Mike Contiliano had a walk, a sac fly and a single for Hunterdon Central on Thursday.
It was a typical untidy opener on a chilly but, thankfully, dry early April day, but we’ll thank Jake Battagliese for leaving us with a lasting memory in a game he essentially saved for Hillsborough.
Battagliese made a spectacular diving catch in right-center field to rob Mike Contiliano of at least a double to help secure Hillsborough’s 2-1 victory over Hunterdon Central on Friday afternoon at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Hillsborough’s victory ended Hunterdon Central’s seven-game winning streak against the Raiders that dated back to May 2, 2019. The teams face each other twice a season in Skyland Conference play.
Contiliano, Hunterdon Central’s terrific leadoff hitter and shortstop, came to bat with one out in the bottom of the seventh and his team trailing by a run. The lefty hitter jumped on a 1-0 pitch from reliever Alex Orr and laced it deep into the right-center gap. Battagliese, the right fielder, raced to his right, dove flat out and snared the blast for the second out of the inning.
Two pitches later, Danny Contiliano, Mike’s younger brother, bounced out to first base to end the game.
“I saw the ball well in the air,” said Battagliese. “I knew my center fielder, J.J. (Lotierzo)was backing me up, so I had to take a shot.”
Off the bat, the ball appeared like a guaranteed double and, perhaps, a likely triple with Contiliano’s speed. “It was hit well and kept carrying,” said Battagliese. “I was able to track and get under it. It was great to be in the moment. It was one of the best feelings of my life.”
“The moment” had looked like a big one for Hunterdon Central until Battagliese took flight. The Contiliano brothers had taken most of the lethal swings by a Hunterdon Central attack limited to five hits by righthanders Krish Patel and Orr.
Mike Contiliano had walked in his first at bat, delivered Anthony Petino (leadoff single) with a sac fly in the second and singled to center in the fifth. His shot toward Battagliese in the seventh was his best contact of all.
Danny Contiliano (1-for-4) singled in the first inning and hit into some hard luck in the fifth. After his brother’s leadoff single, Danny ripped a shot toward the middle of the diamond. But, with Mike stealing on the 0-1 pitch, second baseman Liam Gallagher ran right into the path of the liner for an easy double play.
Hillsborough erased a 1-0 Hunterdon Central lead with two runs in the fourth, both scored on wild pitches.
Hunterdon Central (0-1) starting pitcher, righty Nick Augusta, seemed to have righted himself from some early command issues. He stranded two runners in the second inning with back-to-back strikeouts, then picked up two more strikeouts in a 1-2-3 third inning. But the fourth inning went south not long after he plunked leadoff hitter Peter Cipparulo.
Alex Reiling singled with one out and both runners advanced on a misplay on the ball in right field. Gallagher then worked a four-pitch walk to load the bases. T.J. Westlake then squared, showing a squeeze bunt attempt, but he pulled back as the pitch got away and allowed Cipparulo to score the tying run.
Augusta was pulled after striking out Westlake for the second out, having accumulated 71 pitches in just 3⅔ innings. Righty Ryan Lundari entered and walked No. 9 hitter Brian Quabeck to reload the bases. Before getting leadoff batter Lotierzo to pop out, Lundari through a wild pitch that permitted Reiling to score the go-ahead run.
Hillsborough (1-1) had dropped its opener to Mendham, 5-1, on Monday and, like much of the rest of New Jersey, waited out what had been a horrific two days of steady rain.
“We played a little nervous on opening day against Mendham,” said Hillsborough coach Matt Mosko, who is in his third season coaching his alma mater. “But today we were totally locked in. We felt good coming into the season because we had some really good scrimmages”
Hillsborough pitching had walked eight Mendham batters on Monday. The Raiders’ Patel and Orr combined to permit just three walks and a hit by pitch against Hunterdon Central. The Red Devils’ pitchers, conversely, tacked on six walks and hit two batters to an otherwise stingy three hits-allowed.
Mosko also enjoyed watching Battagliese soar to his pitcher’s defense in a big spot.
“One of my assistants said he had that shot a double in the book off the bat,” said Mosko. “I saw right away that at least our center fielder had the play backed up.”
Battagliese was battling back from a knee injury last season suffered during football season and missed some time.
“Jake is a leader,” said Mosko. He was voted captain recently. He’s a great athlete and we’ll use that athleticism on the field. The play he made and the way our defense is playing as a whole gives our pitchers confidence on the mound.”
NOTES: Hunterdon Central cut down a potential Hillsborough run at the plate in the top of the seventh to keep the game within a run. Lotierzo was on third base with one out after a Battagliese sac bunt. Logan Raghunath, the Raiders’ No. 3 hitter, hit a fly to medium left field. Tommy Baase caught and fired home. Catcher Jesse Allen appeared to deke the runner by his casual approach before snaring the throw on one hop and tagging out Lotierzo for the inning-ending double play.
… Patel stranded two Hunterdon Central runners in scoring position in the first inning. Mike Contiliano walked and Danny Contiliano singled before both stole with one out. But Patel got a pop up and a strikeout to get out of trouble. Central loaded the bases with one out in the second but Mike Contiliano’s sac fly produced the only run of the inning.