SCT FINAL stuff

Our deadlines weren't late enough to get the 35th annual Somerset County Tournament final Thursday night in our print editions. I don't know if I would have made it if the deadline was later -- this marathon/epic game will need a whole bunch of newshole to explain.

Immaculata won it 12-11 in the bottom of the 10th when junior second baseman Logan Morello scored on a wild pitch. Immaculata senior first baseman Jack Rice was the game's MVP. I can tell you that we ran through about a dozen candidates in this wild, wild game that took about four hours to complete.

The Spartans have won 11 county titles since winning its first title in 1991.

Hillsborough (16-4) 104-100-210-2-11-13-3
Immaculata (22-1) 212-001-210-3-12-12-5
2B: H--Sadin, Schwalje, I—Bland, Rice, Bernhardt. 3B: I—Rice, Morello ; HR—Marquis, Bland. WP—Burke (1-0). LP—Swickle (4-2)


Boxscore
Hillsborough
Giralo (RF) 6-1-1-0
Towey (SS) 6-4-3-0
Swickle (1B) 4-2-2-0
Hansford (LF) 4-1-1-1
Sadin (C) 4-2-3-4
Fessak (CR)
MacDonald (3B) 5-0-0-0
Zygmund (CF) 3-0-1-0
Schwalje (2B) 5-1-1-2
DeSanto (DH) 5-1-1-2
for Andrews (P)

Immaculata
DeNick (RF) 5-1-2-1
Marquis (CF) 6-1-1-2
Florio (LF) 4-1-0-0
Bland (C) 5-3-2-1
Knabe (CR)
Rice (1B) 5-1-3-2
Burke (SS/P) 3-1-0-0
Crane (3B) 5-0-1-1
Bernhardt (DH) 4-1-1-0
for McKeown (P)
Brownett (PR)
Schoberl (PH for Bernhardt in 10th) 0-1-0-0
Morello (2B) 5-2-2-0

(Some not so) trivial stuff:
Immaculata senior Tom Burke started the game at shortstop, then took over for starter Sean McKeown, who left after eight innings and 119 pitches. Burke had thrown only two innings this year before Thursday. He went two innings in the county final and got the win.

Burke walked three times and scored a run in the seventh when Immaculata rallied to tie the game at eight.

For the second straight county game, Hillsborough leadoff hitter Anthony Giralo hit the first pitch of the game for a single to left field.

With the score tied at nine in the ninth, Immaculata loaded the bases on Mark Bernhardt's leadoff double, Logan Morello's single and a walk to Frank DeNick. But Swickle got Matt Marquis on a pop to third, struck out Frank Florio looking and got Jeff Bland on a pop out to short. The Raiders weren't as lucky in the 10th, but Swickle got two outs before throwing a wild pitch that Morello scored on for the game winner.

There was only one 1-2-3 inning in the entire game. McKeown got Corey Towey on a pop to right, Swickle on a fly to left and Mike Hansford on a pop to short in the sixth.

Swickle and McKeown are next-door neighbors in Hillsborough.