CBA outlasts Red Bank Catholic in wild MCT baseball final

MIDDLETOWN - Not many people at Brookdale Community College Friday afternoon for the Monmouth County Tournament Championship game between Christian Brothers Academy and Red Bank Catholic expected to see the kind of game they saw.

CBA's insane 13-12 win to extend its record to MCT titles to 10 and for its first county tournament championship since 2019 saw the teams combine for 26 hits and use seven pitchers. It was the highest scoring MCT final since Marlboro outlasted St. John Vianney 17-16 in 1998.

One of the few people who thought the game would be far different than the Colts' 5-4 win last Monday night in a Shore Conference Tournament semifinal was CBA head coach Marty Kenney Jr.

"I thought it would be a high-scoring game because I knew what was going to happen pitching-wise,'' Kenney said. "I knew we were going to have to use a lot of guys - a lot of guys who haven't pitched recently. Did I think it would be 13-12? That I didn't know, but I knew it would be a high-scoring game.''

Kenney and his coaching staff opted to not use Wake Forest University recruit and potential high Major League Baseball draft choice Chris Levonas with an eye on a potentially crowded schedule in the NJSIAA Non-Public South A bracket next week.

The Colts used four pitchers. Junior right-hander Jack Dufficy, who had pitched five innings all season before he picked up the save Wednesday night in the Colts' 1-0 win over Southern in SCT championship game, picked up the win Friday with three scoreless innings.

Red Bank Catholic started ace Declan Leary, but he had to leave after 2 2/3 innings when Caseys' head coach Buddy Hausmann said Leary felt a pop in the "area where a Tommy John'' injury occurs. Hausmann said Leary was going to have an MRI and was likely done for the season. Red Bank Catholic also faces a potentially crowded schedule in the Non-Public South A bracket next week.

Only fitting the way CBA scored the tying and winning runs

Trailing 12-11 entering the bottom of the sixth, the Colts (18-5) scratched out two runs.

With a runner on second and one out, Kenny inserted Levonas as a pinch-runner for the first time this season.

Levonas then stole third and scored the tying run when the throw sailed into left field

The decision to run your ace pitcher, who is potentially in line to make a lot of money in the draft, has its share of risks, especially if he gets hurt.

"He's fast. He's an athlete,'' Kenny, who indicated Levonas was used several times as a pinch-runner last season, said. "He can run. This year, we didn't do it because there's much more on the line. I joked with him about it an inning or so beforehand just to see what his reaction would be. As I came over here, I was trying to feel him out a little bit more. He was like, 'Let's do it. Let's go'. ''

"I was still was hesitant. I still was nervous. But, I also thought it was a way to get him in a game that he wasn't going to play in. Now, he's got a memory. Knock on wood, it turned out great. There was a little bit of a risk, but he's got a nice memory.''

Later in the inning, Colin Hoverter scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch. It was the third straight game CBA scored the winning run on a wild pitch and the second time in five days it scored the winning run against Red Bank Catholic on a wild pitch in its last at-bat.

Has Dufficy found his role?

Dufficy struck out three, walked two and allowed two hits over the final three innings.

Kenney said Dufficy started scrimmages on the Colts' preseason trip to Florida in March and that Dufficy was not completely comfortable in that role.

This week, seems to have shown Dufficy has found his niche.

"What's tough in New Jersey is you don't get to be with these guys until March (and the start of preseason practice),'' Kenney said. "You're trying to figure it out as the season goes on. It took a little longer with him and some other guys. Now, we know he can do this.''

"I knew I was going to be ready,'' Dufficy, who indicated he did not think he would play such an important role in two championship games at the beginning of the week, said.

Dufficy had to bear down to get the final out after Matt Brunner doubled with two out and Sean Griggs was then intentionally walked. He then fell behind 3-0 to cleanup batter Dylan Passo before he came back to make it 3-2. He then got Passo to fly out to center for the final out.

"I knew there was a base open.'' Dufficy said. "If I walked him, it was fine. I was just trying to throw strikes.''

A back and forth game

Red Bank Catholic (16-9) had consecutive innings where it scored six runs and five runs as it wiped out deficits of 5-1 and 10-7. CBA had consecutive innings where it scored four runs and five runs.

CBA's Dylan Iwanyk capped the four-run second with a two-run single and the five-run third with a two-run double. Preceding Iwanyk's two-run double was a dropped pop-up that enabled three runs to score and gave the Colts an 8-7 lead.

Max Dantoni's three-run double was the key in the Caseys' six-run third that gave them a 7-5 lead. A.J Sciametta's three-run inside the park homer gave Red Bank Catholic a 12-9 lead in the fourth and was preceeded by Charlie Stumberger's two-run double.

History is in CBA's sight

The Colts are three-fourths of the way to the "Quadruple Crown'' (NJSIAA group championship, SCT title, county tournament championship and divisional title. They already have secured the SCT, MCT and a share of the Shore Conference Class A North championship. Only the state title remains.

Wall, in 2004 and CBA, in 2015, when the team was led by ace pitcher Luca Dalatri and coached by Kenney's father Marty Kenney Sr., have won the "Quadruple Crown''

"I'm actually amazed at what we've done. We're so young,'' Kenney said. "We knew we had pitching, but the pitching had to grow up. I'm just enjoying the ride right now because I didn't expect this.''

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ Baseball: CBA outlast Red Bank Catholic in wild MCT final