Bosco baseball for their support of the "Ironmen" Baseball Program. Your support has helped us maintain the level of excellence we strive for at Don Bosco. In return, I urge our fans to consider soliciting these fine business organizations listed in the program.
This year we are proud of our pre-season National Ranking and excited about the challenge of taking on one of our most competitive schedules in school history. I look forward to seeing many of you at the games this year and your continued support as we look to defend our League and County Championships while pursuing the Parochial A State title.
In closing, I would like to share with you a passage that I have come to live by that I want our players, parents, and fans to embrace. It is the POWER IF ATTITUDE. I am proud and admire my players’ work ethic and excellent baseball skills. That being said, it will be the ability to play as a TEAM…playing with one HEART, one SOUL, with one GOAL, that will determine our success. Our ATTITUDE WILL DETERMINE our ATTITUDE. Go Bosco!
Gomez homers to save Bosco
DEMAREST – Jared Avidon tipped his hand in the bottom of the seventh inning. Anthony Gomez picked up on it. It was the difference between a monumental upset and a great escape.
Gomez saw Avidon’s pre-pitch grip and guessed right on the delivery, sending a two-run walk-off home run over the left field fence. It sent top-seeded Don Bosco to a 5-4 victory over Indian Hills, averting disaster for the three-time reigning Bergen County baseball tournament champions. Down, 4-3, entering their last at-bat, the Ironmen got the leadoff runner on when Michael Apreda was hit by a pitch. Nick Bruno sacrificed him to second, bringing up Gomez.
With an 0-1 count, Avidon looked in for the sign, and, Gomez said, "He showed [his pitch] behind his back coming set. It looked like a change-up grip. It came right inside and I took my chance with it." The ball went high and tailed toward the foul pole, easily clearing the fence nearly 5 feet fair, sending the Don Bosco players to a jubilant meeting at the plate.
Gomez also was the winning pitcher, coming in with one out and a man on second in the top of the seventh and getting two strikeouts to thwart the Braves (14-8).
Up to that point, Indian Hills was on the brink of history, thanks to two two-run innings. Mike Marscovetra tripled in a run and scored on a Dan Dodd single in the fourth and a wild pitch, two Ironmen errors and an Avidon RBI single broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth.
Ken O’Donnell and Anthony Simon had second inning RBI doubles for Don Bosco (20-3) and an error allowed Gomez to score in the fifth to make it 4-3 and set up the final heroics.
Niko Spezial struck out 13, but could not close out the seventh. Avidon was going the distance after asking for the ball and the chance to face the Ironmen. "From what he showed in the first six innings, this was his game to win or lose," Braves coach George Hill said. "That’s why we gave him the ball to start the game. He’s a four-year varsity player and has been the face of our program."
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