CEDAR GROVE- The cold water came down over his head in patented drenching fashion as two of his Cedar Grove Panthers delivered the customary post-game bucket dump to commemorate the moment.
And the smile never left the face of Coach Vin Cordasco for even a single moment as he soaked it all in.
After all, it marked the first time in 23 years that Cedar Grove baseball had captured a state sectional title, and the Panther players and coaches were enjoying every second of their post-game celebration following an impressive 11-5 victory over Hanover Park for the North 2, Group 1 championship.
“That feels amazing,” Cordasco said with a wide smile. “I’ve been waiting for that moment right there for six years, and this is so special to be a part of!
“This group of guys have done it all this state tournament run and this is the time of the year when you want to get hot and our offense has been tremendous with clutch hits, 2-out hits and tacking on insurance runs.”
The Panthers (20-9) will host N1G1 champion Pompton Lakes in Monday’s Group 1 state semifinals with the winner there moving on to play for the overall Group 1 championship on Sunday, June 14, at Rutgers University in Piscataway.
Second-seeded Cedar Grove and third-seeded Hanover Park (18-9) were locked in a 5-5 ball game in the bottom of the fifth winning when the Panthers’ 4-year veteran star Xavier Andujar stepped up and delivered a long 2-run home run with no one out as the Panthers took the lead for good at 7-5.
Cedar Grove would tack on four more runs in the sixth, including with sophomore Ron Ricca delivering his second 2-run single of the game to add some nice breathing room for reliever and winning pitcher John Reer to work with as he closed the door.
“This is amazing,” said Rica, who had helped Cedar Grove’s offense get jet-started in the first inning with his first 2-run single for an early 2-0 lead. “I just try to always stay focused on each at bat no matter what is happening and to see my teammates doing their thing is so great to watch.
“Xavier is a phenomenal player and just incredible to watch!”
Andujar, the Ithaca College-bound senior center fielder and starting pitcher, went 3-for-3 with a single and a run scored in the Panthers’ 2-run first inning, an RBI triple during his team’s 3-run second inning, and then his monumental 2-run homer to give his team a 7-5 lead in the fifth.
“I’m just happy that we have finally won the state sectional title after coming close the last three years,” said the veteran standout. “Our entire coaching staff has put us in the best position to succe3ed and all the credit goes to them and these guys here because this entire team has worked together to win this championship.”
The Panthers banged out 10 hits, worked to draw 6 walks and took advantage of two Hanover Park infield errors in their 3-run second inning. Junior shortstop Chris Halbert was 1-for-3 with 3 runs and both junior center fielder Jack Velones and senior right fielder Jake Scirica went 1-for-3 with 2 runs scored.
Andujar was the starting pitcher and worked the first four innings throwing 73 pitches walking 5, striking out 2 and allowing 5 runs, all of which were earned.
It may not have been his best mound outing of the season, but he does so many things to help his team win that his team was more than ready to get over the top in the biggest game of the season while also being boosted by a superb relief outing by Reer as the junior right-hander tossed three scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, walking 1 and striking out 1 to completely shut down the potent Hornets offense and gain the mound victory.
