Gloucester Catholic wins state baseball title

Gloucester Catholic players pile onto the mound after their 4-1 victory in the championship game. (MICHAEL S. WIRTZ / Staff Photographer)

By Phil Anastasia, Inquirer Staff Writer

Posted: June 10, 2012

TOMS RIVER, N.J. - The freshman didn't act like a freshman.

The seniors acted like seniors.

Gloucester Catholic both crowned the end of a great era in the history of the baseball program and heralded the start of another one with a 4-1 victory over Don Bosco Prep on Saturday in the Non-Public A state championship game at Toms River North.

Freshman John Murphy pitched a three-hitter and seniors Pat Kane, Brett Tenuto, Joe Brooks, John Brue, and Elliott McCummings supplied the big hits as Gloucester Catholic (28-4) won its third consecutive state title and 16th overall - at least double that of any other program in New Jersey. Murphy, a righthander with mound presence and pitching moxie beyond his years, struck out eight with zero walks. He threw just 78 pitches, 56 for strikes, in shutting down a Don Bosco team (24-4) that had won 22 in a row and was ranked No. 1 in the state by the Newark Star-Ledger and No. 10 in the nation by USA Today.

"He's got three more years," Tenuto said of Murphy, who likely will team with injured star righthander Mike Shawaryn, a junior, and talented sophomore Mike Mercer to give the Rams the strongest top of the pitching rotation in the state next season.

But while the future looks bright for Gloucester Catholic, Saturday's victory was special, because it marked the triumphant end of an era that featured six seniors who were three-year starters for three state-championship teams.

Fittingly, the seniors came through for the Rams at the plate, chasing Don Bosco starter Tommy Burns, who was hitting 91 m.p.h. on the radar gun behind home plate, with a series of clutch hits in pressure situations.

"This is what we talked from the first day - three-peat," said Brue, who drove in the Rams' second run with a two-out infield single in the third.

Brue's hit scored Kane, who was 3 for 3 with a triple and scored two runs. Tenuto had a home run and scored two runs. Brooks had a two-out RBI single in the fifth, and McCummings delivered an RBI double in the sixth.

"I can't say enough about what these seniors have done," Gloucester Catholic coach Dennis Barth said.

Tenuto, the third baseman and No. 3 hitter, got the Rams started and ignited the maroon-and-gold side of the huge crowd at Ray Ryan Field when he drove a 1-2 curveball over the right-center field fence in the bottom of the first inning.

Kane led off the third with a single, stole second, and took third on a passed ball. With two outs, Brue beat out a hard grounder into the hole at shortstop.

With two outs in the fifth, Kane sliced a triple down the right-field line. Brooks came through with a single to left, jacking the Rams' lead to 3-1.

Murphy was in command of the game. Mixing a fastball in the low-80-m.p.h-range with a sharp curveball and an effective change-up, the 15-year-old powered through a lineup with five seniors who have committed to Division I college programs.

"I felt like I had nothing to lose," Murphy said. "I was a freshman, and I knew I had three more years after this."

Don Bosco Prep 000 010 0 - 1 3 1

Gloucester Catholic 101 011 x - 4 9 2

WP: John Murphy. LP: Tommy Burns. 2B: DB–George Iskendarian; GC–Ellliott McCummings. 3B: GC–Pat Kane. HR: GC–Brett Tenuto.