Garrow and company send NJ Jays 18U to Fall League final

By DN WRITING STAFF | November 1, 2024

Chase Garrow drives in the go-ahead run in Fall League semifinals for the NJ Jays.

By Rich Bevensee

Chase Garrow and his teammates never envisioned themselves reaching the league championship game, but he said they knew they were better than their 0-3-1 start to the fall season.

Sure enough, the New Jersey Jays 18U ballclub not only rebounded to win seven of its last 10 games and earn an eighth seed for the Diamond Nation High School Fall League tournament, it found a way to upset top-seeded Morris County Cubs 17U in the quarterfinals.

Which brings us to the Fall League semifinals, where the odds were against the Jays once more when they spotted fifth-seeded Allentown Legion an early three-run lead.

“Our bench was fine,” Jays coach Luke Longo said. “They have really matured from the first game till now. The perseverance that they’ve shown day by day is unmatchable. Just seeing what they are able to do every time they take the field, they’re never out of a game.”

Longo is a Hunterdon Central grad who just completed a terrific collegiate career at NJIT.

The Jays showed their resolve once more on Wednesday evening, as Garrow’s sharp RBI single up the middle in the top of the fifth was the highlight of a three-run rally which carried the Jays to a 5-4 victory over Allentown in Flemington.

From 0-3-1 to a berth in the championship game. Hardly a trip Garrow and his teammates were planning, but fully confident that it was possible.

“That’s us – we’re obviously trying to win but we’re all about having fun, trying not to take it too seriously,” Garrow said. “We had a tough start to our season so we know it’s an underdog story. But we came together.”

The Jays went 5-1-1 over their final seven regular season games entering the playoffs, then defeated 2023 finalist Hustle Baseball, 5-3, and the Cubs, 2-1, to reach the semifinals. 

“We knew we were a good team,” Garrow said. “We won our last summer tournament (a USABL event in Toms River) so we were pretty confident going into the fall, but the season started out rough – we weren’t scoring early in games. We had to find our identity. Now we’re getting our confidence, we’re coming together as a team and having fun out there.”

Allentown closed its Fall League season at 7-3. The Jays (10-5-2) earned the right to face 11th seed Team Goon (8-2) in the championship game. The Goon Squad, a team made up of stars from assorted Bucks County, Pennsylvania schools, advanced with a 3-0 win over seventh-seeded Montgomery Superior (11-4-1). 

Trailing 3-2 in the top of the fifth, the Jays rallied with two out and one on. Connor Manus scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. With Jake Bruer in scoring position after he stole second, Garrow laced a single back up the middle on a 2-2 pitch from Dane Jorgensen to score Bruer and give the Jays a 4-3 lead. Mike Brunetti immediately followed with another RBI single for a crucial insurance run.

“I knew the pitcher throws hard so I was thinking first-pitch fastball – gotta attack,” Garrow said. “He threw me a fastball, I got my foot down early and was able to drive it the other way.”

Garrow, who went 2-for-4, also doubled and scored on a Trevor Lingerfeld two-run single in the fourth. Garrow is a 6-4, 175-pound junior at Hopewell Valley.

“Chase is a gamer,” Longo said. “He comes out ready to roll every time he puts his cleats on. The attitude he comes to the field with, you can’t match it. He’s the guy I want up in big spots. He proved today why I have a lot of faith in him.”

While Garrett’s shot vaulted the Jays ahead, Lingerfeld’s two-run single was just as pivotal. With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the fourth, Lingerfeld fought off a two-strike pitch and dumped it the opposite way into shallow right to bring the Jays within 3-2.

“Don’t get me wrong, Allentown is a good team,” Longo said. “Seeing what they can do every time they take the field is impressive. But I never really had any doubt in these guys.”

Tommy Kowaliwskyi of Allentown races back to first base ahead of the pickoff attempt.

Brunetti’s fifth-inning RBI single proved crucial to the Jays’ victory because in the bottom of the fifth, Allentown’s Brayden Nalducci blasted an RBI triple to center which brought his team to within a run. 

That’s the same Nalducci who, three days earlier, pitched a five-inning no-hitter and hit a walk-off, three-run home run to give the Jersey Shore Wildcats a 10-2 victory over Power Pitching & Hitting Mafia Blue in the 17/18 Wood Bat Halloween Mash championship game at ‘The Nation.’ 

Nalducci was left on deck when Jays reliever Brooks Lunger retired the side in order in the bottom of the seventh.

Lunger was exceptional in relief for the Jays, allowing one run on two hits and one walk with five strikeouts in 3⅔ innings. 

Allentown nicked Jays starter Luke Barrett for three runs on four hits and four walks with five whiffs in 3⅓ innings.

In the bottom of the first, Frankie Noviello scored from second on an outfield error after Tyler Huzzy singled, and Jorgensen added an RBI single for a 2-0 Allentown lead. The lead grew to 3-0 when Jorgensen drove in another run with an RBI groundout in the third.

Allentown starter James Whalen worked 4⅔ innings and gave up four runs on four hits and three walks with four strikeouts. Jorgensen pitched a third of an inning and gave up one run on three hits and two walks. Sean Heissler pitched two scoreless innings, allowed no hits or walks and struck out four.

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