Clara Barton team falls short of playoff bid
BY SHAWN LAYTON
Staff Writer

CHRIS KELLY staff Clara Barton's Steve Godowsky tries to beat the tag of Iselin's Justin Martinez during a recent American Legion senior league game at J.P. Stevens HighSchool.

EDISON - The Clara Barton Senior Legion team wrapped up the summer season at the .500 mark with an 11-11 record.

The team fell just short in its bid to end the campaign with a winning record, with a 5-3 loss to Piscataway in its final game.

Starting pitcher Connor Medler threw seven innings and allowed just one earned run but suffered the loss. Teammates Jesse Sattler led the Clara Barton offense with a pair of doubles.

"We had a good opportunity at the end of the game to take control," Clara Barton head coach Tom Medler said. "We had the bases loaded with two outs in the seventh but couldn't get guys to cross the plate."

With last year's team making a postseason push for a state title after a monumental upset of Rivervale in the District Tournament, many would consider this year's mark to signify a down year for Clara Barton. While Medler agrees that this summer was a bit of a rebuilding year for the team, he was nevertheless pleased with the team's performance.

"Our problem this summer was getting everybody to the games, as many players had other commitments with college showcases and other baseball camps," Medler said. "We should have been in the playoffs. We have such a young team, and I'm looking forward to having everybody back next year."

Despite falling short of qualifying for the playoffs, the Clara Barton team walked away from the summer with many bright spots. With Sattler's and Anthony Montalbano's proclivity for the long ball pacing the team, the Barton offense was exciting to watch.

"A real highlight this summer was the 9-8 win over Old Bridge," Medler said. "With two outs in the seventh inning, John Stillitano came up and put one over the fence for a walk-off homer to win the game."

In addition to the solid pitching Connor Medler gave the team, staff members Mike Fallon, Steve Godowski, Doug Wislinski and Doug Walner provided noteworthy contributions.

"Our pitching was effective all season," Medler said. "We played in a lot of close games, and while we won some, we also lost a few close ones. Because we had trouble getting everybody to the games, we had to play a lot of kids out of position and it sacrificed our defensive play at times."

One of the team's close wins was a big one over county powerhouse Milltown by an 8-5 score. A 7-6 win over a strong Middlesex team was another uplifting win for the young team. Unfortunately, several one-run losses plagued the team throughout the summer, as evidenced in a recent double-header with South Amboy in which Barton lost by scores of 3-2 and 5-4.

"This team proved it could compete with everybody," Medler said. "Our tight game with eventual league champion South Brunswick was further proof of this. We had them on the ropes in the last inning before losing 4-3. If everybody comes back next year, this team should have a strong chance of returning to the state tournament."