Mainland breaks through, wins state crown

June 08--TOMS RIVER, N.J. -- All season, Mainland pitched with authority and played airtight defense.

That didn't change in the state final.

But the Mustangs left this Ocean County town in a horn-honking, five-bus caravan late Saturday afternoon because they picked the biggest game in the program's history to generate some clutch offense.

"That's always been the question for us," Mainland coach Bill Kern said after his team captured the school's first state crown in baseball with a 5-3 victory over Mount Olive in the Group 3 title game at Toms River South. "Today, these guys came through at the plate."

Sophomore Kyle Gerace earned the win with four solid innings of relief for Mainland (16-12).

Starting pitcher Nick Droboniku drove in two runs, and Jack Loifflad and Billy Talarico delivered RBI hits in a huge sixth-inning rally as Mainland became just the second public-school team from the Cape-Atlantic League to win a state title in baseball -- about three hours after Buena was the first in the Group 2 final across town at Toms River East.

"It means everything," said Gerace, a polished righthander who allowed one run on one hit with three strikeouts.

Seeded 11th in the sectional tournament, Mainland allowed just seven runs in six postseason victories. The Mustangs' remarkable run was fueled by great pitching by senior Matt Tepedino, Droboniku, and Gerace, and near-flawless defense.

The pitching and defense held sturdy Saturday, as Droboniku and Gerace combined to muffle a Mount Olive team (23-7) that had won 16 in a row with strong work in the field from Talarico behind the plate along with third baseman Roman Papademetriou and second baseman Matt McLaughlin.

Talarico turned a suicide-squeeze attempt into an out in the second and combined with leftfielder Loifflad and McLaughlin for a 7-2-4-2 putout in the third.

"We're the best team in Mainland baseball history," Talarico said.

Mainland broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the sixth. Drew Riska led off with a double, advanced on Droboniku's sacrifice, and scored on Loifflad's single through a drawn-in infield.

Talarico made it 4-2 with an RBI double.

"Biggest hit of my career," said Talarico, a senior.

Mouny Olive cut the lead to 4-3 in the bottom of the sixth, but Mainland added an insurance run with a pair of walks and Droboniku's RBI single.

In the bottom of the seventh, Papademetriou fielded a grounder and fired to Droboniku for the final out, popping a cork on a wild celebration among hundreds of green-clad Mainland fans who had traveled to the game on four student buses.

"Our mantra has been 'Why not us?' " Kern said.

Mainland 110 002 1 -- 5 3 1

Mt. Olive 101 001 0 -- 3 7 0

WP: Kyle Gerace. LP: Jake Snyder. 2B: M-Drew Riska, Bill Talarico; MO-Bobby Shannon, Duchemin.

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