Randolph Varsity Baseball fell to the Delbarton Green Wave, 2-0, in the Morris County Tournament (MCT) semifinals on Saturday, May 11. Two more losses to Roxbury followed, with scores of 4-2 on Monday, May 13, and 7-6 on Tuesday, May 14, leaving the team with a current record of 16-8.
Heading into the MCT match, the Rams held a record of 16-6, while Delbarton held an 18-2 record. The Rams were eager to secure a victory and return to the county final game, as they had two years ago, and pick up a win against another top team in the state.
“The atmosphere is electric in games like that; I love the energy and being a part of something bigger than myself,” senior outfielder Ethan Gorman said prior to the game.
Taking the mound for the Rams was senior captain pitcher Tommy Martin, who has been a key piece to the Rams’ success this year.
“We prepared extensively for this game, fully aware of our objective,” Gorman shared.
In the first inning, Delbarton took advantage of an error and moved their leadoff hitter to second on a bunt. The runner then reached third and was hit in with a sac fly to put Delbarton up 1-0 in the first inning.
“We put together solid at-bats but didn’t achieve the desired outcomes,” said Martin after the game, “but we never truly challenged the opposition.”
The game moved quickly from this point forward as the two Division I pitchers battled it out on the mound until the fifth inning.
Delbarton then hit a single followed by a bunt and fly out that moved the runner to third. Another sac fly brought in the second run for Delbarton and put them up over the Rams, 2-0.
The Rams got two runners on in the top of the seventh to put pressure on the Delbarton defense, but it ultimately was not enough, and the Green Wave held on to win and advance to the Morris County Final game.
“I believe we needed a clutch hit with runners in scoring position and a cleaner defensive performance overall,” Martin said.
The Rams hoped to recover this week, with three conference games left in the regular season, heading into the state tournament. Unfortunately, Randolph suffered back-to-back losses in the first two games to Roxbury, with a score of 4-2 at home on Monday, May 13, and 7-6 @ Roxbury on Tuesday, May 14, leaving the team with a current record of 16-8.
