DAY 1 RECAP:

Roadrunner Baseball is in the drivers seat for the automotic bid to the NJCAA Division III World Series after defeating Brookdale CC and Northampton CC on Day 1 of play at the North Atlantic District Championship Tournament.

Game 1: Runners 13 Brookdale CC 4 | Boxscore | Photos

Five HR day for the Roadrunners as Felix Diaz hits two and Aaron Graeber, Rocko Brzezniak, AJ Tropiano each hit one. Sean Brown two key hits and Jimmy Bruno lit a spark in the first with a triple. Kevin Opanel winning pitcher with a save for Ethan Dodd.

Game 2: Runners 10 Northampton CC 0 | Boxscore

Devin Sweeney brought his nastiest stuff on the mound with him and picked up a complete game, 2 hit win with nine strikeouts. Jimmy Bruno three hits, Rocko Brzezniak three RBI's, and another home run by Aaron Graeber.

Saturday the Roadrunners will face the winner of Brookdale CC/Northampton CC for the championship at approximately 3pm.

PREVIEW:

It all comes down to the play on the field. That's the bottom line for the No. 1 nationally ranked Roadrunner Baseball team, said Coach Rob Valli, when they begin play in this weekend's NJCAA Region 19 North Atlantic District Baseball Tournament.

The Runners, who enter play with an eye-opening 46-5 overall record, open play Friday morning in an 11 am semifinal game vs. No. 4 seed Brookdale, the No. 10 nationally ranked Division III team in the nation. In the other semifinal, No. 2 Middlesex will square off against No. 3 Northampton at RCSJ Cumberland at 11 am. All four Region 19 teams are nationally ranked in NJCAA Division III, a fact not lost on Coach Valli.

"We have some very tall hurdles to overcome with Brookdale first and then either Middlesex or Northampton to follow," said Valli. "There's no room to breathe in our region tournament.

"We're ranked No. 1 in the country, a position that I think we've earned. . . but we've been here before. They don't give you any runs to start the game for being No. 1. It's a nice recognition, but we've had this target on our backs before and we know that you win the games on the field."

The Runners will present a formidable -- and healthy lineup -- to begin tourney action. Led by sluggers Rocko Brzezniak and Aaron Graeber, who lead the nation in RBIs with 93 and 89 respectively, Valli's lineup presents a mismatch for nearly all opposing pitchers they face.

Graeber also is fourth in the nation with a .502 batting average while Brzezniak has belted 16 home runs, good for fifth in the nation.

But Graeber and Brzezniak are not the only spark plugs in the RCSJ lineup. Leadoff hitter Scotty Young, said Valli, "sets the tone," which he has done all spring with his .440 batting average, 8 home runs, and 64 RBIs. Cleanup hitter Felix Diaz has contributed as wellm with 7 home runs, 72 RBIs and a .433 average.

Other contributors include Jimmy Bruno (.358 BA), Cole Fowler (.433, 55 RBIs), Sean Brown (.370), A.J. Tropiano, (.362) Juan Peralta (.328) and others.

"You can go up and down our lineup and not find any weak spots," said Diaz. "Even our No. 7, 8 and 9 hitters can beat you any time. We all pick each other up."

Valli feels the pitching staff will be in solid shape with the return of sophomore lefty Ethan Shaub from a season-long injury. Shaub, last year's Region 19 pitcher of the year, has a 2-0 record from early in the campaign, and hopes to provide a strong presence in the rotation.

"We had the luxury of resting Ethan most of the season and we feel he's ready to go," said Valli. "He should make the rotation better."

Valli also has enjoyed the luxury of rotating a talented staff in and out of game situations against one of the toughest schedules in the country. Top performers include sophomore righthander Kevin Opanel (7-1 record), sophomore lefty Devin Sweeney (6-0), freshman righty Danny Kerr (4-0), freshman righty Tim Hartman (8-0), sophomore righty Steven Maiers (3-0) and sophomore righty Jason Kinnerman (6-0) among others.

The Roadrunners swept a three-game set against the Jersey Blues in early May. Brookdale has compiled a solid 33-14 record on the season.

You can follow all live action at rcroadrunners.com/watch-live and all results on the tournament home page (click below).

Click Here for the tournament home page
https://rcroadrunners.com/sports/bsb/2022-23/releases/20230510t8u3j5