Total team effort leads to title for Edison boys
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

EDISON - After Julian Laguna's no-hitter helped put the township high school baseball team in the North Jersey II Group 4 final, the team's offense struck for 10 runs to defeat Westfield 10-4 in the title game.

"We don't have that No. 3 or No. 4 hitter that is so powerful that nobody will pitch to," Edison head coach Vin Abene said. "We do have guys that can hit the ball at every spot in the lineup, which helped us score 44 runs through four state games."

Against Westfield, the Eagles jumped ahead 3-0 courtesy of RBIs from Shawn Renner and Steve Nappe in the second. Nappe, the team's No. 9 hitter, belted a solo homer. After Westfield managed to score three runs off Edison's Gary Thompson to tie the score, Alberto Ruiz launched a three-run homer to recapture the lead for the Eagles.

"Ruiz's shot gave us the momentum after Westfield seemed to take it away from us when they evened the score," Abene said. "His blast gave us a cushion."

Edison right fielder Jared Shukis also came up big at the dish with a 3-for-3 performance and two RBIs. For starting pitcher Thompson, he upped his record in the state tournament to 3-0 with three complete games. Against Westfield, Thompson scattered 10 hits with four walks and three strikeouts.

In the 10-0 shutout over Columbia in the semifinals, Julian Laguna's pitching performance was masterful. Laguna delivered the school's first no-hitter in nine years.

"Early on we made some plays behind him," Abene said. "In the early going he just had his fastball and was having some difficulty with his off-speed stuff. By the third inning he found his curve ball and used it to finish batters off."

Junior second baseman Matt Rohal made perhaps the play of the year for Edison when he snared a hard hit line-drive to protect the no-hitter.

"Matt made one of the best plays I've ever seen," Abene said. "It was a fully extended diving catch. It was pretty amazing."

Left fielder Dylan Laguna helped his brother out with a 3-for-4 outing. He scored three times and knocked in another. Catcher Cal Costanzo went 3-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs and a home run, while Ruiz finished the game 1-for-2 with a pair of RBIs.

"Everyone's contributed offensively during this run," Abene said. "We haven't had one player that particularly stands out."

The Eagles will now compete for a Group IV title along with other sectional winners Randolph, Steinert, and Washington Township. Edison was scheduled to meet Randolph earlier in the week in the group semifinals. The winners will meet Saturday.

"At this stage every team is either very good or very hot," Abene said. "I know Randolph is a very good team with quality pitching and hitting. They hit five home runs in their sectional final."

Thompson was scheduled to start Tuesday's game against Randolph at Northern Valley Demarest High School.

"Gary wants the ball in big games and he's ready to go," Abene said. "Randolph swings it one through nine, so we'll need to be prepared."