Christian Brothers Academy had a good week on the diamond. A really good week.
It started with a Shore Conference baseball title in Lakewood. Two days later, the Colts hoisted
another trophy when they triumphed in the Monmouth County Tournament. From a pitchers’ duel to a slugfest, coach Marty Kenny Jr.’s team proved they have a variety of ways to win.
By Rich Chrampanis
CBA 1, Southern Regional 0
Shore Conference Baseball Tournament Final
When you have an MLB Draft prospect (Chris Levonas) and one of the top sophomore arms in the state (Danny DiTullio), it is no wonder CBA headlines have been dominated by pitching this year. The Colts needed to use Levonas and DiTullio to win in the quarterfinals and semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament, making both premier arms unavailable for the pair of championship games.
But at ShoreTown Ball Park in Lakewood, we learned CBA has more than two arms in its pitching arsenal. Sophomore Dylan Iwanyk and junior Jack Dufficy combined on a masterful three-hit shutout and all the Colts needed was a run scored by Jared Matejicka in the third inning on a wild pitch to win their first Shore Conference title since 2016 and the eighth in program history.
“It shows that we have a great pitching staff all the way down to the bottom,” Dufficy said. “We’re just there and ready. I was ready every inning whenever he called me, I was just ready.”
Iwanyk had just one strikeout but kept the Shore Conference Tournament’s top-seed lineup off balance, trusting his teammates in the field to make plays. With one out in the sixth inning, Dufficy came on in relief of Iwanyk and worked his way out of a bases-loaded jam by striking out Brian Harper and leaving three Rams stranded. That strikeout was the biggest out of the game.
Dufficy provided no drama in the seventh inning with a 1-2-3 inning capped off by a short tapper to catcher Dan Tsimbinos, who threw to first for the final out of the game.
Iwanyk and Dufficy stepped up in the biggest game of the year. Iwanyk threw his longest outing of the year, and Dufficy got five outs pitching for the first time since May 9.
“I knew with the defense behind me, especially with a catcher like Tsimbinos, I knew I was set the entire way,” Iwanyk said. “I had confidence in my boys. It’s all about brotherhood.”
Following the interview, Iwanyk got the Gatorade bucket dump and found it quite refreshing on a hot night in Lakewood. The celebration was short-lived as the Colts quickly turned their focus on the Monmouth County Tournament final less than 48 hours later, where Iwanyk and Dufficy played key roles once again.
CBA 13, Red Bank Catholic 12
Monmouth County Baseball Tournament Final
Baseball is a funny game. After scoring a lone run to win the Shore Conference title, Christian Brothers Academy needed a baker’s dozen to beat its archrival for the second time in a week and a second championship in three days. CBA bested Red Bank Catholic 13-12 at Brookdale Community College for the Monmouth County title.
The wild pitch was more than kind to the Colts during their week of two titles: In the Shore Conference semifinals, Will Fahey won the race to home plate to give CBA a 5-4 walk-off win against RBC at Count Basie Park; Jared Matejicka scored the lone run to beat Southern in the Shore final; and Colin Hoverter scored the game-winner in the bottom of the sixth inning in the MCT final. Three wild pitches resulted in three victories and two championships.
Before CBA won the game in the sixth inning, the two rivals went back and forth, putting up crooked numbers on the scoreboard. CBA scored four runs in the bottom of the second to jump out to a 5-1 lead. RBC responded with six runs in the top of the third to take a 7-5 lead. CBA took advantage of a dropped third out in shallow centerfield to score three runs, followed by a Dylan Iwanyk two-run double off the top of the fence to make it a 10-7 Colts advantage through three innings. AJ Sciametta had an inside-the-park three-run homer as part of a six-run fourth to give the Caseys a 12-10 lead.
Jack Dufficy, who got the final five outs to win the Shore Conference title, came on in relief in the Monmouth final and put up three scoreless innings to slow down RBC’s potent attack.
Dan Tsimbinos, who reached base five times, got CBA within one with an RBI single in the fifth, setting the stage for the Colts to win the title with a pair of runs in the sixth inning. Chris Levonas took on the rare role of pinch runner and scored after he stole third and the throw went into left field. That set the stage for Hoveter to score on the wild pitch and Dufficy slammed the door shut over the final three innings.
“We have a lot of fight in us,” Tsimbinos said. “We’re confident enough to when we go down we’re going to fight back. We’re always confident that we’re in any game no matter what happens to us.”
RBC starter Declan Leary was forced to leave in the third inning after he felt a pop in his arm. The senior, who will play Division I baseball at Navy, is likely out for the season. Max D’Antoni and Charlie Stumberger each had three RBIs for the Caseys, with Sciametta leading the way with four runs driven in.
Iwanyk paced CBA with four RBIs and Tsimbinos was 2-2 at the plate with two RBIs and three walks. The Colts now have the chance to match the feat of the 2015 Christian Brothers Academy baseball squad that won the Monmouth, Shore and state titles.
The Colts found out they have more than two arms that can help them through the state playoffs and no matter what happens, it’s been a championship season for a young and talented roster.
“It’s sick. It’s really fire. I really don’t know how we just did that,” outfielder Fahey said. “We won. I’ll never forget this. It’s crazy.”
The article originally appeared in the May 30 – June 5, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
