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Brody Moore’s One-Hitter Lifts Brick Memorial over Toms River East

Matt Manley|April 22, 2025|Last Updated April 22, 2025

TOMS RIVER — On the rare occasion the Brick Memorial baseball team has lost in 2025, it has been the late innings that has bit the Mustangs on the pitcher’s mound.

So when junior left-hander Brody Moore took the ball to start Monday’s game at Toms River East four days after his team gave up seven runs in the final two innings of a one-run loss to the Raiders, he made sure he was the one holding the ball to record the final out.

Moore turned in a career-best performance on the mound with a one-hitter and nine strikeouts while senior Justin Fabbricatore delivered the game-winning hit in the seventh inning in leading Brick Memorial — ranked No. 6 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10 — to a 3-1 victory over No. 5 Toms River East Monday morning at Bill Frank Field.

“This game meant a lot to us,” Moore said. “We put our all into it and we were ready for it.”

After surrendering a one-out infield single to Toms River East second baseman Dan Nafziger in the second inning — a ball that took an unpredictable hop and ate up shortstop Tyler Garbooshian — Moore did not allow a hit the rest of the way. The infield at Frank Field played tricks on the infielders for both teams throughout the game, leading to multiple errors and infield hits courtesy of wicked hops, but Moore made sure that the hit he allowed to Nafziger in the second and the run scored by Toms River East on a throwing error with two out in the bottom of the third were the last of their kind in Monday’s showdown.

“We play on enough rough fields, so we’re used to the bad hops and things like that,” Moore said. “I just tried mixing up my pitches, throwing them all, trying to get weak contact. I pitch to hit, not strikeouts.

On Thursday, Toms River East erased deficits of 5-0, 6-2 and 7-3 to beat Brick Memorial, 10-9. The Raiders chased starter Brayden Nalducci during a three-run sixth inning during which Toms River East pulled within 7-6 on the scoreboard, then scored four against the Mustangs bullpen in the seventh to take the lead.

In Brick Memorial’s other two losses — to No. 1 and unbeaten Christian Brothers Academy and Central Regional — the Mustangs starter left the game with the lead after four innings, only for the opponent to immediately capitalize. Nalducci left the season-opening CBA loss with a 2-1 lead after four and CBA went on to win, 9-4. Against Central on April 5, Moore allowed two runs over four innings and turned the game over the bullpen with a 6-2 lead, only to watch the Golden Eagles score eight runs in the fifth inning and win the game, 10-7.

“I definitely wanted to finish the game,” Moore said. “My confidence was up and I was riding that. As a group, we just knew we had to finish the game strong.”

Brick Memorial junior Brody Moore. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com) - Brick Memorial Brody Moore

Brick Memorial junior Brody Moore. (Photo: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com)

Moore got the green light from coach Evan Rizzitello to finish Monday’s game, which he did on 109 pitches thanks to an effective pairing of breaking balls to go with fastball command that helped him deal with a potent Toms River East lineup — particularly at the top of the order. The top two hitters in the Raiders order — shortstop Matt Ferrara and third baseman Joey DiMeo — combined to create the lone run for Toms River East, but the top four hitters in the lineup combined to go 0-for-10 with two walks and two strikeouts.

“I feel like my slider and my curve were definitely on today and that was keeping them off-balance,” Moore said. “My two-seam (fastball) was riding out a little bit extra today, so it got a lot of swings-and-misses.”

Those top four Toms River East hitters — Ferrara, DiMeo, catcher Gavin Toth and leftfielder Mike Vaccarino — entered Monday’s game hitting a combined .353 (36-for-102) with 13 doubles, two home runs, 28 RBI and 30 runs scored.

“I have played with some of them, so I know what they like,” Moore said. “I just tried to keep them off-balance and not give them anything too fat or down the middle that they can hit. I just hit my spots and it worked out.”

Toms River East Mason Pentz matched Moore on the scoreboard through six innings while navigating his infield’s issues fielding ground balls, but also benefitted from his defense throwing out three Brick Memorial runners at home plate. Mustangs first baseman Dan Golembiewski launched an opposite-field fly ball off the rightfield fence with runners on first and second in the top of the third, but both runners waited for the ball to touch down before running. The lead runner, Fabbricatore, tried to score on the play but Lucas Melton’s relay from rightfield reached Toth at the plate in time to tag Fabbricatore for the second out of the inning while both of the other runners moved up a base on the throw home.

Brick Memorial second baseman Brayden Nalducci followed with an RBI single that scored Garbooshian from third, but Vaccarino unleashed a throw to the plate that caught Golembiewski attempting to score for the final out of the third, keeping the Mustangs lead 1-0.

Toms River East responded with a run in the bottom of the third, with Ferrara drawing a two-out walk, stealing second, racing to third on a wild pitch and scoring on a throwing error by Mustangs third baseman Luke Douglas on a hard ground ball hit by DiMeo. Douglas nearly kept Ferrara from scoring twice — first by picking an errant throw on Ferrara’s advancement to third on the wild pitch and again when he made a diving stop on DiMeo’s scorcher to third. Douglas popped up after cleanly picking DiMeo’s hot shot, but his throw to first was low and got past Golembiewski, allowing Ferrara to score and DiMeo to reach second base.

Moore then pitched carefully to Toth and walked him with first base open and ended the inning by striking out Vaccarino.

The two teams remained scoreless until the top of the seventh, when Fabbricatore came through with his clutch single. Centerfielder Jimi Popp led off the inning with a ground ball to shortstop that Ferrara could not corral in time to throw out the speedy Popp. Douglas then hit a ground ball to third that DiMeo misplayed, which allowed Popp to take third and Douglas second with none out.

The bottom of the order had set the table for Moore out of the leadoff spot, but the Nos. 8 and 9 spots would have to bat before Moore could have his chance, with Garbooshian looming behind him.

“One-through-nine, we can hit,” Moore said. “The bottom of our order can hit at the top of the order for most team, so I had a lot of trust that we were going to get something going.”

Ferrara made up for the suspect defense with an all-out diving play on a ground ball hit by pinch-hitter Gavin McCue, after which he popped up, held Popp at third, and fired the ball to first for the first out of the inning.

Fabbricatore then stepped into the box having already reached base twice on a walk and a single to right field. With the pressure on this time, the senior jumped ahead in the count, 2-0, and swatted a 2-0 offering from Pentz into rightfield to score Popp and move Douglas to third, giving Brick Memorial a 2-1 lead.

“I stay calm in the batter’s box,” Fabbricatore said. “I don’t try to do too much. I just let my skills speak for themselves. I have always been an opposite-field hitter and (Pentz) was working the outside corner, so I just took it.”

Prior to Monday, Fabbricatore had just one plate appearance on the season, but it was a convincing one. In Saturday’s 14-4 win over Brick Memorial, he got a chance to pinch hit late in his team’s nine-run fifth inning and blasted a double to the right-centerfield fence to plate a pair of runs. That swing landed him a chance to start in Monday’s pivotal Class A South game and the senior took advantage of that opportunity as well, finishing 2-for-2 with a walk and an RBI while starting as the designated hitter.

“I always work hard and always stay ready,” Fabbricatore said. “You’ve just got to pay attention to the game — know the count, the score, the situation, things like that — so when I get the opportunity like I did Saturday (vs. Brick) and today, I can perform.”

In the bottom of the seventh, Moore mowed down the side in order to finish off his one-hitter. He struck out the first batter, induced a come-backer to the mound and froze the last batter of the game on a breaking ball for strike three and a complete game.

With Monday’s win, Brick Memorial takes over sole possession of first place in the Class A South race with a 6-1 division record. The Mustangs have not won a division championship since 1995 and have never won a division championship as a member of Class A South.

“I knew this was a big game,” Moore said. “I felt like we were probably the top two (teams) in the (Class A South) division. If we want to win it outright, we had to beat them today, so I really wanted the ball.”

 

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