'Middlesex Dreams Big: Kids Clinch Group 1 Baseball Title with Clutch Hits'

WOOD-RIDGE – In a tight Group 1 baseball final, Midland Park intentionally walked Middlesex cleanup hitter Owen Reynolds in the bottom of the third to load the bases. Up came sophomore Luke Jones, who had been scuffling to end the season.

His reaction?

“Oh, no.”

“I was anxious,” Jones said. “I was like, ‘Oh no. I don’t want to mess up.’ Then (senior Dom) Parenti came up to me and he goes if anyone could do it, you could do it. So I went up there and I was ready to go. Tunnel vision and I got that hit. It felt amazing.“

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Jones doubled in two runs that helped propel the Blue Jays to a 3-2 win on Monday, June 16, for the program’s seventh NJSIAA state title. Middlesex also earned titles in 2021, 2018, 2017, 2013, 2007 and 1990.

“It feels amazing, obviously, these guys played a super tough schedule,” Middlesex coach Blaze Iannetti said. “I tested them in practices and games and they never backed down, man. They wanted it more than any other team I’ve been a part of I think after last year where we thought we had a shot and they just battled their butts off today.”

Marcus Lavornia added an RBI single in the third and Dominic Long threw another gem. The sophomore righthander went the distance on 77 pitches allowing three hits, two walks and a hit batter with five strikeouts.

Fellow ace Chris Kozak played center field Monday but still had one of the more important throws of the day. He cut down a Midland Park runner at third base to end the sixth inning as Long maneuvered through Midland Park’s biggest threat.

The game started Saturday at Veterans Park in Hamilton, the traditional host site for the state baseball finals.

After a downpour, the umpires suspended play after a half inning and it eventually moved to Monday and the turf field at Wood-Ridge Athletic Complex in Bergen County, several Turnpike stops away.

“I couldn’t wait to get on the field,” said Long, who improved to 12-0. “We were all dreaming about it. Just a kid’s dream – it’s a great feeling.”

Middlesex (23-5) got to Midland Park (21-9-1) starter Connor Detrick with a two-out rally. Dylan Ianiero, Long and Reynolds each walked to set up Jones’ hit. He’s now hitting .245 on the season and had an 0-for-8 stretch in late May.

That now seems like a thousand years ago.

Iannetti stuck with him and Jones delivered when it mattered most. And the designated hitter knew it was not your typical at-bat in the third inning with the bases loaded. He noted he felt “just a little bit more nervous, had butterflies and my heart was beating really fast but just had to get the job done.”

“I was in a little bit of a slump,” Jones added. “It was just getting in my head. I was getting in my head a lot. I was trying way too hard to hit home runs and I should have just been focusing on base hits.”

Long said, “I knew Luke would come up clutch and he did. He got a nice hit, stay simple. We’ve been saying it all year, ‘Stay simple’ and that’s what he did.”

Parenti, one of the senior leaders on a young team, went 2-for-3, Sean Hughes doubled and Reynolds walked and was hit by a pitch and scored twice.

Middlesex also showcased its strong defense. At shortstop, Parenti made a diving stop near second base and threw out the runner in a bang-bang play in the third. He also started a double play after the leadoff hitter in the fourth was hit by a pitch.

Then there was Kozak’s play in the sixth. Midland Park cut it to 3-2 with a walk and three singles, the last of which dropped in front of Kozak in center. He just missed the catch but quickly snagged it and fired to the third baseman Hughes, who applied the tag to get the runner trying to advance to end the inning.

Long said he stayed calm in that storm and threw strikes. Monday, he pounded the zone and now has a 1.37 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 76 ⅔ innings.

“He’s a bulldog,” Iannetti said. “He’s a 15-year-old that has the mentality of a college or a Major League player. He’s going to go up there and say, ‘Hey, this is what I got. Good luck and see if you can hit it.’ That’s just who he is.”

The win completes a stirring season that included capturing the Central Group 1 title with a 7-1 redemption win over Point Pleasant Beach in the final, the squad that knocked out Middlesex in last year’s semifinals.

The Blue Jays next produced a memorable 4-3 walk-off win over Schalick in the Group 1 semifinals on Dalton Michael’s pinch-hit single.

Iannetti, the first-year head coach, won a sectional title for Middlesex as a player and was an assistant on the 2021 winning team. He said he bleeds blue and Monday’s win brought out several emotions.

Not only did his beloved hometown team have another celebration on the diamond but he also thought of his parents.

Iannetti noted his dad Jim was visiting Blaze’s sister in Ocean City, Maryland, and drove to New Jersey for Saturday’s game. He went back to Maryland on Sunday and then returned for Monday’s game.

“That’s just awesome,” Blaze said. “We love baseball. Our town loves baseball. It means a lot more today because my mom (Debbie) passed two years ago today. It means a lot. I knew she wanted to be here with us. I’ve always seen her in the stands every state championship when I was playing or coaching. I think it was just the reason why we got moved to today. This one’s for her, for real.”

This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: 'A kid's dream': Middlesex captures Group 1 baseball title with clutch hits