Barrons Kyle Anderson Hits Walk-Off Homer To Win 4-3 in 7th!

The Records: The Woodbridge Barrons (8-3) are a baseball team you would call “ON FIRE!”  Since beginning the season with a record of two wins and three losses, this close-knit team has since found their stride, winning six straight games, the last of which was an 11-3 blowout of in town rival John F. Kennedy Memorial High School.  Their opponent was the North Brunswick Raiders (7-5).  This is a very tough team who could easily have a much better record if not for a few loses by only one run.

The Final Score: 4-3, Woodbridge. This was the type of baseball game that turns the casual fan into a fanatic.  It had it all, from great pitching to clutch hitting.  It was Kyle Anderson who sealed the deal for the Barrons in the bottom of the seventh inning, when on the first pitch of the at bat he crushed a fastball over the left field fence for the walk-off homer.  When asked about his approach going into that at bat, Anderson replied, “Once in the on deck circle I was like, first pitch if it’s good I’m gonna put everything into it, and I got all of it so it was pretty cool.”

Kyle’s home run was not the only clutch hit of the day.  In the bottom of the fifth inning, with the Barrons down 1-0 and searching for a spark to get their offense going, Vincent Ciniello, the number nine hitter in the lineup, came up to the plate looking to get on base.  Not only did he get on base, but he blasted a deep home run over the left-center field fence into the trees, to tie the game up at one.

Now in the sixth inning, the Raiders were able to get their first batter of the inning safely on first, in what looked to be a missed call on a great play by first baseman Jesse Lammers.  A quick single followed by a wild pitch, found runners on second and third with no outs and the game on the line.  Pitcher Nick Stallone, who started the game, settled down and struck out the next two batters. Unfortunately, North Brunswick was able to get a huge two out double to put the Raiders back up 3-1.

Once again the Barrons had their backs against the wall, down by two in the bottom of the sixth.  Instead of complaining about the botched call, which led to the two runs being scored in the top half of the inning, the players rallied together in what could very well be a defining moment in Woodbridge’s season.  With two outs already in the inning and one man on base, Steve Sepa hit a rocket ground ball which could not be handled by the Raiders third baseman.  Pinch runner Nick Natole came in to run for Sepa, which proved to be a great move by Coach Urbano, as Vincent Ciniello once again came through in the clutch, with a huge two RBI double to tie the game back up at three.

Nick Stallone, who is now 5 and 1 as a starter, came back out to pitch the seventh inning and looked to get even stronger as the game became tenser.  He quickly struck out two of the three batters faced to end the inning and his day with a very impressive 12 strikeouts; 5 of which came in the last two innings. “When they got the lead 3 to 1 over me I realized, I was like man my teammates are going to give it their all when they come up to bat, and when they did come up to bat they tied up the game, I came in that last inning and I had to shut the door, I couldn’t let them keep scoring on us like this,” said pitcher Nick Stallone.  

The gutsy performances by Stallone and Ciniello set the stage for Kyle Anderson’s walk-off home run, sending the Woodbridge Barrons into a frenzy at home plate. 

The Hero:  Take your pick!  It could go to Kyle Anderson for his walk-off home run.  Or maybe it goes to Nick Stallone for his complete game, 1 earned run, 12 strikeout, and completely dominant performance over a good hitting North Brunswick team.  However, for my money, I would give the nod to Vincent Ciniello.  He got the scoring started with his first home run of the year to tie the game at one late in the fifth inning. He also came through with a two out, two RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning to once again tie the game up at three. Vincent finished his day by going two for three at the plate with two of the most clutch hits all season and three RBI’s. 

Coach’s Quote:  “Today was a very well played game,” said Assistant Varsity Coach Jayson Calhoun. “It’s basically like a county tournament game, with the atmosphere and with the two very good pitchers, you know playing a little bit of little ball with some bunting, and we hit two home runs which is kind of uncharacteristic of our team, but we will take what we could.”  In regards to who stood out in Coach Calhoun’s eyes he said, “Vinny Ciniello stepping up, you know, batting ninth. He hit a home run, a big double, and had three RBIs, and we only scored four runs you know so he drove in three!”

What’s Next:  The Woodbridge Barrons (9-3) travel to play the North Brunswick Raiders (7-6) in a rematch of this game.

Get Interactive:  I want to hear what you, the readers have to say, so please feel free to vote on issues such as who you think the hero of the game is or leave any other comments that you may have on your mind!