Saturday was Opening Day for SJR baseball on a chilly, spring day at Clover Stadium in Pomona, New York. The Green Knights battled Albertus Magnus (NY) in an exciting interstate match up.
Junior Matthew Tomassi was on the bump to open the season in 2026. The Green Knights showed off some early defensive highlights, turning an inning-ending double play in the top of the 1st.
After letting up one run in the top of the second, SJR exploded in the bottom half of the inning. After loading the bases to start the inning, junior Myles Benitez tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI single. Shortly after, sophomore Danny Higgins put the Green Knights on top with an RBI single of his own. Lead off hitter Aiden Reilly used his speed to beat out what would've been an inning-ending double play. Instead, the ball got past the first baseman and resulted in two more runs for Joe's, making it 4-1 SJR. W
ith 2 outs and 2 strikes, senior Ryan McCabe put another run on the board with a single that scored Reilly from second base. Senior Lorenzo Zeccardi kept the inning going with another hustle play to earn an infield single, bringing up the powerful senior Brady Shust. Shust launched a ball into the gap in deep right center field, tacking on two more runs, while Shust hustled into third for a 2-out triple. Then came the highlight of the inning from junior John Polowitz, who blasted a ball into the seats in right field for a two-run home run. A total of nine runs in the bottom of the 2nd completely flipped the momentum of the game.
On the mound, Tomassi kept dealing, escaping a 2nd and 3rd jam with 2 outs in the top of the 3rd. In the 4th, Tomassi made sure there were no chances for a comeback as the Falcons went down 1-2-3.
A double from Ryan McCabe and a single from Lorenzo Zeccardi opened the bottom half of the 4th. A fly ball that dropped in off the bat of Brady Shust made it 10-1 Green Knights. Shust went on to steal second and advance to third after a passed ball. John Polowitz drew a walk and SJR had runners on the corners. Polowitz raced to steal 2nd and an errant throw into the outfield sent Shust home, opening up a double-digit lead for the Green Knights.
Up by 10 going into the 5th, only 3 outs were needed to seal an opening day win. Danny Alvarez, a junior, was called upon to close the show. He came in and meant business, striking out the first two batters with ease. With the Falcons down to their last strike, Alvarez got the batter to pop up for the third and final out.
The Green Knights emerged victorious over the Falcons, sealing an 11-1 Opening Day win. Seven of nine Green Knights batters recorded a hit in a true showing of offensive firepower from the team led by head coach Mark Cieslak. SJR will now return home to Montvale for the home opener, playing host to Bergen Tech. First pitch for that game is slated for 4:15 pm on March 30.
