Pequannock baseball makes incredible comeback to beat Buena for Group 1 state championship
HAMILTON TWP. – It felt “surreal” before the Pequannock Township High School baseball team even stepped foot on the field Saturday.
The Golden Panthers had long dreamed of playing for a state championship, and they had a sense of awe as soon as they opened their eyes in the morning.
“You practice and have the celebrations, we won,” head coach Jon McBurney said. “You play the little games and stuff when you win and compete in practice, and you wonder if it will ever happen, and when you’re put in a situation where it may happen, you wake up in the morning and, oh my God, today is the day.”
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It didn’t look like it would be their day though when they fell behind Buena 4-0 in the first inning of the Group 1 state final, but they did what they’ve done so many times this spring, battle back.
Pequannock captured its third state title in program history and first since 2009, rallying past Buena 5-4 at Bob DeMeo Field at Veterans Park.
“It’s mind blowing,” starting pitcher Joe Sabbath said.
“It’s surreal,” added sophomore Donovan Cassel. “Even before we started the game, I couldn’t believe we were here. The way we put it away, did all the little things right, it’s a great feeling.”
It took all those little things, and a few big ones, to make their dreams reality. Here’s how the Golden Panthers did it.
Joe Sabbath stops the bleeding
The first six Buena batters reached base to begin the game before Sabbath was able to record an out.
His wild pitch to the No. 8 hitter allowed Buena to take a 4-0 lead.
That start could’ve broken a lot of pitchers. Not Sabbath.
“I believe every inning is a new inning,” he said. “You can’t win or lose a game in the first. When I came out that second inning, I was telling myself pound the zone and restrict. Restrict it. Restrict the scoring from that point out.”
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He allowed just four more hits over his final 4 1/3 innings, keeping Pequannock in the game.
“He was awesome,” catcher John Vanaria said. “That first inning was a little rough. He couldn’t find it. I told him to calm down, settle in and when he found his groove, no stopping him.”
Sabbath, who allowed 4 runs on 8 hits and a walk with 6 strikeouts, improved to 11-0 on the campaign and finished the season with 119 K’s.
“He’s had a hell of a year,” McBurney said.
Pequannock rallies
The Golden Panthers’ comeback began with a one-out error in the second. A pair of hit-batters and a bases loaded walk made it a 4-1 game.
Then Cassel delivered the knock of the night, a two-run single to right field to make it a 4-3 contest.
“I struck out my first AB, I wasn’t going to let this kid get to me again,” said Cassel, who finished 2-for-4 with a double. “I knew we needed a spark to get us back in the game and that’s’ what I did.”
Vanaria evened the score at 4-4 with a fielder’s choice the next at-bat.
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“I knew the game wasn’t over,” Vanaria said after falling behind 4-0. “It was the first inning. Our whole mentality, we’ve always been never give up.”
The Golden Panthers have shown that all year. This was the seventh time this spring they’ve rallied after trailing by at least two runs in the opening inning.
Vanaria gave them a 5-4 lead in the fourth on another RBI fielder’s choice, putting them ahead for good.
“I didn’t think it was enough,” Vanaria said. “I thought we had to keep going because they’re a good team, but I guess it was enough.”
Nick Werner shuts the door
Nick Werner hadn’t thrown a pitch for Pequannock in the playoffs, and he wasn’t going to until the Golden Panthers’ practice on Wednesday.
“I had all of our pitchers that hadn’t pitched in a while throw live to our hitters,” McBurney said. “… He struck out seven of the eight guys and he looked on point. At that point, I’m like I’m going to give him a shot.”
He had three K’s in his 1 2/3 innings, including the final out of the game, to record the save.
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Buena laments mistakes, missed opportunities
Buena head coach Tom Carney felt like his team let one get away.
“We allowed ’em to score four runs on one hit, that’s the killer,” he said. “If they smack the ball around you tip your hat, but when it’s things in your control that you’ve done all year and they don’t happen, you got to look in the mirror and that’s going to be a hard thing.”
Questions that will haunt Carney include a called squeeze in the top of the first that resulted in an out on the base paths, and whether he should’ve called for a bunt after a leadoff double in the fourth.
However, Carney had a lot of positives when reflecting on the season his kids had.
Buena finished with a school-record 27 wins and its fifth sectional title.
“They put their names on the map,” Carney said. “Super proud of them.”
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Pequannock baseball bests Buena for NJSIAA Group 1 state title
