Chapter 7: Swinging Away




Player-coach Tom Moriau



      “Listen up,” booms Coach Martin wobbling down the center aisle of the Romano’s school bus heading east on Route 22. “I’ve known you guys since JV and you don’t need me calling the shots.”

“Ye-goints, Arnie’s losing it,” whispers left fielder Glen Gulyas from the back bench to titters from others slouching nearby in various stages of pre-game dress.

“Hey, no more back seat driver,” our manager continues, laughing along with the team as we approach the Roselle Park exit. “You have the experience to bunt or swing away, make plays in the field, steal or hold a base, and throw your best pitches.”



     On the day before this crucial road game against last year’s conference champion there was a track meet at LaMonte Field. Our previous manager Doug DeGhetto would have insisted on playing baseball in the middle of the meet. Coach Martin instead caught catcher Matt Vischetti in the hallway by our lockers and called for practice at Memorial Park in South Bound Brook. We shared this news by a newly implemented phone tree and arrived right on time at the old field across the Raritan River. 

     After a thirty minute wait for the coach to show up, a few players wanted to call it a day. Matt and I called for a team vote and the consensus was to conduct our own practice. We led a hilarious round of football warm-ups (baseball players usually just played catch) and then three guys volunteered to act as coaches for simultaneous fielding and hitting drills. Pitcher Tom Moriau took infield practice and hit us grounders to preview different base-running scenarios. First baseman Mark Geisslinger fungoed flyballs to the outfielders and had them throw to sore-shouldered Sean Doremus in various cutoff positions. Junior Billy Shumsky threw batting practice in between the infielding drills. The usual two hour practice was done in forty-five minutes and Coach Martin still hadn't arrived. It was the best practice ever!



     “Go Big Red! whoops Mr. Matthews who’d followed our yellow bus to Roselle Park High School in his drab old Chevy Suburban.

Thwack resounds through the stands as I smack the first pitch of the game for a lined drive base hit.

Ping rattles the metal bleachers as Rob Corsini rips the second pitch to right and I motor to third base.

Thung echoes into the outfield on the third pitch as Glen doubles to deep left center.

Moans emerge from the Roselle Park dugout as Matt clobbers a monster home run onto the football field beyond left field.

Silence descends on the home side as Gordon Barna singles up the middle, Tony Izzo doubles to right center, and Mike Sepesi clears the bases with a drive over the center field fence, all before a single out in the top of the first inning.

"Way to go, Bound Brook!" roaring from our stands breaks that initial spell, but we bat around anyway to complete a first inning rout and come to understand that we're a damn good team.



Final score: Bound Brook (6-1) 9 - Roselle Park (7-4) 2




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