Shore Sports Insider Week 2 Baseball Top 10, April 14

Shore Sports Insider Week 2 Baseball Top 10

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We have arrived at the part of the baseball season that requires a disclaimer: upsets happen; don’t panic. The Week 1 Top 10 did involve some significant changes to the field as several teams played especially good baseball out of the gate. This week, however, a few teams in the Top 10 are getting some slack for dropping a game.

There are some changes within the rankings, but the 10 teams listed remain the same for the time being, with a group of teams on the outside still in hot pursuit. If those teams that are close to breaking in are indeed better choices to be ranked than some of the current ranked teams, the next two weeks will be instrumental in proving it.

1. Christian Brothers Academy (4-0, 3-0) Last Week: 1

CBA got just one game in last week and it was another impressive performance. The Colts scored a season-high 14 runs in handing Middletown South its first loss of the season, 14-4. The only negative part of CBA’s start is that the Colts have had three marquee, non-conference match-ups against Don Bosco, St. Peter’s Prep and Seton Hall Prep rained out. This week, the Colts will play the Hun School at Rutgers on Monday, followed by a series with a Middletown North squad that is also off to a strong start.

2. Ranney (2-2, 2-2) Last Week: 4

After an 0-2 start to the season, Ranney climbs to No. 2 behind a pair of hard-fought road wins over Middletown North and Red Bank Catholic. The two losses were also competitive games against No. 1 CBA, so to this point, Ranney has yet to lose to any team outside of the best team in the Shore Conference. The Panthers’ sophomores have keyed their fast start, led by shortstop Ricky Lopez, second baseman Robbie Wrobel and two-way standouts Justin Kaufman and Brody Mauro.

3. Red Bank Catholic (4-1, 2-1) Last Week: 2

After a scorching-hot start over the first two games and the first two innings of a win over Jackson Memorial two Saturdays ago, RBC’s bats went cold for an equal stretch of play. The Caseys went eight straight innings without a hit – the final four vs. Jackson Memorial and first four vs. Ranney – and after scoring 27 runs in the first 13 innings of the season, they scored two in the last 12 before breaking out again in a 10-0 win over Morris Knolls on Sunday. Another bright spot: with one earned run on three hits allowed, 18 strikeouts and five walks in 10 2/3 innings, Ryan Prior looks like he could very well be the Shore’s best pitcher.

4. Point Pleasant Beach (6-0, 4-0) Last Week: 5

Point Beach’s move out of Class B Central may have curbed all the lopsided scores, but it hasn’t stopped the Garnet Gulls from winning. It also hasn’t stopped them from scoring runs: Point Beach’s 56 runs scored leads the Shore Conference and its 9.3 runs per game trails only Brick (10.5) and CBA (9.5). This week, Point Beach will tackle Toms River South before a huge Class B South division home game against Central, which also enters the week 6-0.

5. Colts Neck (5-0, 5-0) Last Week: 6

After a dominant first week, Colts Neck had to sweat out a pair of wins over Matawan and Monmouth Regional to improve to 5-0. The second win over Matawan was Colts Neck’s fourth wire-to-wire win to open the season, but the Huskies put up five runs to keep the Cougars battling for seven innings. Monmouth then scored first against Colts Neck before the Cougars bounced back to take the lead for good with a four-run fourth on the way to a 7-4 win. Colts Neck could potentially be in for its toughest test of the season Monday with ace Collin Denton eligible to pitch if Monmouth chooses to hand him the ball.

6. Toms River East (3-1, 3-1) Last Week: 3

After pounding Southern, 13-2, in the first game of the two-game set between the teams last week, Toms River East could not break through with the game-changing hit against Southern junior Trevor Kerlin in game two and lost, 3-2. Despite taking the loss, Toms River East has been sound across the board during a 3-1 start and this week, the competition gets even tougher with two games vs. Jackson Memorial and another at Brick Memorial in what will be a critical week in the Class A South division race.

7. Middletown North (3-1, 1-1) Last Week: 8

On three different occasions in the seventh inning of its home game against Ranney, Middletown North was one strike away from beating the Panthers and sporting a 4-0 record through the first two weeks of the season. Instead, Ranney rallied for a 3-2 extra-inning win to hand the Lions their only loss. Middletown North bounced back with a 7-5 win at Marlboro in a back-and-forth game in which senior left-hander Gabe Ahlemeyer turned in another impressive outing to start his season.

8. Middletown South (3-1, 3-1) Last Week: 9

The Eagles split the week, losing a lopsided game against No. 1 CBA, then bouncing back with an extra-inning win over Manalapan in which Middletown South scored in the bottom of the seventh to extend the game before winning in the ninth on a walk-off RBI single by Rob Chiusano. After earning the win in each of his team’s first two wins, Peter DeNicola pitched another solid outing for the Eagles against Manalapan in what is shaping up to be a breakout season for the junior.

9. Jackson Memorial (3-3, 3-1) Last Week: 7

The Jaguars dropped to .500 this week with losses to Wall and Randolph, but are hoping to get one of those back. Jackson Memorial is appealing its loss to Randolph due to an alleged pitch-count violation by Randolph. Even if that loss stands, it was a chance for the Jaguars to show their resilience by scoring three runs with two out in the bottom of the seventh to send the game to extra innings – the same kind of resilience they used to win an NJSIAA sectional title last season.

10. Central (6-0, 4-0) Last Week: 10

Last week, Central burst into the top 10 with a win over Brick Memorial. This week, the Golden Eagles hold strong in their position following a pair of convincing wins over Jackson Liberty. The offensive outburst this past week has Central averaging 8.7 runs per game behind a lineup that has showcased its depth through six games. On the mound, the Golden Eagles have posted a collective ERA under 2.50 and team WHIP of 1.11.

The Next 10

Brick Memorial (3-2, 3-0) – The Mustangs have a chance to climb back into the rankings this week when they take on Toms River East.

Manasquan (4-1, 3-0) – As the season progresses, Manasquan’s deep pitching staff will make it hard to keep the Warriors out of the top 10.

Brick (3-1, 3-0) – The Green Dragons are the only team in the Shore Conference averaging 10 runs per game or better.

Wall (1-3, 1-3) – After a rough opener against Brick Memorial, Wall has played three tight games with two quality opponents in Brick Memorial and Jackson Memorial. With very little senior presence on the roster, there is a lot of room to grow.

Manalapan (1-3, 1-3) – Two lopsided losses to Red Bank Catholic were discouraging, and an extra-inning loss at Middletown South was a frustrating one, but the Braves remain a threat thanks to their pitching.

Rumson-Fair Haven (3-3, 2-3) – Rumson’s early losses are to Colts Neck twice and Monmouth with Collin Denton on the mound, so to this point in the young season, it takes a lot to beat the young Bulldogs.

Monmouth (2-3, 2-3) – The Falcons have lost the first game of each of their Class B North series so far and bounced back with a win in game two. If Monmouth can do that again, it will hand Colts Neck its first loss on Monday.

Ocean (3-1, 2-1) – Ocean’s bats have warmed up, with the Spartans scoring 16 runs across two straight wins after scoring two in their first two games against Monmouth.

Raritan (4-1, 4-1) – The Rockets have won four straight since an opening-day loss to Holmdel and look poised as the favorite in the Class C North division race in the early going.

Howell (2-2, 2-2) – Colts Neck is threatening to run away with the Class B North division title, so if Howell wants a chance to stay in the race, a strong week against Rumson-Fair Haven is a must.