Game #26 May 22, 2019 - 4 p.m. · 5/22/2019 · Game #26 May 22, 2019 - 4 p.m. Lions Pride Park...

Game #26May 22, 2019 - 4 p.m.

Lions Pride ParkPope John XXIII Regional High School

Sparta, N.J.Pope John Lions(21-4, 10-2 NJAC American)

No. 2 NJ.com

Bergen Catholic Crusaders(16-7, 6-2 Big North United)

NR NJ.comHead Coach: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vin BelloRecord at Pope John (20th season): . . . . . 337-212-1Career Record (22nd season): . . . . . . . . . . 367-234-1

Head Coach: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bob MuggeoRecord at Bergen Catholic (fifth season): . . . . . 106-28Career Record (fifth season): . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106-28

LIONS LOOK TO BEAT BERGEN CATHOLIC

The second-ranked Pope John Lions will begin its final week of the regular season by trying to add a win against Non-Public A foe Bergen Catholic on Wednesday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The Lions are 21-4 on the season and are coming off a 10-4 loss to nationally ranked Malvern Prep, of Malvern, Pa. The Lions are 8-2 in independent games this season.

The Lions come into the contest against the Crusaders (16-7) having won won 10 of their last 12 games. Leading the Lions this year have been sophomore center fielder Mike Bello, junior first baseman Luke Chenault, senior designated hitter Chris Sabo, and sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan.

Bello leads the team in average (.493), runs (22), hits (36), OPS (1.274), and doubles (10). Chenault has batted .376 while smacking a team-high four home runs, driving in a team-high 27 runs and posting a 1.061 OPS. Sabo has hit .329 after recording 27 hits, including a team-high four home runs, seven doubles, and one triple, while driving in 20 runs and posting a 1.014 OPS. Brennan has batted .435 after notching 30 hits with 12 RBI and a 1.053 OPS.

Sophomore Mateo Sarabia will get the ball for the Lions. In eight appearances this season, Sarabia is 3-1 with a 2.97 ERA while striking out 23 batters and walking 14.

2019 SCHEDULE/RESULTS4/2 vs. Madison W 5-24/3 vs. Randolph* W 5-44/4 at Montville* W 18-74/6 vs. Hudson Catholic W 8-44/9 vs. Morristown* W 6-14/12 vs. Roxbury* W 6-24/13 at Demarest W 5-04/14 vs. Holy Spirit at North Brunswick W 7-54/15 vs. Chatham* W 2-14/17 at Delbarton* L 8-04/20 vs. Dickinson in Tony Bello Classic Canceled4/22 at Bishop Eustace W 3-1 (8 inn.)4/24 at West Essex W 12-24/25 vs. Trenton Catholic at Skylands Stadium L 2-14/27 vs.NorthHunterdoninHWSquarterfinals W10-14/30 vs.Delbarton* W5-45/2 at Randolph* W 11-65/4 vs.HunterdonCentralinHWSsemifinals W3-25/6 vs. Montville* W 8-55/8 vs. Morristown* L 5-15/9 at Roxbury* W 6-55/11 vs.HighPointinHWSfinalatPhillipsburg W5-25/14 vs.GillSt.Bernard’s W12-105/16 vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) W 8-25/17 at Chatham* W 7-45/18 vs.MalvernPrep(Pa.)atDelbarton L10-45/20 at St. Peter’s Prep Canceled5/22 vs. Bergen Catholic 4 p.m.5/23 at St. Mary 4:30 p.m.5/24 vs.DonBoscoPrepinNon-Public,NorthAquarterfinals 4p.m.

*NJAC American Division game

PROJECTED LINEUP1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS (.514 AVG, 16 R, 19 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 1.220 OPS)2. So. Mike Bello, CF (.486 AVG, 22 R, 36 H, 10 2B, 2 3B, 24 RBI, 1.274 OPS)3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B (.376 AVG, 18 R, 32 H, 8 2B, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 1.061 OPS)4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH (.329 AVG, 19 R, 27 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 20 RBI, 1.014 OPS) 5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF (.203 AVG, 15 R, 15 H, 4 2B, 9 RBI, 7 SB, .621 OPS)6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C (.435 AVG, 9 R, 30 H, 4 2B, 12 RBI, 1.053 OPS)7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF (.500 AVG, 4 R, 16 H, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 1.105 OPS)8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B (.306 AVG, 15 R, 22 H, 4 2B, 12 RBI, .786 OPS)9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B (.274 AVG, 15 R, 17 H, 1 2B, 1 3B, 15 RBI, .733 OPS)SP: So. Mateo Sarabia (3-1, 2.97 ERA, 23 K, 14 BB)*Lineup Subject to Change before first pitch

WWW.POPEJOHN.ORG/BASEBALL | @popejohnbaseball | @PJ_Baseball

QUICK FACTSSCHOOL

NAME: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pope John XXIII Regional High SchoolLOCATION: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Andover Road., Sparta, N.J.FOUNDED: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1956NICKNAME: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LionsCOLORS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Blue, Gold & WhiteCONFERENCE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Northwest Jersey Athletic ConferencePRESIDENT: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rev. Msgr. Kieran McHughPRINCIPAL:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gene EmeringDIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mia GavanHEAD COACH: . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Vin Bello (20th season)ASSISTANT COACH: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bernie DiCristfario (15th season)ASSISTANT COACH: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ben Perez (eighth season)ASSISTANT COACH: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jamie Manco (sixth season)ASSISTANT COACH: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Michael Schleer (third season)ASSISTANT COACH: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dan Cunico (first season)

BASEBALL HISTORYFIRST YEAR: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1959ALL-TIME RECORD: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 762-610-5 (61st season)STATE TITLES: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0STATE FINAL APPEARANCES: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3STATE FINAL RECORD: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 0-3LAST STATE TITLE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . NoneLAST STATE FINAL GAME: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 (Non-Public A) SECTIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4SECTIONAL FINAL APPERANCES: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8SECTIONAL FINAL RECORD: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4LAST SECTIONAL TITLE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2011 (Non-Public, North A)LAST SECTIONAL FINAL GAME: . . . . . . . . . . 2017 (Non-Public, North A)STATE PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33STATE PLAYOFF RECORD: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33-32CONSECUTIVE STATE PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: . . . . . . 16 (2003-pres)LEAGUE TITLES: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11LAST LEAGUE TITLE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2018 (NJAC American)COUNTY TITLES: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4LAST COUNTY TITLE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2019 (HWS)WINNING SEASONS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN SEASONS: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40MOST WINS IN A SEASON: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 (2010, 2011)100 CAREER HITS (PLAYERS): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

MEDICAL/SCHOOL STAFFHEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Zac FowlerASSISTANT ATHLETIC TRAINER: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Taylor PerraultTEAM PHYSICIAN: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. PadavanSTRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joe Lopez

2 2019 Pope John Baseball

COLLEGE LIONS

MEDIA INFODIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS: . . . Anthony SpauldingEMAIL: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]: . . . . . . . . . . . . 973-729-6125, Option 3, Ext. 3033CELL: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .973-723-0346TWITTER: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . @ASpauldsSportsMEDIA INTERN/ANNOUNCER: . . . . . . . . Adrianna GallucciBASEBALL WEBSITE: . . . . . . www.popejohn.org/baseballBASEBALL FACEBOOK: facebook.com/popejohnbaseballBASEBALL TWITTER: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . @PJ_BaseballBASEBALL INSTAGRAM: . . . . . . . . . . . .@popejohnbaseball

Since 2011, the Lions have had 28 players go on to play college baseball — an average of 3.5 players per graduating class. This 28-man group includes 2011 graduates Alex DeBellis (University of Connecticut/Gloucester County College/Lynn University), Brendan Mayers (Rutgers University), Matt Ackerman (Rutgers University/ Gloucester County College/Lynn University), Mike Liegel (New Jersey Institute of Technology), Conor McGlynn (New Jersey Institute of Technology), and Kyle Warden (Iona College); 2012 graduates Matt Tietz (Rutgers University/Cypress College/Lynn University) and Ryan McNally (Fordham Univer-sity); 2013 graduates Rob Sanders (Elizabethtown College) and Ken Mott (Penn State Harrisburg); 2014 graduates Dan Cunico (UMass Lowell) and Connor Kopnick (Clarks Summit University); 2016 graduate Kyle Malejko (County College of Morris); and 2017 graduates Justin Provost (Rowan University) and Daiven Sanchez (Hood College). The Lions currently have 12 alums playing in college. They are: 2014 graduate Mike Young (UMass Lowell); 2015 graduates Jack Nelson (Boston College), Jay Sanford (Towson University), and Zach Leach (Rowan University); 2017 graduates Sean Miller (Seton Hall University), Trevor Backman (Marist College), Hunter Silvernail (Lafayette College), Sean Roberts (County College of Morris), and George Somers (Roger Williams University); and 2018 graduates Ethan O’Connor (Lafayette College), Joe Millar (Endicott College), and Dan Sanville (Salve Regina University).

TABLE OF CONTENTSPage 2........Quick Facts/NCAA Lions/Media InfoPage 3........Standings/Rankings/Opponent TrackerPage 4........Head Coach Vin BelloPage 5........Pope John Alphabetical & Numerical RostersPages 6-9......Pope John/Our Lady of the Lake Baseball History

Pages 10-34.....Game RecapsPages 35-37.....Pope John Batting & Pitching NotesPages 38-39....2019 Team & Individual StatisticsPage 40..........2018 Results/HighlightsPages 41-42....2018 Team & Individual Statistics


2 3 2019 Pope John Baseball

NJAC AMERICAN DIVISION STANDINGS NJ.COM TOP 20 POLL

OPPONENT TRACKER

Div. % Overall %1. x-Delbarton 11-1 .917 21-3 .8752. Pope John 10-2 .833 21-4 .8403. Roxbury 5-6 .455 13-10 .5654. Montville 5-7 .417 14-11 .5605. Morristown 4-6 .400 13-7 .6506. Chatham 3-7 .300 9-10 .4747. Randolph 1-10 .091 7-13 .350x-division champion

SCHEDULEWednesday, May 22Bergen Catholic at Pope John, 4 p.m.Don Bosco Prep at Delbarton, 4 p.m.

Thursday, May 23Randolph at Montclair, 4 p.m.Northern Highlands at Montville, 4 p.m.Clifton at Morristown, 4 p.m.Ramapo at Roxbury, 4 p.m.Pope John at St. Mary, 4:30 p.m.

School Record Next Opp.1. Delbarton 21-3 vs. No. 17 Don Bosco Prep2. Pope John 21-4 vs. Bergen Catholic3. Jackson Liberty 22-2 vs. No. 13 Wall4. Notre Dame 23-1 at Red Bank Catholic5. Shawnee 19-7 None6. Bishop Eustace 21-5 vs. Gloucester Catholic7. Jackson Memorial 20-4 at Red Bank Catholic8. Bayonne 24-2 vs. Westfield9. Haddonfield 20-3 vs. Sterling10. St. Augustine Prep 20-4 vs. St. John Vianney11. Christian Brothers 17-5 vs. Manalapan12. St. Joseph (Mont.) 18-6 at Ramapo13. Wall 21-3 at No. 3 Jackson Liberty14. West Morris 22-5 at Morristown-Beard15. Rutherford 22-3 vs. Hanover Park16. Ridgewood 19-4 vs. Livingston17. Don Bosco Prep 15-7 at Pope John18. Pascack Hills 24-3 vs. Newton19. Cherry Hill West 20-3 vs. Absegami20. Red Bank Catholic 20-5 vs. No. 7 Jackson Memorial

MADISON

(April 2)

Overall: 21-7NJAC Liberty: 7-1Next Game: vs. HackettstownLast Game: L 19-9 Livingston

RANDOLPH

(April 3 and May 2)

Overall: 7-13NJAC American: 1-10Next Game: at MontclairLast Game: W 8-4 Passaic Tech

MONTVILLE

(April 5 and May 6)

Overall: 14-11NJAC American: 5-7Next Game: vs. Northern HighlandsLast Game: W 11-0 Sparta

HUDSON CATHOLIC

(April 6)

Overall: 14-5HCIAL White: 10-2Next Game: vs. Dwight- EnglewoodLast Game: L 7-0 Bayonne

MORRISTOWN

(April 9 and May 8)

Overall: 13-7NJAC American: 4-6Next Game: vs. CliftonLast Game: W 7-6 Morris Knolls

ROXBURY

(April 12 and May 9)

Overall: 13-10NJAC American: 5-6Next Game: vs. RamapoLast Game: W 3-0 Warren Hills

DEMAREST

(April 13)

Overall: 13-11Big North Patriot: 9-3Next Game: NoneLast Game: L 3-1 Lenape Valley

HOLY SPIRIT

(April 14)

Overall: 14-7Cape/Atlantic United: 9-1Next Game: vs. Wildwood Cath.Last Game: W 10-0 Wardlaw- Hartridge

CHATHAM

(April 15 and May 17)

Overall: 9-10NJAC American: 3-7Next Game: at West MorrisLast Game: W 3-2 Belleville

DELBARTON

(April 17 and April 30)

Overall: 21-3NJAC American: 11-1Next Game: vs. Don Bosco PrepLast Game: W 2-0 Morristown- Beard

BISHOP EUSTACE

(April 22)

Overall: 21-5Olympic National: 11-0Next Game: vs. Gloucester Cath.Last Game: W13-3 Moorestown

WEST ESSEX

(April 24)

Overall: 10-12SEC American: 5-7Next Game: NoneLast Game: L 8-0 West Milford

TRENTON CATHOLIC

(April 25)

Overall: 12-8BCSL Freedom: 5-3Next Game: vs. Rutgers PrepLast Game: W 3-1 St. Rose

NORTH HUNTERDON

(April 27)

Overall: 12-13Skyland Raritan: 4-4Next Game: NoneLast Game: L 1-0 Phillipsburg

HUNTERDON CENTRAL

(May 4)

Overall: 15-8Skyland Delaware: 6-2Next Game: vs. Freehold Twp.Last Game: L 4-3 Bridgewater- Raritan

HIGH POINT

(May 11)

Overall: 13-7NJAC Freedom: 6-3Next Game: vs. RamseyLast Game: W 10-3 Westwood

GILL ST. BERNARD’S

(May 14)

Overall: 10-13Skyland Valley: 6-6Next Game: at Oratory PrepLast Game: L 7-2 Newark Academy

ST. JOSEPH (MONT.)

(May 16)

Overall: 18-6Big North United: 4-3Next Game: at RamapoLast Game: W 3-1 Rutherford

MALVERN PREP (Pa.)

(May 18)

Overall: 29-7Inter-Academic: 6-4Next Game: at Germantown Academy (Pa.)Last Game: L 12-2 Delbarton

BERGEN CATHOLIC

(May 22)

Overall: 16-7Big North United: 6-2Next Game: at Pope JohnLast Game: W 5-0 Red Bank Catholic

ST. MARY

(May 23)

Overall: 17-9NJIC Meadowlands: 13-2Next Game: vs. Pope JohnLast Game: L 13-5 Saddle Brook



HEAD COACH VIN BELLO

BELLO FILEHOMETOWN: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jersey City, N.J.HIGH SCHOOL: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marist, 1990COLLEGE: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominican College, 1995,

B.A. Public AdministrationCAREER RECORD (22nd season): . . . . . . . 367-234-1 POPE JOHN RECORD (20th season): . . . . . 337-212-1

COACHING EXPERIENCE2000-pres. Head Coach Pope John 1998-99 Head Coach Marist High School1996-97 Assistant Coach Jersey City State College

Playing CareerDominican College, 1B/C 1992-95, Captain Faulkner State Community College, 1B 1991Marist High School, 1B 1987-90, All-State selection

BELLO/POPE JOHN STATE RESULTS

Prior to the start of the 1999-2000 season, Vin Bello was named the 16th head coach in the history of the Pope John XXIII Regional High School/Our Lady of the Lake baseball program. After being a head coach at Marist High School for two seasons, Bello took over the Lions’ program the following season and has been putting his stamp on it ever since. Entering his 20th season this year, Bello has guided the Lions to a 316-208-1 record, one Non-Public, North A championship (2011), five league titles (2007-08 SCIL, 2009-10 NJAC National Division, 2014-15 NJAC American Division, 2016-17 NJAC American Division, 2017-18 NJAC American Division), and three county titles (2008 Sussex County Coach-es Baseball Tournament, 2011 Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament, 2017 HWS Tournament). His 316 wins, five league championships, three county championships and one sectional title are the most in Pope John history. Before coming to Pope John, Bello spent two seasons at Marist, where he led them to a 30-22 record and a Hudson County Interscholastic championship game appearance. Prior to his stint there, Bello was an assistant coach for two seasons at Jersey City State College. A native of Jersey City, Bello is a 1990 graduate of Marist High School and a 1995 graduate of Dominican College. At Marist from 1987-90, Bello was an All-State selection at first base and he helped the school win the Non-Public B championship in 1989. After graduation, he attended Faulkner State Community College in Bay Minette, Ala., for a year, then transferred to Dominican College in Orangeburg, N.Y., on a baseball scholarship. At Dominican, he played catcher and first base while serving as captain in 1995, when the team won 41 games. He earned his B.A. degree in Public Administration. Bello is currently the assistant principal for Pope John XXIII Middle School and has previously served as Pope John High School’s athletic director and assistant principal during his time with the school. Bello lives in Oak Ridge with his wife, Yvette, and their three children Nick, Mike and Dominick.

Year Opponent Result2001 Pingry W 6-4 (9 inn.) Immaculata L 9-22003 Hudson Catholic W 5-4 Immaculata L 11-02004 Immaculata L 10-12005 Immaculata L 10-32006 Immaculata L 5-32007 Bergen Catholic L 6-22008 Hudson Catholic W 7-2 Don Bosco Prep L 6-22009 St. Peter’s Prep W 8-3 Seton Hall Prep L 9-82010 Pingry W 10-0 (5 inn.) Delbarton W 6-3 Immaculata L 8-6

Year Opponent Result2011 St. Peter’s Prep W 3-1 Delbarton W 6-5 Seton Hall Prep* W 4-3 St. Augustine** L 8-7 (9 inn.)2012 DePaul W 3-1 Don Bosco Prep L 13-1 (5 inn.)2013 DePaul W 3-0 St. Joseph (Mont.) L 3-02014 Paramus Catholic L 3-22015 Seton Hall Prep L 7-52016 Hudson Catholic W 6-4 Delbarton L 4-32017 Union Catholic W 6-1 Don Bosco Prep W 2-1 Delbarton* L 6-42018 Union Catholic W 6-0 Delbarton L 1-0


POPE JOHN COACHING RECORDSW-L

43-50-17-10

20-449-19

13-4324-119-1510-99-6

3-1631-45

78-44-184-40-155-40

24-17-1337-212-1

League Titles2000000000013005

County Titles0000000000000004

Sect. Titles1000000000010101

State Titles0000000000000000

NameKen Slattery

Tom WaivadaJoseph Heywang

Jim KettleAnthony Gerczak

Robert MooreMark Daniels

Richard YounkersJoe Maggio

Harold ClarkAl Forte

John KuntzChris Kappelmeier

Steve McGuirePat FioreVin Bello Total 15-17


POPE JOHN XXIII BASEBALL ALPHABETICAL ROSTERNo. Name Position(s) Height Weight Class Bat Throw20/18 Sean Beck P 6’0 185 12 Right Right

9 Trevor Befumo C/2B 5’9 158 12 Right Right31 Mike Bello OF 6'1 190 10 Left Left5 Jimmy Brennan C 5’9 155 10 Right Right

13 Nick Buchman P 6-1 160 9 Right Right23 Anthony Caputo OF 5’9 185 12 Right Right33 Luke Chenault 1B 6’1 190 11 Left Left10 Ryan Dignan P 6’1 160 11 Left Right11 Ryan McCreedy P 5’10 140 10 Right Right

17 Nick Morro OF 5’7 130 9 Left Left32/44 Nolan Niziol P 6’5 210 9 Left Left

16 Nate Pallotta IF/OF 6’0 160 10 Right Right19 Kevin Putsky OF 5'9 160 12 Left Left6 Luis Rivera 2B 5’6 125 9 Right Right

14 Chris Sabo P/IF 6’2 220 12 Right Right25 Mateo Sarabia P 5’10 185 10 Right Right29 Aidan Schleer OF 5’11 160 11 Left Right2 Eddie Ventresca SS 5’4 135 11 Right Right

12 Jake Wagner 3B 5’8 165 11 Right Right35 Ben Weber P 6’6 170 10 Right Right15 Jake Wells P 6'3 162 12 Left Left


No. Name Position(s) Height Weight Class Bat Throw2 Eddie Ventresca SS 5’4 135 11 Right Right5 Jimmy Brennan C 5’9 155 10 Right Right6 Luis Rivera 2B 5’6 125 9 Right Right9 Trevor Befumo C/2B 5’9 158 12 Right Right

10 Ryan Dignan P 6’1 160 11 Left Right11 Ryan McCreedy P 5’10 140 10 Right Right12 Jake Wagner 3B 5’8 165 11 Right Right13 Nick Buchman P 6-1 160 9 Right Right14 Chris Sabo P/IF 6’2 220 12 Right Right15 Jake Wells P 6'3 162 12 Left Left16 Nate Pallotta IF/OF 6’0 160 10 Right Right17 Nick Morro OF 5’7 130 9 Left Left19 Kevin Putsky OF 5'9 160 12 Left Left

20/18 Sean Beck P 6’0 185 12 Right Right23 Anthony Caputo OF 5’9 185 12 Right Right25 Mateo Sarabia P 5’10 185 10 Right Right29 Aidan Schleer OF 5’11 160 11 Left Right31 Mike Bello OF 6'1 190 10 Left Left

32/44 Nolan Niziol P 6’5 210 9 Left Left33 Luke Chenault 1B 6’1 190 11 Left Left35 Ben Weber P 6’6 170 10 Right Right

POPE JOHN XXIII BASEBALL NUMERICAL ROSTER

POPE JOHN XXIII REGIONAL H.S./OUR LADY OF THE LAKE BASEBALL HISTORY

Year Record League/ County Titles

State Games State Sectional titles

State Championships Coach

1958-59 3-9 Ken Slattery



1961-62 11-7-1 Northwest Jersey

Conference (share)

Ken Slattery

1962-63 11-7 St. Bonaventure(W 2-1)

*St. Mary’s, Pat.(L 4-1)

Ken Slattery

1963-64 14-5 Northwest Jersey

Conference

Archbishop Walsh

(W 4-3)*Holy Family

(W 5-1)

Parochial C North

Ken Slattery

1964-65 7-10 Tom Waivada

1965-66 4-14 Joseph Heywang

1966-67 1-12 Jim Kettle

1967-68 8-7 Jim Kettle



1970-71 2-13 Anthony Gerczak



1973-74 14-4 Paul VI (L 3-2) Robert Moore

1974-75 10-7 Queen of Peace(L 2-1)

Robert Moore




Year Record League/ County Titles

State Games State Sectional titles





1961-62 11-7-1 Northwest Jersey

Conference (share)

Ken Slattery

1962-63 11-7 St. Bonaventure(W 2-1)

*St. Mary’s, Pat.(L 4-1)

Ken Slattery

1963-64 14-5 Northwest Jersey

Conference

Archbishop Walsh

(W 4-3)*Holy Family

(W 5-1)

Parochial C North

Ken Slattery

1964-65 7-10 Tom Waivada


1966-67 1-12 Jim Kettle

1967-68 8-7 Jim Kettle






1973-74 14-4 Paul VI (L 3-2) Robert Moore

1974-75 10-7 Queen of Peace(L 2-1)

Robert Moore


Year Record League Titles State Games State Sectional titles


1975-76 9-15 Mark Daniels1976-77 10-9 Paterson

Catholic(L 6-5)

Richard Younkers

1977-78 9-6 Immaculata(W 5-4)

Our Lady of the Valley(L 7-3)

Joe Maggio

1978-79 3-16 Harold Clark

1979-80 7-12 Al Forte1980-81 7-10 Al Forte1981-82 8-10 Al Forte1982-83 9-13 Al Forte1983-84 10-9-1 John Kuntz1984-85 15-11 John Kuntz1985-86 18-6 St. Patrick’s

(W 10-2)Phillipsburg

Cath.(L 5-4)

John Kuntz

1986-87 13-13 John Kuntz1987-88 22-5 SCIL St. Patrick’s

(W 23-2 5 inn.)St. Anthony’s

(W 10-2)*Bayley-Ellard

(W 2-0)**St. James

(L 8-2)

Parochial B North

John Kuntz

1988-89 21-5 SCIL Don Bosco Tech(W 15-4)

Marist (L 4-2)

Chris Kappelmeier

1989-90 14-9 St. Anthony(L 12-2 6 inn.)

Chris Kappelmeier

1990-91 8-15 Chris Kappelmeier

1991-92 19-6-1 SCIL (share)

Montclair- Kimberley(W 10-0)

DePaul (L 3-1)

Chris Kappelmeier





1992-93 22-5 SCIL DePaul (W 5-0)Roselle Catholic

(W 12-1)*Marist (L 12-2)

Chris Kappelmeier

1993-94 18-10 Don Bosco Tech (W 9-2)

Good Counsel (W 7-3)

*Pingry (L 3-2)

Steve McGuire

1994-95 12-8 Roselle Catholic(W 11-1)

Immaculata (L 8-3)

Steve McGuire

1995-96 15-10 Bayley-Ellard (W 6-5 8 inn.)St. Mary’s (W

5-4)*Marist (W 2-1)

**Gloucester Catholic (L 9-1)

Parochial B North

Steve McGuire

1996-97 10-12 Steve McGuire1997-98 14-7-1 DePaul (L 9-3) Pat Fiore1998-99 10-10 Pat Fiore

1999-2000 6-15 Vin Bello2000-01 19-9 Pingry

(W 6-4 9 inn.)Immaculata

(L 9-2)

Vin Bello

2001-02 12-12 Vin Bello

2002-03 16-10 Hudson Catholic(W 5-4)

Immaculata (L 11-0)

Vin Bello

2003-04 16-9 Immaculata (L 10-1)

Vin Bello

2004-05 16-10 Immaculata (L 10-3)

Vin Bello

2005-06 13-14 Immaculata (L 5-3)

Vin Bello



2019 Pope John Baseball 9Year Record League Titles State Games State Sectional

titlesState Championships Coach

1992-93 22-5 SCIL DePaul (W 5-0)Roselle Catholic

(W 12-1)*Marist (L 12-2)

Chris Kappelmeier

1993-94 18-10 Don Bosco Tech (W 9-2)

Good Counsel (W 7-3)

*Pingry (L 3-2)

Steve McGuire

1994-95 12-8 Roselle Catholic(W 11-1)

Immaculata (L 8-3)

Steve McGuire

1995-96 15-10 Bayley-Ellard (W 6-5 8 inn.)St. Mary’s (W

5-4)*Marist (W 2-1)

**Gloucester Catholic (L 9-1)

Parochial B North

Steve McGuire

1996-97 10-12 Steve McGuire1997-98 14-7-1 DePaul (L 9-3) Pat Fiore1998-99 10-10 Pat Fiore

1999-2000 6-15 Vin Bello2000-01 19-9 Pingry

(W 6-4 9 inn.)Immaculata

(L 9-2)

Vin Bello

2001-02 12-12 Vin Bello

2002-03 16-10 Hudson Catholic(W 5-4)

Immaculata (L 11-0)

Vin Bello

2003-04 16-9 Immaculata (L 10-1)

Vin Bello

2004-05 16-10 Immaculata (L 10-3)

Vin Bello

2005-06 13-14 Immaculata (L 5-3)

Vin Bello

POPE JOHN XXIII REGIONAL H.S./OUR LADY OF THE LAKE FOOTBALL HISTORY



2006-07 16-11 Bergen Catholic (L 6-2)

Vin Bello

2007-08 23-6 SCIL (League)SCIL (County)

Hudson Catholic (W 7-2)

Don Bosco (L 6-2)

Vin Bello

2008-09 16-10 St. Peter’s (W 8-3)Seton Hall (L 9-8)

Vin Bello

2009-10 24-5 NJAC National Pingry (W 10-0 5 inn.)

Delbarton (W 6-3)

Immaculata (L 8-6)

Vin Bello

2010-11 24-5-1 HWS St. Peter’s (W 3-1)Delbarton (W 6-5)

*Seton Hall (W 4-3)

**St. Augustine(L 8-7 9 inn.)

Non-Public, North A

Vin Bello

2011-12 17-9 DePaul (W 3-1)Don Bosco

(L 13-1 5 inn.)

Vin Bello

2012-13 15-14 DePaul (W 3-0)St. Joseph (Mont.)

(L 3-0)

Vin Bello

2013-14 16-11 Paramus Catholic(L 3-2)

Vin Bello

2014-15 16-15 NJAC American (share)

Seton Hall (L 7-5) Vin Bello

2015-16 15-15 Hudson Catholic (W 6-4)

Delbarton (L 4-3)

Vin Bello

2016-17 23-8 NJAC American (share)HWS

Union Catholic(W 6-1)

Don Bosco (W 2-1)

*Delbarton(L 6-4)

Vin Bello

2017-18 16-11 NJAC American Union Catholic(W 6-0)

Delbarton (L 1-0)

Vin Bello

2018-19 21-4 HWS Vin Bello


8

SPARTA — Senior ace Jake Wells hurled a complete game and struck out nine while leading the Pope John Lions to a 5-2 win over Madison in the club’s season opener Tuesday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. For the Lions, the win marked their 13th straight victory in season openers and 17th overall in the last 19 seasons. A big reason why they started 1-0 again was because of Wells.

A St. Bonaventure University recruit, Wells needed only to throw 77 pitches against the Dodgers, the reigning North 2, Group 2 champions. In his outing, he forced them into three double plays and six ground outs overall in the game to go along with his nine strikeouts.

After allowing a run in the first inning on a double to AJ Grupta, Wells kept the Lions in the game by getting a double play and a ground out in the second inning, then striking out the side in the third inning.

In the bottom of the third, the Lions backed up Wells by scoring three runs on two hits to take a 3-1 lead.

Sophomore center fielder Mike Bello knocked in the first run, as the Auburn recruit hit a ball to shallow left field that resulted in him getting a double, bringing home senior second baseman Trevor Befumo and advancing junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca to third base.

Following Bello, senior right fielder and New Jersey Institute of Technology recruit Kevin Putsky hit a single through the hole between first and second bases, allowing Ventresca and Bello to score to give the Lions their two-run advantage.

From there, Wells and the Lions kept the Dodgers from drum-ming up a comeback.

Wells got the Dodgers to hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, as Madison third baseman Matt Monaghan grounded to second, where Befumo made a quick glove flip to Ventresca at the bag and Ventresca then fired a bul-let to to first to complete the play.

In the fifth, Wells retired the side on two ground balls hit back

to him and a strikeout. In the sixth, Wells forced the Dodgers into a third double play after Vince Costa lined out to Befumo and Befumo touched second base to get Madison runner Will Hart out as well.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Lions tacked on two more runs after sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan hit a single that scored Putsky and senior designated hitter Chris Sabo.

In the top of the seventh, the Dodgers threatened one last time, as they got a run after Monaghan hit a ball that went off the left field wall and allowed Mike May to score from second after Ventresca’s throw to the plate sailed high. However, Wells was there backing up the throw and he ended up firing an absolute dart to second base to throw out Monaghan to com-plete the game.

The Lions will begin their NJAC American Division title defense on Wednesday when they face new division foe Ran-dolph. Last year, the Lions went 8-0 to win their third American Division title in four seasons.


GAME 1 RECAP: WELLS THROWS GEM AS LIONS WIN SEASON OPENER VS. MADISON10 2019 Pope John Baseball

POPE JOHN 5, MADISON 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EM 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 8 0PJ 0 0 0 0 0 2 x 5 6 0

2B: M — Mike May, AJ Grupta; PJ — Mike Bello 2, Chris SaboW: Jake Wells (1-0); L: Mike Maybaum (0-1)Records: Madison 1-1, Pope John 1-0

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 0-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 2-for-3, 2 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI,3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 2-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SO, 1 SB4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 0-for-3, 2 S05. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 R, 2 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-3 2 RBI7. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 0-for-2, 1 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 0-for-3, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-1, 1 R, 1 SO, 1 SB

PITCHINGSr. Jake Wells — 7 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

10 SPARTA — With two outs and the game tied in the bot-tom of the seventh inning, senior Chris Sabo hit a walk-off inside-the-park home run to lift the Pope John Lions to a 5-4 victory over Randolph in their NJAC American Divsion opener Wednesday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The Lions (2-0, 1-0), who won the NJAC American Division championship last year for the third time in four seasons, knew they were going to be challenged this year in division play after the NJAC realigned its divisions for 2018-19 based on strength of program. This year, Randolph, Montville, Chatham, Delbarton, Morristown, and Roxbury are in the NJAC American Division. Last year, the Lions’ American Division opponents were Sparta, Mount Olive, Morris Hills and Jefferson.

The Lions got off to a fast start against Randolph (0-2, 0-2), as they jumped out to a 4-0 lead through two innings after scoring all of their runs in the second inning. Junior shortstop Jake Wagner knocked in three of the four runs after hitting a bases-clearing double to right-center field.

After Wagner’s hit, sophomore center fielder Mike Bello reached first on a bunt single and Wagner advanced to third on the play. Then, senior right fielder Kevin Putsky brought home Wagner on a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

However, Randolph knotted the game up at four in the top of the sixth inning after receiving back-to-back RBI singles from Eric Recchia and Ryan McDermott, then scor-ing two runs on a Pope John error.

After the game was tied up, Sabo, who had come on in relief of freshman Nolan Niziol with runners on first and third and the Lions leading 4-2, got the next batter out to end the inning.

From there, the Lions could not score a go-ahead run

in the bottom of the sixth. But, they were able to come through in the seventh, thanks to Sabo.

After the Lions hit into a double play following a Putsky single, Sabo hit an 0-1 pitch from Randolph reliever Justin Townsend, lined the ball over the center fielder’s head and ran around the diamond to give the Lions their thrilling victory.

Along with the walk-off hit, Sabo earned the win on the mound as well after allowing no runs in 1 1/3 innings and striking out one batter.

Freshman Nick Buchman started the game for the Lions, but did not factor into the decision after allowing two earned runs on four hits and six walks in 5 1/3 innings of work.

Senior Anthony Caputo and sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan led the Lions with two hits apiece.

The Lions will look to go 2-0 in American Division play on Thursday when they face Montville on the road.


GAME 2 RECAP: SABO’S WALK-OFF HR HELPS LIONS BEAT RANDOLPH

POPE JOHN 5, RANDOLPH 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H ER 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 4 6 0PJ 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 9 2

2B: R — Justin Townsend; PJ — Jake WagnerHR: PJ — Chris SaboW: Chris Sabo (1-0); L: Justin Townsend (0-1)Records: Randolph 0-2, Pope John 2-0

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI 1 BB, 1 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-2, 1 BB, 1 SO3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 SO4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 0-for-3, 1 BB5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 2-for-2 1 R, 1 BB7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-2, 1 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 SB, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 SOPH: Fr. Luis Rivera — 0-for-1

PITCHINGFr. Nick Buchman — 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 6 BB, 2 KFr. Nolan Niziol — 0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 KSr. Chris Sabo — 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

2019 Pope John Baseball 11

MONTVILLE — The Pope John Lions put up an eye- popping 18 runs on 16 hits en route to an 18-7 beatdown of Montville in the teams’ NJAC American Division game Thursday at Montville Township High School. For the Lions, the win moved their record to 2-0 in American Division play and 3-0 overall on the season. The win also marked their fourth straight victory against Montville since 2015. In the previous three contests, the Lions won by scores of 3-1, 10-0, and 6-4, respectively. Unlike those previous contests, Thursday’s win saw the Lions jump out to a solid lead, then lose it, then regain it via an offensive onslaught. The Lions scored three runs in the top of the first inning, with the first two coming on a double from senior designated hitter Chris Sabo and the third run coming on a RBI single from sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan. However, the Lions gave up three runs in the bottom of the first inning and four more in the second inning to fall into a 7-3 hole. The Lions didn’t let the deficit faze them, as they roared their way back with eight runs in the top of the third to take an 11-7 lead. With one out, junior first baseman Luke Chenault started the Lions’ big inning by knocking in the first run on a single with runners on first and third bases. Then after Sabo singled to load the bases, Brennan and junior third baseman Jake Wagner drew back-to-back RBI walks to cut the Lions’ deficit to one. After Montville recorded a strikeout to make it two outs for the Lions, senior second baseman Trevor Befumo brought home a run after being hit by a pitch to tie the game. Then, junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca gave the Lions a 9-7 lead on a two-run single. After Ventresca’s hit, sophomore center fielder Mike Bello broke open the game by smacking a two-run triple to make it a four-run lead for the Lions. Three innings later, the Lions added a pair of runs after Chenault hit his first home run of the year and Brennan hit an RBI single.

Then in the seventh inning, the Lions put away the Mustangs for good with a five-run inning on the strength of a two-run triple by Bello, a two-run double by Chenault and a RBI double by Sabo. Bello finished 3-for-3 with a game-high four RBI, two triples and three runs. Sabo was one homer shy of the cycle after recording two doubles, a triple and a single to lead the Lions with four hits on the day. Chenault also had a game-high four RBI while going 3-for-5 at the dish. Brennan knocked in three runs and had two hits, and Ventresca had two RBI and two hits in the victory. Ryan McCreedy picked up the first win of his career for the Lions, as the sophomore pitched six innings and allowed six earned runs on eight hits. The Lions will try to improve to 4-0 on the young season when they take on Hudson Catholic on Satuday in an independent game at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School.


GAME 3 RECAP: LIONS’ BATS CATCH FIRE, BEAT DOWN MONTVILLE12 2019 Pope John Baseball

POPE JOHN 18, MONTVILLE 7

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 3 0 8 0 0 2 5 18 16 4M 3 4 0 0 0 0 0 7 8 1

2B: PJ — Chris Sabo 2, Luke Chenault; M — Matt Bettio3B: PJ — Mike Bello 2, Sabo, Eddie Ventresca; M — Reese MartinelliHR: PJ — ChenaultW: Ryan McCreedy (1-0); L: Mike Sesko (0-1)Records: Pope John 3-0, Montville 1-1

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 1 SB, 1 HBP2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 3-for-3, 3 R, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 0-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2 SB4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 3-for-5, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 S05. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 4-for-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 2-for-3, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 HBP7. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 1-for-5, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 HBP

PITCHINGSo. Ryan McCreedy — 6 IP, 8 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 5 KSr. Chris Sabo — 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

12 SPARTA — Sophomore starter Mateo Sarabia threw six quality innings and sophomore Mike Bello brought in four runs while leading the Pope John Lions to an 8-4 victory over Hudson Catholic in an independent game Saturday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The win kept the Lions undefeated on the season, as they pushed their record to 4-0. The Lions also improved their home record to 3-0 and dealt Hudson Catholic its first loss of the year in three games. Meeting Hudson Catholic for the second time in four years, the Lions were able to keep the Hawks from putting up a ton of runs like they had been in their pre-vious two games. Hudson Catholic had scored 31 runs against Lincoln and 15 against University Charter in its two wins. A big reason they were able to do so was because of Sarabia, who battled the entire game on the mound. Sarabia allowed only one earned run on eight hits while striking out five batters and walking one to pick up his first career win on the mound. Sarabia finished with 108 pitch-es, with 68 of them being strikes (63 percent). With Sarabia dealing, the Lions were able to strike first with two runs in the first inning, then take a commanding 8-1 lead through five innings after putting up consecutive three-run innings in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

Bello led the Lions’ charge at the plate, as he hit a three-run double — his third hit of the game — in the fifth inning to break the game open. Bello, who went a perfect 3-for-3 in the game, also brought home a run on a walk with the bases loaded in the fourth inning and scored two runs — one in the first inning and one in the fourth — for the Lions.

In addition, senior third baseman Chris Sabo went 2-for-4 at the dish with three RBI for Pope John. Sabo had an RBI single in the first inning and a two-run single in the fourth inning for the Lions.

Along with Bello and Sabo, senior left fielder Anthony Caputo also had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 with two runs, and junior shortstop Jake Wagner scored two runs in the victory.

The Lions will look to stay undefeated on the season when they return to the diamond on Tuesday to take on Morristown in an NJAC American Division game at home.


GAME 4 RECAP: SARABIA, LIONS HANDLE HUDSON CATHOLIC TO GO TO 4-0

POPE JOHN 8, HUDSON CATHOLIC 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EHC 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 4 11 0PJ 2 0 0 3 3 0 x 8 12 2

2B: HC — Jimmy Kemp; PJ — Mike BelloW: Mateo Sarabia (1-0); L: Jimmy Kemp (0-1)Records: Hudson Catholic 2-1, Pope John 4-0

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 3-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 SO4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 1 RBI5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 2-for-4, 3 RBI6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-3 2 SO7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-4, 2 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO

PITCHINGSo. Mateo Sarabia — 6 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BBJr. Ryan Dignan — 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 K, 1 BB


SPARTA — Senior ace Jake Wells fired a complete-game four-hitter and the Pope John Lions remained undefeated on the season by beating Morristown, 6-1, on Tuesday in an NJAC American Division game at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. For the Lions, the win moved their record to 5-0 on the year and 3-0 in American Division play. The win also marked their first win over Morristown since May 3, 2010, when they posted a 4-3 victory at home. Before this game, the Lions had lost three straight to the Colonials, as they fell, 11-1, in 2011, 4-3 in 2015, and 10-6 in 2016, respectively. Unlike those previous contests, Tuesday’s win featured Wells being dominant on the mound once again. After throwing a complete game and striking out nine batters in the Lions’ season-opening win against Madison, the St. Bonaventure recruit fanned nine and walked one on 84 pitches to improve to 2-0 on the hill. The only blemish during Wells’ start was a run in the top of the third inning, but it was an unearned run after the Colonials scored on a passed ball. With Wells commanding the Colonials, the Lions were able to back him up with two runs in the first inning and four in the fourth inning to secure the victory. With two outs in the first, senior right fielder Kevin Putsky doubled down the left field line, then junior first baseman Luke Chenault lined a single to right field to bring Putsky home for the first run of the game. Then, senior third baseman Chris Sabo smacked a double and Chenault scored from first to give the Lions a 2-0 lead. Then, after a 45-minute rain delay due to a thunderstorm in the area, the Lions saw their lead shrink to one after Morristown’s Justin Barrett scored on a passed ball with two outs.

However, the Lions capitalized on a Colonials’ mistake with one out in the fourth to make it 3-1 after Chenault scored on a passed ball and sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan, who had doubled earlier in the inning, advanced to third base on the play. From there, junior designated hitter Aidan Schleer singled to drive in Brennan and make it a 4-0 Lions’ lead. Then, the Lions broke the game open after sophomore center fielder Mike Bello lined a two-run single up the middle with the bases loaded to score Schleer and senior second baseman Trevor Befumo. Chenault led the Lions at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and his RBI single. Bello, Sabo and Schleer each went 1-for-3 and combined for four RBI in the win. The Lions will try to remain undefeated by beating Roxbury on Friday in another NJAC American Division game at home.


GAME 5 RECAP: WELLS SPINS 4-HITTER AS LIONS MOW DOWN MORRISTOWN 14 2019 Pope John Baseball

POPE JOHN 6, MORRISTOWN 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EM 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0PJ 2 0 0 4 0 0 x 6 9 1

2B: M — Aidan Watson; PJ — Jimmy Brennan, Kevin Putsky, Chris SaboW: Jake Wells (2-0); L: Joseph Pucek (0-2)Records: Morristown 2-2, Pope John 5-0

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 1-for-3, 2 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-3, 2 RBI3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 R4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 RBI5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B— 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-3, 1 R7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB


14 SPARTA — Freshman starter Nick Buchman allowed two runs on two hits in six-plus innings and sophomore Mike Bello went 3-for-4 with two RBI while leading the Pope John Lions to a 6-2 victory over Roxbury in an NJAC American Division game Friday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The win kept the Lions undefeated on the season and in American Division play, as they pushed their record to 6-0 overall and 4-0 in league play, respectively. The Lions also notched their fifth win over the Gaels in their last 11 meetings with the Morris County squad. Having lost four of the last five meetings against the Gaels, the Lions were able to come away victorious this time because of Buchman and the defense being able to get out of tough spots. With a runner on first and two outs in the top of the second, Buchman issued a walk to give Roxbury a chance to open the scoring. However, Buchman struck out the next batter to end the threat. The Lions were able to capitalize on Buchman’s punch out in the bottom half of the inning by scoring two runs on a fielder’s choice by junior designated hitter Aidan Schleer and a sacrifice fly by senior left fielder Anthony Caputo. In the next inning, Buchman walked another batter and gave up a single with two outs. But, Buchman defused the situation by striking out the next batter. In the fourth inning, the Lions were able to break the game open by scoring four runs, two coming on double by Bello, one on a single from junior shortstop Jake Wagner, and one on a Roxbury error. Bello also singled in the third and sixth innings, giving the Lions their only hitter with multiple hits for the game. Bello also increased his batting average to a whopping .722. Wagner, junior first baseman Luke Chenault, senior third

baseman Chris Sabo and sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan each had a hit for the Lions. The Gaels scored two runs in the seventh inning, but Sabo came in relief of Buchman and got the Gaels to hit into a double play with the bases loaded to end the game. Buchman finished with five strikeouts and eight walks to earn his first varsity win.

The Lions will look to stay undefeated on the season on Saturday, when they travel to face Demarest in an independent game.


GAME 6 RECAP: BUCHMAN, LIONS BEAT ROXBURY TO REMAIN PERFECT

POPE JOHN 6, ROXBURY 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H ER 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 3PJ 0 2 0 4 0 0 x 6 7 0

2B: PJ — Mike BelloW: Nick Buchman (1-0); L: Justin Kurbansade (0-1)Records: Roxbury 2-3, Pope John 6-0

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 3-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 0-for-2, 2 BB, 1 SO4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 1 R5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 1-for-3, 1 R6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 SB7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 0-for-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-3, 1 SO

PITCHINGFr. Nick Buchman — 6 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 K, 8 BBSr. Chris Sabo — 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 K, 1 BB


DEMAREST — Sophomore starter Ryan McCreedy threw a complete-game four-hitter while leading the Pope John Lions past Demarest, 5-0, on Saturday at Northern Valley Regional High School at Demarest. For the Lions, the win improved their record to 7-0 on the season and gave them their best start in nine years. The Lions last started 7-0 in 2010, when they ended up going 14-0 to begin that campaign. A big reason why they got to 7-0 was because of McCreedy, who turned in arguably the most efficient start of the season by a Lions starter and bounced back from a tough outing in his first career start last week. After allowing six earned runs to Montville, McCreedy only needed to throw 78 pitches against the Norsemen en route to his first complete-game shutout victory of his career. The 5-foot-10, 140-pound right-hander also improved to 2-0 on the hill this season and lowered his ERA to 3.23. He struck out four and did not issue a walk while throwing 70.5 percent of his pitches for strikes. He also threw 16 first-pitch strikes. The only time the Norsemen got a runner on base on McCreedy was when Nick Argenziano reached on an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. With McCreedy dialed-in on the mound, the Lions put up more than enough runs to earn their fifth consecutive win over the Norsemen since 2013. The Lions previously posted wins of 7-2 (2013), 6-1 (2014), 9-5 (2015), and 13-8 (2018), respectivley. The Lions opened their scoring in the second inning when sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan hit a one-out RBI single to score junior first baseman Luke Chenault. Then, the Lions tacked on three more runs in the third after senior right fielder Kevin Putsky smacked a double to

right field to bring in two runs and Chenault followed him with an RBI single. The Lions added their final run of the game in the sixth inning after senior third baseman Chris Sabo scored on a sacrifice bunt by senior second baseman Trevor Befumo with the bases loaded. Chenault and Sabo both went 2-for-3 at the plate and Brennan went 2-for-4 for the Lions. Sabo, Brennan and sophomore center fielder Mike Bello (1-for-3) are currently on seven-game hitting streaks. The Lions will try to stay undefeated by beating Holy Spirit on Sunday in the 12th annual Autism Awareness Challenge at North Brunswick Community Park in North Brunswick.


GAME 7 RECAP: McCREEDY FIRES 4-HITTER AS LIONS DOWN DEMAREST 16 2019 Pope John Baseball

POPE JOHN 5, DEMAREST 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 0 1 3 0 0 1 0 5 8 1D 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1

2B: PJ — Kevin PutskyW: Ryan McCreedy (2-0); L: Andy Yoo (0-1)Records: Pope John 7-0, Demarest 5-2

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 0-for-1, 1 R, 2 BB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 2-for-4, 1 RBI7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-2, 1 HBP8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 0-for-39. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-1, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO

PITCHINGSo. Ryan McCreedy — 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

16 NORTH BRUNSWICK — Junior shortstop Jake Wagner went 3-for-5 and hit a go-ahead two-run double as part of a four-run inning in the top of the seventh to help the Lions come from behind to beat Holy Spirit, 7-5, in a battle of unbeatens in the 12th annual Autism Awareness Challenge at North Brunswick Community Park. For the Lions, the win improved their record to 8-0 on the season and gave them their best start in nine years. The Lions last started 8-0 in 2010, when they ended up going 14-0 to begin that campaign. In the process, they handed Holy Spirit (7-1) its first loss of the season. The Lions had a tough time at first against the Spartans, as they allowed them to score five runs — all unearned — in the second inning to fall into a 5-1 deficit. With two outs, the Lions allowed the Spartans to get a batter on base on an error, then hit a two-run home run, hit an RBI double, score on a balk, and hit another RBI double. But, the Lions kept chipping away at the Spartans’ lead, getting one run in the third on an RBI single from junior first baseman Luke Chenault, then adding another run in the fifth after senior third baseman Chris Sabo scored by stealing home plate. When the seventh came around, the Lions began to rally after loading the bases on two straight singles from Sabo and sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan and a walk from junior designated hitter Aidan Schleer. Then, senior left fielder Anthony Caputo cut the Lions’ deficit to 5-4 after hitting a single to score pinch runner Nick Morro. Then after a strikeout, Wagner came to the plate and hit a 2-1 pitch to center field to score courtesy runner Luis Rivera and Schleer to give the Lions a 6-5 lead. The Lions added their final run three batters later after

Chenault drew a walk with the bases loaded to score Caputo. From there, Lions ace Jake Wells managed to throw a scoreless seventh to complete the game and give the Lions the victory. Along with Wagner, Brennan went 3-for-3 and Sabo went 2-for-4 for the Lions in the win. Brennan, Sabo and sophomore center fielder Mike Bello (1-for-3 with one double, one RBI and three walks) are currently on eight-game hitting streaks. As for Wells, he moved to 3-0 on the mound this season and one win closer to becoming the third Lions pitcher in history to win 20 games or more in a career. Wells allowed only eight hits and struck out six in the win. The Lions will try to remain undefeated by beating Chatham on Monday in an NJAC American Division game at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School.


GAME 8 RECAP: LIONS’ LATE RALLY LIFTS THEM TO WIN OVER HOLY SPIRIT

POPE JOHN 7, HOLY SPIRIT 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 1 0 1 0 1 0 4 7 13 4HS 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 8 0

2B: PJ — Mike Bello, Jake Wagner; HS — Alec Sachais, Steven Petrosh3B: HS — Pat OakesHR: HS — Justin JimenezW: Jake Wells (3-0); L: Jacob Taylor (1-1)Records: Pope John 8-0, Holy Spirit 7-1

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 3-for-5, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 BB3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 1-for-5, 3 SO4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 3-for-3, 1 BB, 1 SB7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 SB8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-4, 3 SOPR: Fr. Nick Morro — 1 RPR: Fr. Luis RIvera — 1 R



SPARTA — Senior second baseman Trevor Befumo hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to help the Pope John Lions top Chatham, 2-1, on Mon-day in a NJAC American Division game at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. For the Lions, the win improved their record to 9-0 on the season and 5-0 in American Division play. The Lions also earned their 750th win in program history The Lions are still undefeated overall and in the American Division thanks to Befumo coming up big in the clutch. With no outs, the bases loaded, and the game tied at 1, Befumo took a 3-2 pitch from Chatham reliever Thomas Lamar and drilled it to right field to score sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan and deliver the win for the Lions. Befumo’s hit was the first walk-off hit of his career and only fifth hit for him on the season. Befumo finished the game going 2-for-3 at the plate. Before Befumo’s heroics, the Lions battled with a tough Chatham team for six and a half innings. The Lions struck first in the bottom of the second inning when junior first baseman Luke Chenault led off with a solo inside-the-park home run that he hit to right-center field. However, the Lions’ lead didn’t last long, as the Cougars (3-4, 1-2) scored a run in the top of the third on an error to tie the game. From there, the Lions were able to keep the Cougars at bay by getting another quality start from sophomore Mateo Sarabia. The 5-foot-10, 185-pound right-hander allowed one run on four hits while striking out six batters and walking just three to pick up his second victory of the year on the hill.

As for the Lions’ hitters, they had a tough time at the plate, as they had only strung together two other hits — a Befumo single in the fifth and Brennan single in the s eventh — before Befumo came up with his game-winning hit. Along with Befumo, Brennan had two hits for the Lions on the day. Brennan is currently on a nine-game hitting streak for the Lions. The Lions will try to earn their biggest win of the season on Wednesday by knocking off the top team in the state in rival Delbarton at Delbarton in a battle of undefeated teams in the American Division. The Lions are 5-0, while the Green Wave are 3-0 against American teams.


GAME 9 RECAP: BEFUMO’S WALK-OFF RBI SINGLE HELPS LIONS BEAT CHATHAM18 2019 Pope John Baseball

POPE JOHN 2, CHATHAM 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EC 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 4 0PJ 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 5 3

2B: C — Ben KrillHR: PJ — Luke ChenaultW: Mateo Sarabia (2-0); L: Anthony GonzalezRecords: Chatham 3-4, Pope John 9-0

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 0-for-3, 2 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 0-for-33. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 0-for-2, 1 BB, 2 SO4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 SO5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 0-for-2, 1 HBP6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 2-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-1, 2 BB, 1 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 0-for-1, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 2-for-3, 1 RBI

PITCHINGSo. Mateo Sarabia — 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

18 MORRIS TWP. — The Pope John Lions were handed their first loss of the season on Wednesday, as they fell to Delbarton — the No. 1 team in the state by NJ.com — by an 8-0 count in a NJAC American Division game at Brian E. Fleury Field. With the loss, the Lions dropped to 9-1 on the sea-son and 5-1 in American Division play. The Lions also slipped to second place in the American Division after Delbarton improved its league record to 4-0 on the year. Coming into the contest, the Lions were trying to im-prove to 7-8 against the Green Wave since 2010 and snap a five-game losing streak against them that dated back to 2016. The Lions’ last win against Delbarton was a 2-1 win on May 10, 2016. Unfortunately, the Lions put themselves in a 2-0 hole in the bottom of the second inning after allowing the Green Wave to score both runs on a throwing error to first base. An inning later, the Lions slipped into a 3-0 deficit after allowing the Green Wave’s Willie Schwarick to hit an RBI single. Despite being in this hole, the Lions hung tough with the Green Wave over the next two innings after sophomore reliever Ryan McCreedy threw a pair of scoreless frames. However, the Lions’ chances of coming back slipped away after the Green Wave scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Lions were only able to register four hits — all singles — in the game. Senior right fielder Kevin Putsky had two of those hits en route to a 2-for-3 day at the plate, while sophomore center fielder Mike Bello and senior third baseman Chris Sabo each had one hit. Sophomore Jimmy Brennan also reached base for the Lions in the loss, as he drew a walk. Brennan has reached

base in all 10 of the Lions’ games this season. On the mound, Nick Buchman took the loss despite allowing just one earned run on one hit and four walks in 2 1/3 innings pitched. McCreedy ended up pitching three innings of relief, allowing three earned runs on six hits and one walk. Sabo also pitched in relief, allowing one hit in 2/3 of an inning while striking out two batters. The Lions will meet the Green Wave again on April 30 at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The Lions will try to bounce back on Monday when they face No. 6 Bishop Eustace at Bishop Eustace Prepatory School.


GAME 10 RECAP: LIONS SUFFER 1ST LOSS AGAINST NO. 1 DELBARTON

DELBARTON 8, POPE JOHN 0

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 2D 0 2 1 0 0 5 x 8 8 0

2B: D — Liam CorcoranW: Chris Sanzone (3-0); L: Nick Buchman (1-1)Records: Pope John 9-1, Delbarton 7-1

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 0-for-3, 1 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-33. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 2-for-3, 1 SO4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 0-for-3, 2 SO5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 1-for-3, 2 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 0-for-2, 1 BB, 1 SO7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-3, 3 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 0-for-2, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-2

PITCHINGFr. Nick Buchman — 2.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 KSo. Ryan McCreedy — 3.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 KSr. Chris Sabo — 0.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K


PENNSAUKEN — Senior third baseman Chris Sabo smacked a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, then earned his first save on the season on the mound to lift the 13th-ranked Pope John Lions to a 3-1 victory over No. 7 Bishop Eustace in a battle of state-ranked teams Monday at Bishop Eustace Preparatory School. For the Lions, the win improved their record to 10-1 on the season. It was also the Lions’ first win over a state-ranked opponent this year. The Lions knocked off Bishop Eustace, a team that was averaging 11.5 runs per game this season, five days after suffering their first defeat of the season to No. 1 ranked Delbarton on the road. They did so with one swing of the bat by Sabo in the eighth inning. After senior right fielder Kevin Putsky drew a leadoff walk and a fly out by the Lions, Sabo took a 1-1 pitch from Crusaders reliever Joe Mascio and drilled it over the right-center field wall to snap a 1-1 tie and give the Lions the lead. Sabo’s homer was his first hit of the game after striking out in his first three at-bats. Then in the bottom half of the inning, Sabo relieved Lions ace Jake Wells, who threw another seven-inning gem on the mound to keep the Crusaders’ bats at bay. When he took the mound, Sabo got into some trouble after loading the bases with one out on two walks and a running reach-ing base on an error, but Sabo shut down the Crusaders’ threat by notching a strikeout and a ground out to end the game. With Sabo saving the game, Wells notched his fourth win of the year on the mound and his 20th victory of his career. Wells became only the third pitcher in Lions’ history to earn 20 career wins, joining 2011 graduate Brendan

Mayers (23) and 2015 grad Ethan Collins (20), after striking out a career-high 10 batters while allowing only four hits and two walks. At the plate, the Lions received an RBI single from sophomore center fielder Mike Bello in the fifth inning to tie the game at 1 after the Crusaders scored a run in the first inning on an RBI single of their own. The Lions also saw senior second baseman Trevor Befumo hit a double and left fielder Anthony Caputo, junior shortstop Jake Wagner, and junior first baseman Luke Chenault single in the game. The Lions will look to earn their 11th win in 12 tries on Wednesday when they travel to face West Essex in an independent game.


GAME 11 RECAP: SABO’S 2-RUN HR SOARS LIONS PAST BISHOP EUSTACE IN EXTRAS20 2019 Pope John Baseball

POPE JOHN 3, BISHOP EUSTACE 1 (F/8)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 R H EPJ 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 3 6 3BE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 0

2B: PJ — Trevor BefumoHR: PJ — Chris SaboW: Jake Wells (4-0); L: Joe Mascio (1-1); S — Chris Sabo (1)Records: Pope John 10-1, Bishop Eustace 9-3

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 1-for-4, 2 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-4, 1 RBI3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 0-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SO4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-45. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 0-for-47. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-3, 1 BB, 3 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 1-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-2, 1 2B

PITCHINGSr. Jake Wells — 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 10 KSr. Chris Sabo — 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

20 NORTH CALDWELL — Junior first baseman Luke Chenault hit a home run and drove in three runs while leading the 13th-ranked Pope John Lions to a 12-2 win over West Essex on Wednesday in an independent game at West Essex High School. With the win, the Lions pushed their record to 11-1 on the season and 6-0 in independent games. They also improved their road record to 4-1 on the season. The Lions notched their win this time after the team pushed across their 12 runs on 11 hits, marking the fourth time they registered 10 or more hits in a game this season. Chenault led the Lions’ attack at the plate, as he had an RBI single in the first inning and a solo home run — his team-leading third homer of the season — in the third inning to put them ahead, 2-0, through three innings. Chenault finished 2-for-4 at the plate and added another RBI after he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth inning that put the Lions up, 6-2, after they had scored one run in the fourth inning and two runs in the fifth inning. Along with Chenault, sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan also went 2-for-4 with two RBI, with both runs coming on a single in the fifth. While Chenault and Brennan were the only players to have multiple hits, all nine Lions had at least one hit in the game, marking the first time this season they accomplished this feat. Sophomore center fielder Mike Bello went 1-for-3 with a double, one RBI, two runs, two walks and two stolen bases. Bello scored on Chenault’s single in the first inning and scored his second run by stealing home plate in the seventh inning. Junior designated hitter also drove in a run, and junior

shortstop Jake Wagner, senior right fielder Kevin Putsky, senior left fielder Anthony Caputo and senior second baseman Trevor Befumo each scored two runs in the victory. The Lions also stole seven bases, which is the most they have stolen in a game this season. Freshman Nick Buchman picked up the win on the mound after allowing only two runs on two hits while striking out five and walking three in three innings of work. Buchman improved to 2-1 on the season. Sophomore Ryan McCreedy threw four scoreless innings in relief for the Lions in the win. The Lions will look to earn their 12th win in 13 tries on Thursday when they face Trenton Catholic in an independent game at Skylands Stadium in Frankford.


GAME 12 RECAP: LIONS ROLL PAST WEST ESSEX FOR 11TH WIN

POPE JOHN 12, WEST ESSEX 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 1 0 1 1 2 2 5 12 11 1WE 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 2 0

2B: PJ — Mike Bello, Kevin PutskyHR: PJ — Luke ChenaultW: Ryan McCreedy (3-0); L: Henry SanokRecords: Pope John 11-1, West Essex 4-6

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 SB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-2, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SB3. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 SB4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SO5. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 4 SO8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 SB

PITCHINGFr. Nick Buchman — 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 KSo. Ryan McCreedy — 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K


FRANKFORD — The sixth-ranked Pope John Lions gave up a run on an error in the top of the seventh inning and wound up losing to Trenton Catholic, 2-1, on Thursday in an independent game at Skylands Stadium. With the loss, the Lions dropped to 11-2 on the season. It also marked their first defeat against a non-league opponent in seven games this season. The Lions lost to the unranked Iron Mikes after letting a 1-0 lead slip away and wasting a quality start by sophomore Ben Weber, who allowed one earned run on six hits while striking out nine in six innings pitched in his debut for Pope John. The Lions took their lead in the first inning after senior right fielder Kevin Putsky drew a walk, then scored on a throwing error following junior Luke Chenault’s lightly hit ball back to Trenton Catholic starter Ali Pompey. The Lions held their lead through two innings after Weber struck out the side. However, the Lions couldn’t add to it in the second after leaving two runners — sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan and senior left fielder Anthony Caputo — on base. Brennan drew a walk to lead off the inning, while Caputo was hit by a pitch two batters later. In the third inning, the Lions saw the Iron Mikes tie the game after Andy Jacquez hit a two-out single to left field that scored Jimmy Vizzoni from second base. But, the Lions managed to end the inning after Jacquez got caught running between first and second base following his hit. From there, the Lions had only one opportunity to take the lead again on the Iron Mikes after being held in check by Pompey for most of the game. That chance came in the bottom of the sixth inning, when they loaded the bases after senior third baseman Chris Sabo reached on a fielder’s choice and Brennan and sophomore pinch hitter Nate Pallotta hit back-to-back singles with two outs. Unfortunately, the Lions could not cash in, as they popped out to end the inning. Then in the seventh, the Lions allowed a one-out single to

Andres Frias, then made a throwing error after Vizzoni put down a sacrifice bunt. As a result, Vizzoni reached first and Frias scored to give the Iron Mikes the lead. The Lions tried one last time to win it in the bottom of the seventh, but Pompey retired the side in order to end the game. Sophomore center fielder Mike Bello led the Lions at the plate, going 2-for-4. The Auburn recruit recorded a hit for the 12th time in 13 games this season. The Lions will look to bounce back by beating North Hunterdon in the quarterfinals of the 10th annual Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament on Saturday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The Lions, who have won the tri-county tournament two times, are the No. 1 seed in this year’s tournament.


GAME 13 RECAP: LIONS ALLOW LATE RUN, LOSE TO TRENTON CATHOLIC AT SKYLANDS22 2019 Pope John Baseball

TRENTON CATHOLIC 2, POPE JOHN 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H ETC 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 2 7 1PJ 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 1

W: Ali Pompey (3-1); L: Mateo Sarabia (2-1)Records: Trenton Catholic 7-4, Pope John 11-2

HITTING1. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 0-for-42. So. Mike Bello, CF — 2-for-43. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF — 0-for-1, 1 R, 2 BB4. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 0-for-35. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 0-for-36. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-2, 1 BB7. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 0-for-28. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 0-for-2, 1 HBP9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-3, 1 SOPH: So. Nate Pallotta — 1-for-1

PITCHINGSo. Ben Weber — 6 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 KSo. Mateo Sarabia — 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

22 SPARTA — Senior ace Jake Wells fired a complete game and the sixth-ranked Pope John Lions cranked out 16 hits en route to routing North Hunterdon, 10-1, in the quarterfinals of the 10th annual Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament on Saturday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The win moved the top-seeded Lions to the semifinals of the tri-county tournament for the fifth time in program history. It also pushed their season record to 12-2 overall and their record in HWS games to 18-7 overall since the tournament’s inception in 2010. The Lions will face No. 12 seed Hunterdon Central in the semifinals next Saturday at Lions Pride Park. The Lions advanced after receiving another stellar start from Wells, who pushed his record to 5-0 on the mound this season and moved into second place on the Lions’ all-time wins list by notching his 21st career win. Wells only gave up four hits while striking out six and walking one on 91 pitches in the victory, which put him two wins away from tying 2011 graduate Brendan Mayers’ record of 23 wins. Wells also notched his fourth complete game of the season in the win. With Wells dealing, the Lions’ bats were able to give him plenty enough hits and runs to score the victory. The Lions scored a run in the first inning, then had three straight three-run innings from the fourth to the sixth in-ning. Along with their runs, the Lions registered 16 hits for the second time this season, as they also achieved that feat against Montville on April 4. Sophomore center fielder Mike Bello led the Lions at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs. The Auburn recruit, whose four hits were a career high for a game, recorded a hit for the 13th time in 14 games this season. In addition, junior first baseman Luke Chenault, sopho-more designated hitter Nate Pallotta, and junior shortstop

Jake Wagner each registered two hits and drove in a run. Chenault and Pallotta each had a double to give the Lions their only extra-base hits in the game. Moreover, senior second baseman Trevor Befumo knocked in two runs, while senior right fielder Kevin Putsky and senior third baseman Chris Sabo each had an RBI in the victory. The Lions also received a hit from sophomore catch-er Jimmy Brennan, senior left fielder Anthony Caputo, and junior pinch hitter Aidan Schleer, marking the first time this season that 10 different Pope John players had a hit in the same game. The Lions will look to notch another huge win on Tuesday when they face rival and No. 1 ranked Delbarton in a battle for first place in the NJAC American Division at Lions Pride Park.


GAME 14 RECAP: WELLS, LIONS TOP NORTH HUNTERDON TO NAB HWS SEMIFINAL SPOT

POPE JOHN 10, NORTH HUNTERDON 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H ENH 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 4 0PJ 1 0 0 3 3 3 x 10 16 3

2B: PJ — Luke Chenault, Nate PallottaW: Jake Wells (5-0); L: Mike Pierce (1-2)Records: North Hunterdon 6-8, Pope John 12-2

HITTING1. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-32. So. Mike Bello, CF — 4-for-4, 3 R3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB4. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 1-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB6. So. Nate Pallotta, DH — 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI7. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 2-for-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB8. Sr. Anthony Caputo, LF — 1-for-2, 1 R9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-4, 2 RBIPH: Jr. Aidan Schleer — 1-for-2, 1 SO



SPARTA — Sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta went 3-for-4 and hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift the sixth-ranked Pope John Lions past No. 1 Delbarton in a battle for first place in the NJAC American Division on Tuesday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. With two outs and the bases loaded, Pallotta smacked a line drive to center field to score sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan and put the Lions in first place in the American Division at 6-1, leading the Green Wave — who dropped to 5-1 in league play — by a half game. The win also allowed the Lions to avenge their 8-0 loss that they suffered to the Green Wave back on April 17 at Delbarton. The Lions, who improved to 13-2 overall on the season, also snapped a six-game losing streak to Delbarton and are 7-9 against the Green Wave since 2010. The Lions beat the top team in the state by getting timely hitting and runs. The Lions took a 1-0 lead on the Green Wave in the bottom of the first inning after sophomore center fielder Mike Bello hit his team-leading seventh double of the season to left field, advanced on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch with two outs. The Lions ended up losing their lead after the Green Wave score a run in each of the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-1 advantage. But, the Lions came right back in the bottom of the fourth to tie it after senior second baseman Trevor Befumo delivered a two-run single with the bases loaded that scored Pallotta and senior right fielder Kevin Putsky. Then after the Green Wave scored a run in the fifth inning, the Lions tied them again at 4 in the bottom half after senior third base-man Chris Sabo launched a solo home run —his team- leading third homer of the season — over the left field fence. From there, the Lions kept the Green Wave off the scoreboard, thanks to reliever Ryan McCreedy, who threw

two scoreless innings after allowing a run in the fifth. When the Lions came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh, they managed to get a leadoff double from Brennan, an intentional walk from Bello, and a two-out walk from Putsky to load the bases for Pallotta and allow him to come through in the clutch for Pope John with his first game-winning hit of his young career. Pallotta also had singles in the second inning and in the fourth. Putsky and junior designated hitter Aidan Schleer also had hits for the Lions in the victory. McCreedy, who relieved starter Mateo Sarabia after Sarabia threw four innings for the Lions, earned the victory on the mound to push his record to 3-0 on the season. The Lions will look to remain in first in the American Division on Thursday when they travel to face Randolph.


GAME 15 RECAP: PALLOTTA’S WALK-OFF RBI SINGLE PROPELS LIONS PAST NO. 1 DELBARTON24 2019 Pope John Baseball

POPE JOHN 5, DELBARTON 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H ED 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 4 8 0PJ 1 0 0 2 1 0 1 5 9 1

2B: D — Mark Darakjy, Shawn Rapp; PJ — Mike Bello, Jimmy BrennanHR: PJ — Chris SaboW: Ryan McCreedy (3-0); L: Eric Schroeder (0-1)Records: Delbarton 12-3, Pope John 13-2

HITTING1. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 SO4. Sr. Chris Sabo, 3B — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO6. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 3-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI7. Jr. Jake Wagner, SS — 0-for-2, 1 BB, 2 SO8. Jr. Aidan Schleer, DH — 1-for-3, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 SO

PITCHINGSo. Mateo Sarabia — 4 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 KSo. Ryan McCreedy — 3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

24 RANDOLPH — The sixth-ranked Pope John Lions rallied from an early three-run deficit to beat Randolph, 11-6, on Thursday in a NJAC American Division game at Randolph High School. The win allowed the Lions to take sole possession of first place in the American Division, as they improved to 7-1 in league games. They lead rival Delbarton (6-1) by a half game in the standings. The Lions also pushed their season record to 14-2 with the victory. The Lions swept the season series against Randolph — a new team to the American Division this year after the NJAC realigned its divisions based on strength of program — after they also posted a 5-4 win on April 3. It wasn’t easy earning the sweep, as the Lions trailed the Rams, 5-2, through two innings after giving up all five of the Rams’ runs in the first inning. But, the Lions chipped away at the deficit, as they scored two runs in the third inning on back-to-back RBI singles from junior third baseman Jake Wagner and senior second baseman Trevor Befumo with the bases loaded to make it 5-4 Randolph. Then, the Lions tied the Rams in the fifth inning after sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan scored on a sacrifice bunt from Wagner after Brennan singled and sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta hit a single that advanced Brennan to third base. After a scoreless sixth inning, the Lions broke the tie in the seventh by scoring six runs on five hits, three walks and one hit by pitch. The Lions took the lead on an RBI single from junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca, then added another run on a single from sophomore center fielder Mike Bello to take a 7-5 advantage. In the next at-bat, junior first baseman Luke Chenault doubled to center field to bring in two more runs to make it 9-5 Lions.

Three batters later, the Lions loaded the bases after senior designated hitter Chris Sabo was hit by a pitch and Brennan drew a two-out walk. Then, the Lions saw Chenault score a run on a passed ball to extend the lead to 10-5.The Lions capped their six-run frame when Pallotta singled to drive in Sabo. Chenault, Ventresca and Pallotta led the Lions with three hits apiece. Wagner, Befumo and Bello added two hits apiece as well in helping the Lions total a season-high 17 hits in the game. The Lions will look to notch another important win on Sat- urday when they take on Hunterdon Central in the semifinals of the 10th annual Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School.


GAME 16 RECAP: LIONS RALLY PAST RANDOLPH, MOVE INTO 1ST IN AMERICAN DIVISION

POPE JOHN 11, RANDOLPH 6

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 2 0 2 0 1 0 6 11 17 2R 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 5 3

2B: PJ — Luke Chenault 2W: Ben Weber (1-0); L: Mike Ippolito (1-1) Records: Pope John 14-2, Randolph 6-6

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 3-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 2-for-5, 2 R, 1 RBI3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI 4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 0-for-5, 4 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB

PITCHINGSr. Sean Beck — 1 IP, 1 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 KSo. Ben Weber — 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 8 K


SPARTA — With one out and the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh inning, senior Chris Sabo took a pitch off his left arm to bring home a run and punch the Pope John Lions’ ticket to their fourth Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament final in program history on Saturday by beating No. 12 seed Hunterdon Central, 3-2, in the semifinals of the 10th annual tri-county event at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. Sabo’s walk-off plate appearance gave the top-seeded Lions their fourth walk-off win of the season and their 15th victory overall on the year. It also was Sabo’s second walk-off on the season, as he hit a inside-the-park home run to lift the Lions to a 5-4 win over Randolph on April 3. This walk-off victory is arguably the biggest one for the Lions so far this season, as they will get a shot at winning their third HWS title and fourth county title in program history next Saturday when they face the winner of second-seeded Delaware Valley and 15th-seeded High Point at Phillipsburg High School. Before Sabo took one for the team, the Lions had battled the Red Devils for six and a half innings in a championship- like atmosphere. With a pair of NCAA Division I recruits on the mound in Lions’ ace Jake Wells (St. Bonaventure University) and Red Devils’ ace Joey DeChiaro (Old Dominion University), the Lions struck first with two runs in the first inning after getting a leadoff single from junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca, a double from sophomore cen-ter fielder Mike Bello and a single from junior first baseman Luke Chenault that brought home Ventresca and Bello. After the Lions got the early lead, Wells threw two scoreless frames before Hunterdon Central scored on a sacrifice fly with the bas-es loaded in the fourth inning. With one out, Wells and the Lions managed to end the Red Devils’ threat after Bello made a spectacular diving catch on a line drive by Steve Roth for the second out and Wells got Dave Pellitta to fly out to Lions right fielder Kevin Putsky to end the inning. From there, Wells posted two more shutout frames, getting three of his seven strikeouts during that stretch, to keep the Lions ahead at 2-1. Then in the seventh, the Red Devils managed to tie the Lions at 2 after Wells allowed a single to Brandon Padre, then Sabo came on in

relief with one out and walked Tyler Cassella, and the Lions then al-lowed Padre to score on a throwing error following a fielder’s choice at second base. But, the Lions got the last say in the game by making another rally, as Ventresca hit a one-out single, Bello drew a walk and Chenault was intentionally walked to load the bases for Sabo and set up the walk-off win. Ventresca led the Lions at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base in his second game back from an ankle injury. Chenault added two hits for the Lions. Sabo earned the win on the mound after pitching 2/3 of an inning and not allowing any hits. Wells had a stellar day on the mound de-spite not factoring into the decision, as he allowed one earned run on four hits while fanning seven and only walking three. Before they play in the championship game, the Lions have to play three NJAC American Division games next week, starting with Montville on Monday at Lions Pride Park.


GAME 17 RECAP: SABO’S WALK-OFF HBP HELPS LIONS REACH HWS FINAL

POPE JOHN 3, HUNTERDON CENTRAL 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EHC 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 2 4 0PJ 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 8 1

2B: HC — Pete Ciuffreda, Kenny Lombardo; PJ — Mike Bello W: Chris Sabo (2-0); L: Joey DeChiaro (3-1)Records: Hunterdon Central 11-3, Pope John 15-2

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 SB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 SO3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 2-for-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 0-for-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 1-for-3, 1 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 0-for-37. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 1-for-38. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 0-for-2, 1 BB9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-2, 1 SO

PITCHINGSr. Jake Wells — 6.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 KSr. Chris Sabo — 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K


26 SPARTA — The sixth-ranked Pope John Lions scored five runs in the first inning and held on to win, 8-5, over Montville in a NJAC American Division game at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The win allowed the Lions to improve to 8-1 in league games and maintain their first-place position in the division. The Lions, who are trying to win the American Division for the fourth time in five years, lead rival Delbarton (7-1) by a half game. The Lions also pushed their season record to 16-2 with the victory. The Lions swept the season series against Montville — a new team to the American Division this year after the NJAC realigned its divisions based on strength of pro-gram — after they also posted an 18-7 win on April 4 at Montville. It looked as if the Lions were going to roll past the Mustangs at first, as they jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first and led by an 8-0 count through the second inning.During these innings, sophomore center fielder Mike Bello and senior Chris Sabo each had an RBI double, and senior right fielder Kevin Putsky, sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan, and sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta each had an RBI. But, the Mustangs chipped at the Lions’ lead by scoring one run in the fourth, two runs in the fifth inning and two more in the top of the seventh to make it 8-5. In the final inning, reliever Mateo Sarabia was able to retire the Mustangs to preserve the win. Bello led all the Lions’ at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double, RBI, two runs and a stolen base. Junior first base-man Luke Chenault added a double and Pallotta, junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca, and junior third baseman Jake

Wagner each had a hit. Freshman Nick Buchman picked up the victory on the mound after allowing one two earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six in four innings. Buchman improved to 3-1 on the season on the hill. Sarabia pitched three innings for the Lions and allowed only two earned runs on four hits and two walks in three innings of work. The Lions will look to stay in the driver’s seat in the American Division on Wednesday when they face Morristown on the road. After their game against the Colonials, the Lions will have two American games left against Roxbury and Chatham. They play Roxbury on Friday and Chatham next Tuesday.


GAME 18 RECAP: LIONS SCORE SEASON SERIES SWEEP OF MONTVILLE WITH 8-5 WIN

POPE JOHN 8, MONTVILLE 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EM 0 0 0 1 2 0 2 5 8 0PJ 5 3 0 0 0 0 x 8 7 3

2B: PJ — Mike Bello, Luke Chenault, Chris SaboHR: M — Nik SantosW: Nick Buchman (3-1); L: Greg Nieskens (3-2)Records: Montville 11-7, Pope John 16-2

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 1-for-4, 1 R2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HBP, 1 SO4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 0-for-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 0-for-1, 1 RBI, 2 BB7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 1-for-1, 1 RBI, 1 BB8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 1-for-1, 1 BB, 1 HBP9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-2, 1 BBPH: Sr. Anthony Caputo — 0-for-1, 1 R, 1 SBPH: Jr. Aidan Schleer — 0-for-2

PITCHINGFr. Nick Buchman — 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 KSo. Mateo Sarabia — 3 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K


SPARTA — The sixth-ranked Pope John Lions allowed four runs in the second inning and wound up losing a critical NJAC American Division game to Morritstown, 5-1, on Wednesday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. The loss to the Colonials put the Lions in second place in the American Division with an 8-2 record, trailing rival Delbarton by a half game after the Green Wave de-feated Montville, 7-3, to improve to 8-1 in division play. With the defeat, the Lions have to win their final two American Division games against Roxbury on Thursday and Chatham next Tuesday while also needing Delbarton to lose one of their final three games against Morristown, Randolph and Chatham in order to earn a share of the division title. The Lions are trying to win their fourth American Division crown in five years. The Lions, who dropped to 16-3 overall on the season, were looking to maintain their lead on the American Division by earning a series sweep of the Colonials after beating them, 6-1, in their first meeting on April 9 at Pope John. But, when the two teams came back to Pope John to play again after the game was moved from Morristown due to unplayable field conditions, the Colonials got off to a 1-0 lead by scoring their run in the first inning. However, the Lions tied the Colonials in the top of the second inning on a sacrfice fly by senior second baseman Trevor Befumo to bring home sophomore catcher Jim-my Brennan from third after he drew a leadoff walk and advanced to third following a single from sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta and a sacrifice bunt by junior third baseman Jake Wagner. In the bottom half of the inning, though, the Colonials broke the tie by pushing across their four runs in the

frame. The Lions tried to do everything in their power to make a rally, but their were limited to just two hits for the rest of the game. Junior first baseman Luke Chenault led all Lions’ hitters, going 2-for-4 with a double. Senior designated hitter Chris Sabo and sophomore center fielder Mike Bello also had hits in the loss. Sophomore Ryan McCreedy took the loss on the mound, which put him at 3-1 on the season. McCreedy allowed five runs on eight hits and two walks in four innings pitched before freshman Nolan Niziol relieved him and threw two scoreless frames. The Lions will try to stay in the division title race by beating Roxbury on Thursday on the road.


GAME 19 RECAP: LIONS LOSE AMERICAN DIVISION LEAD AFTER FALLING TO MORRISTOWN

MORRISTOWN 5, POPE JOHN 1

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 7 0M 1 4 0 0 0 0 x 3 10 0

2B: M — Andrew Flores, Aidan Watson; PJ — Nate Pallotta, Chris Sabo, Luke Chenault3B: M — Pat MontfortW: Matt Halberg (2-0); L: Ryan McCreedy (3-1)Records: Pope John 16-3, Morristown 10-6

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 0-for-3, 1 HBP2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-3, 1 BB3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 2-for-4, 1 2B4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 BB5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 0-for-2, 1 BB6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 BB7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 2-for-3, 1 2B8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 0-for-1, 1 BB9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-2, 1 RBI

PITCHINGSo. Ryan McCreedy — 4 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 2 KSr. Nolan Niziol — 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K


28 ROXBURY — Junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca hit a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the sixth inning to help the 10th-ranked Pope John Lions rally past Roxbury, 6-5, to earn a key NJAC American Division victory on Thursday at Roxbury High School. The win over the Gaels kept the Lions in second place in the American Division with a 9-2 record. They trail rival Delbarton (9-1) by a half game. The Lions have to win their last American Division game against Chatham next Tuesday and need Delbarton to lose one of their final two games against Randolph and Cha-tham in order to earn a share of the division title. The Lions are trying to win their fourth American Division crown in five years. The Lions, who improved to 17-3 overall on the season, stayed in the division race after overcoming a two-run deficit against the Gaels, who led, 5-3, after the first inning. The Lions started their comeback in the fifth inning in a big way by receiving a solo home run by junior first base-man Luke Chenault to cut the lead to 5-4. Chenault’s homer was his fourth on the season and his eighth of his career after belting four last season. After starter Ben Weber threw a scoreless frame, the Lions managed to tie the game in the top of the sixth after courtesy runner and senior Anthony Caputo scored on a fielder’s choice by second baseman Trevor Befumo. On the same play, junior third baseman Jake Wagner, who had sin-gled earlier in the inning, advanced to third base. In the next at-bat, Ventresca reached on an infield single after hitting a 2-2 pitch from Roxbury starter Nick Danna to bring home Wagner and put the Lions ahead. Ventresca finished the game 1-for-3 at the plate. From there, Weber managed to get two outs in the bottom of the sixth before being relieved by sophomore Mateo Sara-bia following a single by Roxbury’s CJ Danna. Sarabia got the

final out in the next at-bat on a pop up. Then, senior reliever Chris Sabo worked a scoreless seventh to earn his second save of the year and preserve the win for the Lions. Chenault led the Lions at the dish, going 3-for-4 with his homer, two RBI and two runs. Sabo and Wagner each added a double and two hits for the game for the Lions. Sophomore center fielder Mike Bello and sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta each had a hit for the Lions in the victo-ry. Weber earned his second win for the Lions on the mound after allowing four earned runs on eight hits and four walks. The Lions will try to win another big game on Saturday when they face High Point in the 10th annual Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament championship game.


GAME 20 RECAP: LIONS BOUNCE BACK BY RALLYING FOR WIN OVER ROXBURY

POPE JOHN 6, ROXBURY 5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 3 0 0 0 1 2 0 6 10 1R 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 9 0

2B: PJ — Chris Sabo, Jake Wagner; R — Jared SchmetiHR: PJ — Luke ChenaultW: Ben Weber (2-0); L: Nick Danna (1-3); S: Chris Sabo (2)Records: Pope John 17-3, Roxbury 7-10

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SO, 1 HBP2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 SO3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SO4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 0-for-46. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 1-for-3, 1 SO7. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 0-for-2, 1 BB, 1 SO8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 SOPR: Sr. Anthony Caputo — 1 R, 2 SB

PITCHINGSo. Ben Weber — 5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 3 KSo. Mateo Sarabia — 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 KSr. Chris Sabo — 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K



LOPATCONG TWP. — Senior ace Jake Wells broke the school’s win record and the top-seeded Pope John Lions overcame an early two-run deficit to win their third Hunterdon Warren Sussex Tournament championhip on Saturday by defeating 15h-seeded High Point, 5-2, in the final at Phillipsburg High School’s Athletic Complex. The Lions’ win over the Wildcats allowed them to become Sussex County’s first three-time HWS champion in the 10-year history of the tri-county tournament. The Lions are the only team from Sussex County to have ever won the HWS after also claiming the 2011 championship by beating Hunterdon Central, 8-1, and capturing the 2017 title by topping High Point, 7-0, in the first All-Sussex County HWS final. The Lions also improved their record in HWS games to 20-7, with their 20 wins being the most by a Sussex County team. The Lions, who also beat North Hunterdon and Hunterdon Central in this year’s tournament, are 7-1 against Sussex County teams in the tourney. The Lions, who pushed their season record to 18-3, brought home the crown again after rallying from a 2-0 hole to the Wildcats following the top of the first inning. The Wildcats, who were looking to upset the Lions after knocking off second-seeded Delaware Valley in the semifinals, scored on a RBI double by Logan Kobis and a RBI single by Jake Liscinsky. When the Lions came to bat in the bottom of the first, they cut the deficit in half after sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded with two outs. Junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca scored on the play. After two scoreless frames, the Lions took a 3-2 lead on High Point in the fourth inning after junior first baseman Luke Chenault hit a two-run single to score senior second baseman Trevor Befumo and Ventresca. Once the Lions had the lead, Wells didn’t let go of it en route to throwing a complete game and notching his 22nd win of his career. Wells, who improved to 6-0 on the season, surpassed 2011 graduate Brendan Mayers’ record of 21 victories after allowing only two earned runs on five hits while striking out

eight and walking only one. In the process, Wells was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament, making him the third Pope John player to earn the award along with Mayers (2011) and former standout starter Sean Roberts (2017). Wells received some insurance runs from the Lions in the sixth inning on a pair of sacrifice flies from Chenault and senior designated hitter Chris Sabo. Chenault finished the game 1-for-3 with three RBI and one walk to lead the Lions at the plate. Ventresca scored three runs while going 1-for-2, and Befumo, sophomore center fielder Mike Bello, sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta, and junior third baseman Jake Wagner each had a hit in the victory. With the tri-county tournament complete, the Lions have six games left in the regular season before they compete in the Non-Public, North A tournament at the end of the month.


GAME 21 RECAP: LIONS TOP HIGH POINT FOR 3RD HWS TITLE; WELLS EARNS MVP

POPE JOHN 5, HIGH POINT 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EHP 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5 0PJ 1 0 0 2 0 2 x 5 6 1

2B: HP — Logan KobisW: Jake Wells (6-0); L: Sam Armstrong (5-2)Records: High Point 11-6, Pope John 18-3

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 1-for-2, 3 R, 2 HBP2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-3, 1 BB3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 0-for-1, 1 RBI, 2 BB5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 0-for-4, 1 SO6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 0-for-1, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SO7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 1-for-3, 1 SO8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 1-for-3, 1 SB, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-2, 2 R, 1 HBP


30 SPARTA — Sophomore center fielder Mike Bello went 2-for-2 with a double and four RBI, senior designated hitter Chris Sabo hit a home run and had three RBI, and the 10th-ranked Pope John Lions won a 12-10 slugfest over Gill St. Bernard’s on Tuesday in an independent game at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. With the win, the Lions improved to 19-3 on the season and 7-1 in independent contests. The victory was also the Lions’ eighth win in their last nine games. The Lions added another “W” to the win column by beating a Knights team that they scheduled to play after having their game against NJAC American Division foe Chatham postponed on Monday due to inclement weather. The Lions jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning after senior second baseman Trevor Befumo hit a three-run triple to left field and Bello fol-lowed two batters later with an RBI single. The Lions added another run in the third inning, then two more in the bottom of the fourth after allowing one run in the top of the fourth to the Knights to take a 7-1 lead. Then, the Lions saw there lead shrink to 7-6 after giving up five runs to the Knights. However, the Lions came back with a five-run inning of their own to push their lead to 12-6. In the next inning, the Lions’ lead was cut to two after the Knights pushed four runs across home plate. However, Sabo closed the game out by earning a five-out save to give the Lions their victory. Sophomore starter Mateo Sarabia picked up the win for the Lions on the mound after allowing only one earned run on four hits while striking out three and walking two.

Sarabia improved to 3-1 on the hill this season. Along with Bello, Sabo and Befumo’s bats, the Lions received a team-high three hits from junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca, two hits from junior third baseman Jake Wagner, two doubles from sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan, and one hit from junior first baseman Luke Chenault in the win. Ventresca and Wagner each had an RBI as well for Pope John. The Lions will look to win their 20th game of the season on Thursday when they host 12th-ranked St. Joseph- Montvale. The Lions will try to notch 20 wins or more in a season for the eighth time in program history and second time in three seasons.


GAME 22 RECAP: LIONS WIN WILD SLUGFEST OVER GILL ST. BERNARD’S

POPE JOHN 12, GILL ST. BERNARD’S 10

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EGSB 0 0 0 1 5 4 0 10 8 3PJ 0 4 1 2 5 0 x 12 12 1

2B: GSB — AJ Donofrio 2; PJ — Jimmy Brennan 2, Mike Bello, Jake Wagner3B: PJ — Trevor BefumoHR: PJ — Chris SaboW: Mateo Sarabia (3-1); L: Chris Boney (1-3); S: Chris Sabo (3)Records: Gill St. Bernard’s 9-11, Pope John 19-3

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 2-for-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-44. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 SB5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 0-for-1, 1 R, 3 BB6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 2-for-3, 2 2B, 1 BB7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 0-for-3, 1 R, 1 HBP8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 2-for-2, 2 R, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 2 BBPR: Sr. Anthony Caputo — 2 R

PITCHINGSo. Mateo Sarabia — 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 KFr. Nick Buchman — 1 IP, 2 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 0 KSo. Ryan McCreedy — 0.1 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 4 BB, 1 KSr. Chris Sabo — 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K



SPARTA — Senior ace Jake Wells hurled a two-hitter and the second-ranked Pope John Lions scored seven runs in the bot-tom of the fourth inning en route earning their 20th victory of the season by beating 12th-ranked St. Joseph-Montvale, 8-2, on Thursday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School. With the win, the Lions improved to 20-3 on the season and 8-1 in independent contests. The victory marked the eighth time in program history that the Lions won 20 games in a season. The Lions added their milestone “W” to the win column by beating a Green Knights team that defeated them, 12-4, last season at St. Joseph. The win was the Lions’ second victory over the Green Knights in their last five meetings, with the other win being a 5-1 victory in 2016. The Lions were able to win after overcoming a brief 2-0 hole two and a half innings after the Green Knights scored one run in the first inning and one in the top of the third inning. The Lions cut the Green Knights’ deficit in half after junior first baseman Luke Chenault hit an RBI double to bring home junior third baseman Jake Wagner, who singled to lead off the inning. Then after Wells threw a scoreless frame in the top of the fourth, the Lions broke out the bats in the bottom half, as they scored on five hits, five walks, one error, and one passed ball. Sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta tied the game after hitting an RBI single that scored senior right fielder Kevin Putsky, who walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a single by sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan. After a single by Wagner in the next at-bat to load the basees, senior second baseman Trevor Befumo gave the Lions a 4-2 lead on a two-run single to center field. Three batters later, Befu-mo gave the Lions a 5-2 advantage by scoring on a passed ball during Chenault’s at-bat. The Lions tacked on their final three runs of the game after se-nior designated hitter Chris Sabo and Putsky drew back-to-back walks with the bases loaded, and Chenault scored on a throwing

error. From there, Wells prevented the Green Knights from getting more runs on the scoreboard en route to getting another win on the mound and another victory for the Lions. Wells allowed only two earned runs while striking out nine and walking two to improve his record to 7-0 on the season and 23-7 for his career. Befumo and Wagner led the Lions at the plate, as they both went 2-for-3. Befumo also stole two bases. Putsky and junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca each had a hit as well for the Lions in the win. The Lions will look to finish strong in NJAC American Division play in their next game, as they take on Chatham on Friday at Chatham High School. The Lions will finish in second place in the division after Delbarton beat Chatham, 5-0, on Thursday to win the division title with an 11-1 record. The Lions currently have a 9-2 record in the standings.


GAME 23 RECAP: LIONS USE BIG 4TH INNING TO BEAT ST. JOE’S FOR 20TH WIN

POPE JOHN 8, ST. JOSEPH (MONT.) 2

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H ESJM 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 1PJ 0 0 1 7 0 2 x 8 9 0

2B: SJM — Ben Winstead; PJ — Luke ChenaultW: Jake Wells (7-0); L: Ryan Myles (1-2)Records: St. Joseph (Mont.) 16-6, Pope John 20-3

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 SO2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 0-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 0-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 1-for-1, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 BB6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 SO7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 2-for-3, 1 R9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 2-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 SBPR: Sr. Anthony Caputo — 1 R


32 CHATHAM — The Pope John Lions finished NJAC American Division play on a high note on Friday, as they defeated Chatham, 7-4, at Chatham High School. With the win, the Lions ended in second place in the division with a 10-2 record. Rival Delbarton won the division title on Thursday by beating Chatham, 5-0, to finish 11-1 in the division standings Though the Lions were not able to win their fourth American Division title in five years, they did earn the season sweep against the Cougars after posting a 2-1 win over them on April 15 at Lions Pride Park. Unlike their first meeting, which they needed a walk-off RBI single from senior second baseman Trevor Befumo to win it, the Lions pounced on the Cougars early by takinga 3-0 lead in the second inning. The Lions scored theirfirst run on an RBI double from senior right fielder Kevin Putsky, then added their other two runs on a pair of RBI singles from sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan and junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca. Two innings later, the Lions increased their lead to 7-0 after pushing across four more runs in the fourth inning. With one out and the bases loaded following three straight singles from Brennan, sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta, and junior third baseman Jake Wagner, Ventresca hit an RBI single to bring home Brennan’s courtesy runner Anthony Caputo to make it a 4-0 lead for the Lions. Then, sophomore center fielder Mike Bello drew a walk to score Pallotta and make it a 5-0 lead. In the next at-bat, junior first baseman Luke Chenault drilled a double to left field to score Wagner and Ventresca. Despite the two big innings, the Lions had to fend off Chatham in the end after the Cougars scored four runs in the fifth inning to cut their lead to three. Fortunately, the Lions saw sophomore reliever Ryan McCreedy throw two scoreless innings and strike out three

batters to earn the save and preserve the win for the Lions and freshman starter Nick Buchman. Buchman pushed his record to 3-1 on the year after allowing only one earned run on three hits and six walks in five innings pitched. Ventresca led the Lions at the plate, going a perfect 3-for- 3 with two RBI, one run and one walk. Brennan also had three hits for the Lions in the victory. The Lions (21-3) will look to finish the week by adding a big win over nationally ranked Malvern Prep, of Malvern, Pa., on Saturday when the two teams square off at Delbar- ton. Malvern Prep is ranked No. 20 in the country and No. 6 in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic by USA Today, while Pope John is ranked No. 10 in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic by the same publication and ranked No. 2 in New Jersey by NJ.com.


GAME 24 RECAP: LIONS SWEEP CHATHAM, FINISH SECOND IN AMERICAN DIVISION

POPE JOHN 7, CHATHAM 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EPJ 0 3 0 4 0 0 0 7 12 2C 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 4 5 0

2B: PJ — Luke Chenault, Kevin Putsky; C — Dennis Moynihan W: Nick Buchman (4-1); L: Anthony Gonzalez (2-4); S: Ryan McCreedy (1)Records: Pope John 21-3, Chatham 8-10

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 3-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 0-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 SO 6. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 3-for-4, 1 RBI7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 1-for-4, 1 R8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 SO9. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 1-for-3, 1 SOPR: Sr. Anthony Caputo — 2 R

PITCHINGFr. Nick Buchman — 5 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 6 BB, 3 KSo. Ryan McCreedy — 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, O ER, 0 BB, 3 K



MORRIS TWP. — The Pope John Lions stood toe-to-toe with nationally ranked Malvern Prep for three innings, but the Friars of Pennsylvania pushed across six runs over the next two innings and went on to post a 10-4 win over the Lions on Saturday at Brian E. Fleury Field at Delbarton School. The Lions’ loss to the Friars, who were ranked No. 20 in the USA Today’s Super 25 rankings, dropped them to 21-4 on the season. The Lions were looking to notch a statement win over the Friars (29-6) in a battle of two of the top teams in the Northeast/Mid-Atlantic region. According to USA Today, the Friars were ranked No. 6 in the Northeast/Mid-At-lantic, while the Lions were ranked No. 10. At first, the Lions spotted the Friars a 3-0 lead through the first two and a half innings after allowing two runs in the top of the first inning and one run in the top of the third inning. But, the Lions roared back to take a 4-3 lead by pushing across all four runs in the bottom of the third. Sophomore center fielder Mike Bello started the comeback by hitting an RBI single to score senior second baseman Trevor Befumo to cut the deficit to 3-1. In the next at-bat, junior first baseman Luke Chenault knocked a single to center field to bring home junior shortstop Eddie Ventresca, who had doubled earlier in the inning. Then, senior designated hitter Chris Sabo drew a walk to load the bases for the Lions. Two batters later, sophomore catcher Jimmy Brennan brought home Bello by drawing a walk to tie the game at 3. Then, sophomore left fielder Nate Pallotta gave the Lions the lead by hitting a sacrifice fly to allow Chenault to score from third base. Unfortunately, the Lions’ lead was erased in the fourth

inning after the Friars pushed across three runs to take a 6-4 lead. Then, the Friars scored three more runs in the fifth inning to put the Lions in a 9-4 hole that they could not recover from. Despite the loss, Brennan led the Lions at the plate, going 2-for-3. Bello and Pallotta noth finished the game 1-for-2 at the dish, while Ventresca and Chenault both ended 1-for-3. The Lions will look to finish the regular season strong next week by winning their final two games. The Lions will host Bergen Catholic on Wednesday at Lions Pride Park on the campus of Pope John XXIII Regional High School, then hit the road to play St. Mary of Rutherford on Thursday.


GAME 25 RECAP: LIONS FALL TO NATONALLY RANKED MALVERN PREP (PA.)

MALVERN PREP (PA.) 10, POPE JOHN 4

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 R H EMP 2 0 1 3 3 0 1 10 10 0PJ 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4 6 1

2B: MP — Jarod Wade, Chris Newell, Cam Conley, Charlie Andress, Drew Butera; PJ — Eddie VentrescaW: Connor Street (1-0); L: Ben Weber (2-1)Records: Malvern Prep (Pa.) 29-6, Pope John 21-4

HITTING1. Jr. Eddie Ventresca, SS — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB2. So. Mike Bello, CF — 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB3. Jr. Luke Chenault, 1B — 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO4. Sr. Chris Sabo, DH — 0-for-3, 1 BB, 3 SO5. Sr. Kevin Putsky, RF— 0-for-46. So. Jimmy Brennan, C — 2-for-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB7. So. Nate Pallotta, LF — 1-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO8. Jr. Jake Wagner, 3B — 0-for-39. Sr. Trevor Befumo, 2B — 0-for-1, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SOPR: Sr. Anthony Caputo

PITCHINGSo. Ben Weber — 3 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 BB, 4 KSo. Mateo Sarabia — 3 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 KSr. Chris Sabo — 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

POPE JOHN BATTING NOTES

9 • TREVOR BEFUMO C/2B5-9 • 158 • Sr. • R/R

• Had career-high three RBI and a triple in Lions’ 12-10 win over Gill St. Bernard’s on May 14• Hit walk-off RBI single while going 2-for-3 in Lions’ 2-1 win over Chatham on April 15

CAREERSTATISTICS

YEARAVG.GPABRH2B3BHRRBISB-A2019 .274 25 62 15 17 1 1 0 15 5-82018 .264 25 53 6 14 3 0 0 6 3-32017 .000 16 0 16 0 0 0 0 0 7-7

CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:4, vs. North Hunterdon (4/27/19)Runs:4, at Jefferson (5/10/17)Hits:3, vs. Demarest (4/7/18)2B:1, four times3B:1, vs. Gill St. Bernard’s (5/14/19)HR:0RBI:3, vs. Gill St. Bernard’s (5/14/19)

31 • MIKE BELLO OF6-1 • 190 • So. • L/L

• Recorded hit in 22 of 25 games this year and leads team in hits (36), OPS (1.274), runs (22), and doubles (10)• Recorded career highs in triples (two) and RBI (four) while going 3-for-3 in Lions’ 18-7 win over Montville on April 4• Made verbal commitment to Auburn University

CAREERSTATISTICS

YEARAVG.GPABRH2B3BHRRBISB-A2019 .486 25 74 22 36 10 2 0 24 5-82018 .455 27 77 22 35 23 0 0 16 7-7

CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:5, two timesRuns:4, vs. Demarest (4/7/18)Hits:4, vs. North Hunterdon (4/27/19)2B:2, two times3B:2, at Montville (4/4/19)HR:0RBI:4, three times

5 • JIMMY BRENNAN C5-9 • 155 • So. • R/R

• Reached base in 23 of 25 games this season • Went 2-for-3 with career-high three RBI in Lions’ 18-7 win over Montville

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:4, three timesRuns:2, vs. Randolph (5/2/19)Hits:3, vs. Holy Spirit (4/14/19)2B:2, vs. Gill St. Bernard’s (5/14/19)3B:0HR:0RBI:3, at Montville (4/4/19)

33 • LUKE CHENAULT 1B6-3 • 190 • Jr. • L/L

• Leads Lions in home runs with four and has most home runs by a Pope John player over last two seasons with eight• Leads Lions in RBI with 27 and at-bats with 85• Made verbal commitment to Penn State University

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:5, three timesRuns:3, two timesHits:3, three times2B:2, vs. Randolph (5/2/19)3B:1, three timesHR:1, eight timesRBI:4, at Montville (4/4/19)

23 • ANTHONY CAPUTO OF5-9 • 185 • Sr. • R/R

• Went 2-for-3 with a run and stolen base in Lions’ 5-4 win over Randolph on April 3• Appeared in 14 games and made one start for the Lions in 2018

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:5, at Montville (4/4/19)Runs:2,fivetimesHits:2, two times2B:03B:1, vs. Roxbury (4/30/18)HR:0RBI:1, three times

17 • NICK MORRO OF5-7 • 130 • Fr. • L/L

• Made debut and scored first career run for Lions as pinch runner in team’s 7-5 win over Holy Spirit on April 14

CAREERSTATISTICS

YEARAVG.GPABRH2B3BHRRBISB-A2019 .000 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0-0

CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:--Runs:2, two timesHits:--2B:--3B:--HR:--RBI:--

16 • NATE PALLOTTA IF/OF6-0 • 160 • So. • R/R

• Had career-high three hits, including a walk-off RBI single, in Lions 5-4 win over No. 1 Delbarton on April 30• Recorded first career hit as pinch hitter in debut for Lions during 2-1 loss to Trenton Catholic on April 25

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:4, three timesRuns:1, four timesHits:3, two times2B:1, two times3B:0HR:0RBI:1,fivetimes

19 • KEVIN PUTSKY OF5-9 • 160 • Sr. • L/L

• Leads Lions in stolen bases with seven• Went 2-for-3 with two RBI, run scored and stolen base in Lions’ 5-2 win over Madison on April 2• Signed NLI to New Jersey Institute of Technology

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:4, nine timesRuns:2,fivetimesHits:2, seven times2B:1, 11 times3B:1, two timesHR:1, three timesRBI:3, three times

6 • LUIS RIVERA 2B5-6 • 125 • Fr. • R/R

• Scored first career run as courtesy runner in Lions’ 7-5 win over Holy Spirit on April 14• Made debut for Lions as pinch hitter in team’s 5-4 win over Randolph

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:1, vs. Randolph (4/3/19)Runs:1, vs. Holy Spirit (4/14/19)Hits:02B:03B:0HR:0RBI:0



POPE JOHN BATTING NOTES

14 • CHRIS SABO IF6-2 • 220 • Sr. • R/R

• Posted career highs in hits (four), runs (three) and dou-bles (two) in Lions’ 18-7 win over Montville on April 4• Hit walk-off inside-the-park home run in Lions’ 5-4 win over Randolph and had walk-off hit by pitch in Lions’ 3-2 win over Hunterdon Central on May 4• Signed NLI to play football at Merrimack College

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSAt-Bats:5, two timesRuns:3, at Montville (4/4/19)Hits:4, at Montville (4/4/19)2B:2, at Montville (4/4/19)3B:1, two timesHR:1,fivetimesRBI:3, four times

2 • EDDIE VENTRESCA SS5-4 • 135 • Jr. • R/R

• Went 3-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base in Lions’ 3-2 win over Hunterdon Central on May 4• Earned 2018 New Jersey Herald First Team selection• Made verbal commitment to wrestle at Virginia Tech

CAREERSTATISTICS


SEASONHIGHSAt-Bats:5, at Jefferson (4/10/18)Runs:4, vs. Demarest (4/7/18)Hits:3, four times2B:1, seven times3B:1, two timesHR:0RBI:2, two times


12 • JAKE WAGNER OF5-8 • 165 • Jr. • R/R

• Went 3-for-5 with a double, two RBI and one run in Lions’ 7-5 win over Holy Spirit on April 14• Went 1-for-3 with a double, three RBI, a run and walk in Lions’ 5-4 win over Randolph on April 3

CAREERSTATISTICS


SEASONHIGHSAt-Bats:5, vs. Holy Spirit (4/14/19)Runs:2, vs.West Essex (4/24/19)Hits:3, two times2B:1, six times3B:0HR:0RBI:3, two times

29 • AIDAN SCHLEER OF5-11 • 160 • Jr. • L/R

• Recorded first hit and scored first run in Lions’ 6-1 win over Morristown on April 9• Played in five games for Lions in 2018

CAREERSTATISTICS


SEASONHIGHSAt-Bats:5, vs. West Essex (4/24/19)Runs:1, three timesHits:1, four times2B:03B:0HR:0RBI:1, four times


36POPE JOHN PITCHING NOTES

13 • NICK BUCHMAN RHP6-1 • 160 • Fr.

• Struck out career-high six batters while picking up win in Lions’ 8-5 victory over Montville on May 6• Earned first win against Roxbury on April 12, al-lowing two earned runs on two hits while striking out five in six innings pitched

CAREERSTATISTICS

YEARERAW-LG/SIPHRERBBKBAA2019 3.68 4-1 7/6 26.2 18 19 14 34 22 .194

CAREERHIGHSInnings:6.0, vs. Roxbury (4/12/19)Hits:4, two timesRuns:4, vs. Gill St. Bernard’s (5/14/19)EarnedRuns: 4, vs. Gill St. Bernard’s (5/14/19)Strikeouts:6, vs. Montville (5/6/19)Walks:8, vs. Roxbury (4/12/19)Pitches:97, vs. Roxbury (4/12/19)

10 • RYAN DIGNAN RHP6-1 • 160 • Jr.

• Made Lions’ debut against Hudson Catholic on April 6, pitching one inning in relief.

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSInnings:1.0, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)Hits:3, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)Runs:2, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)EarnedRuns:2, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)Strikeouts:0Walks:1, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)Pitches:25, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)

11 • RYAN McCREEDY RHP5-10 • 140 • So.

• Earned first save in relief, pitching two scorelessinnings in Lions’ 7-4 win over Chatham on May 17 • Earned first complete-game shutout against Demarest on April 13, allowing only four hits

CAREERSTATISTICS

YEARERAW-LG/SIPHRERBBKBAA2019 5.39 3-1 8/3 29.1 32 23 20 9 19 .2672018 1.31 0-0 2/0 5.1 6 1 1 0 1 .600

CAREERHIGHSInnings:7.0, at Demarest (4/13/19)Hits:8, at Montville (4/4/19)Runs:7, at Montville (4/4/19)EarnedRuns:6, at Montville (4/4/19)Strikeouts:5, at Montville (4/4/19)Walks:2, vs. Morristown (5/8/19)Pitches:94, at Montville (4/4/19)

32/44 • NOLAN NIZIOL LHP6-5 • 210 • Fr.

• Made Lions’ debut against Randolph on April 3, allowing two unearned runs on two hits in 1/3 inning pitched

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSInnings:2, vs. Morristown (5/8/19)Hits:2, two timesRuns:2, vs. Randolph (4/3/19)EarnedRuns:0, two timesStrikeouts:0, two timesWalks:0, two timesPitches:20, vs. Randolph (4/3/19)

14 • CHRIS SABO RHP6-2 • 220 • Sr.

• Earned first save against Bishop Eustace on April 22 after throwing one inning and striking out two• Earned first win against Randolph on April 3 after throwing 1 1/3 innings and allowing no runs

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSInnings:2.0, vs. Delbarton (5/7/18)Hits:3, vs. Demarest (4/7/18)Runs:5, vs. Malvern Prep (5/20/18)EarnedRuns:5, vs. Malvern Prep (5/20/18)Strikeouts:3, three timesWalks:4, vs. Malvern Prep (5/20/18)Pitches:36, two times

25 • MATEO SARABIA RHP5-10 • 185 • So.

• Threw first complete game against Chatham on April 6, allowing one earned run on four hits• Earned first victory on mound against Hudson Catholic on April 6 after throwing six innings and allowing one earned run.

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSInnings:7.0, vs. Chatham (4/15/19)Hits:8, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)Runs:4, at Montville (5/25/18)EarnedRuns:3, two timesStrikeouts:6, vs. Chatham (4/15/19)Walks:3, vs. Delbarton (4/30/19)Pitches:108, vs. Hudson Catholic (4/6/19)

35 • BEN WEBER RHP6-6 • 170 • So.

• Pitched six innings in relief and struck out eight in Lions’ 11-6 win over Randolph on May 2• Made Lions’ debut against Trenton Catholic, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out nine in six innings

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSInnings:6.0, two timesHits:8, vs. Roxbury (5/9/19)Runs:5, two timesEarnedRuns:4, two timesStrikeouts:9, vs. Trenton Catholic (4/25/19)Walks:5, vs. Malvern Prep (5/18/19)Pitches:106, vs. Randolph (5/2/19)


15 • JAKE WELLS LHP6-3 • 162 • Sr.

• Became Lions’ all-time wins leader with 22 career wins during 5-2 victory over High Point in HWS final on May 11• Leads Lions’ starters in ERA (0.89), innings pitched (55 1/3), wins (seven), and strikeouts (62)• Signed NLI to St. Bonaventure University

CAREERSTATISTICS

YEARERAW-LG/SIPHRERBBKBAA2019 0.89 7-0 8/8 55.1 37 16 7 10 62 .1972018 2.10 6-4 11/9 53.1 49 23 16 14 48 .2542017 2.33 5-0 8/6 33.0 34 14 11 6 38 N/A2016 1.38 5-3 10/8 56.0 41 23 11 22 46 N/A

CAREERHIGHSInnings:8.0, vs. Watchung Hills (4/10/16)Hits:10, vs. Mount Olive (4/10/17)Runs:8, at Christian Brothers Academy (4/22/18)EarnedRuns:5, vs. Mount Olive (4/10/17)Strikeouts:10, two timesWalks:5, two timesPitches:113, vs. Hunterdon Central (5/4/19)

20/18 • SEAN BECK RHP6-0 • 185 • Sr.

• Made two appearances for Lions in 2018• Made first career start against St. Joseph (Mont.) on April 24, 2018, pitching 1 1/3 innings

CAREERSTATISTICS


CAREERHIGHSInnings:1.1, vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) (4/24/18)Hits:3, vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) (4/24/18)Runs:5, vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) (4/24/18)EarnedRuns:3, vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) (4/24/18)Strikeouts:1, vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) (4/24/18)Walks:1, vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) (4/24/18)Pitches:32, vs. St. Joseph (Mont.) (4/24/18)


2019 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SEASON TEAM STATISTICS

2019 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL INDIVIDUAL BATTING STATISTICS

POPE JOHN OPPONENTSRUNS 158 (6.3 rpg) 95 (3.8 rpg)HITS 230 154ERRORS 40 10PLATE APPERANCES 835 781AT-BATS 668 670BATTING AVG .344 .230OBP .460 .335SLG .457 .285OPS .917 .620WALKS 126 93DOUBLES 41 27TRIPLES 5 2HOME RUNS 8 2RBI 137 71TOTAL BASES 305 191ERA 2.70 5.54EARNED RUNS 67 131STRIKEOUTS 164 146

Name PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG OBP SLG OPS TB SB CS BB KMike Bello 97 74 22 36 10 2 0 24 .486 .598 .676 1.274 50 6 3 22 3Eddie Ventresca 50 37 16 19 1 1 0 7 .514 .625 .595 1.220 22 3 2 6 2Luke Chenault 98 85 18 32 8 0 4 27 .376 .449 .612 1.061 52 2 1 8 22Kevin Putsky 96 74 15 15 4 0 0 9 .203 .365 .257 .621 19 7 1 20 21Chris Sabo 98 82 19 27 7 1 4 20 .329 .429 .585 1.014 48 4 0 12 24Jake Wagner 89 72 15 22 4 0 0 12 .306 .425 .361 .786 26 4 4 14 18Trevor Befumo 81 62 15 17 1 1 0 15 .274 .410 .323 .733 20 5 3 12 16Anthony Caputo 48 37 16 10 0 0 0 2 .270 .417 .270 .687 10 6 1 7 8Aidan Schleer 43 37 3 4 0 0 0 3 .108 .233 .108 .341 4 1 0 5 21Luis Rivera 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0Jimmy Brennan 91 69 9 30 4 0 0 12 .435 .560 .493 1.053 34 6 1 17 8Nick Morro 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Nick Buchman 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Nate Pallotta 43 38 5 18 2 0 0 6 .474 .512 .526 1.038 20 0 0 3 3TOTAL 834 668 158 230 41 5 8 137 .344 .460 .457 .917 305 44 16 126 146



382019 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL INDIVIDUAL PITCHING STATISTICS

Name W L G GS CG SHO SV IP ERA H R ER BB SO WHIP BAAJake Wells 7 0 8 8 6 0 0 55.1 0.89 39 16 7 10 62 0.89 .197Nick Buchman 4 1 7 6 0 0 0 26.2 2.68 18 19 14 34 22 1.95 .194Ben Weber 2 1 4 3 0 0 0 20.2 3.38 22 12 10 14 24 1.74 .268Chris Sabo 2 0 9 0 0 0 3 9.1 0.00 2 1 0 9 14 1.18 .063Nolan Niziol 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.1 0.00 4 2 0 0 0 1.71 .364Ryan Dignan 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1.0 14.00 3 2 2 1 0 4.00 .500Ryan McCreedy 3 1 8 3 1 1 1 29.1 5.00 32 23 20 9 19 1.46 .267Sean Beck 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1.0 14.00 1 5 2 2 0 3.00 .200Mateo Sarabia 3 1 8 4 1 0 0 28.1 2.97 33 15 12 14 23 1.66 .275TOTAL 21 4 25 25 8 1 4 174.0 2.70 154 95 67 93 164 1.42 .230



2018 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SEASON RESULTSDate Opponent Result04/06 at Morris Hills* W 7-204/07 at Demarest W 13-804/10 at Jeferson* W 7-304/13 Mount Olive* W 10-0 (5 inn.)04/14 vs. Robbinsville at Hunterdon Central W 7-6 vs. Hunterdon Central at Hunterdon Central L 2-004/18 Chatham L 1-004/21 Indian Hills W 3-004/22 Christian Brothers Academy L 9-304/24 at St. Joseph-Montvale L 12-404/26 North Warren** W 10-0 (5 inn.)04/28 Delaware Valley** L 2-104/30 at Roxbury L 13-305/01 Morris Hills* W 14-605/02 Sparta* W 1-005/04 at Summit W 12-105/07 Delbarton L 6-005/09 Jefferson* W 4-105/10 at Mount Olive* W 6-505/12 St. Peter’s Prep L 3-105/16 at Sparta* W 3-1 05/19 vs. Malvern Prep at Delbarton L 8-105/21 St. Mary L 11-905/23 West Milford W 15-1 (5 inn.)05/24 Union Catholic # W 6-005/25 at Montville W 6-405/29 at Delbarton # L 1-0

2018 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SEASON HIGHLIGHTS

The Lions had a lot of highs and lows during their 16-11 season in 2018. Among the highs were winning a third NJAC American Division championship in four years by posting a perfect 8-0 record in division play. For the Lions, the 2018 American Division title was their first outright division title since 2010 when they won the NJAC National Division. In addition, the Lions won at least 15 games for the 16th time in 19 seasons and reached the Non-Public, North A quarterfinals for the third consecutive season by defeating Union Catholic, 6-0, in the first round. However, their season ended with a tough 1-0 loss to even-tual Non-Public, North A champion Delbarton in the quar-terfinals. Despite the defeat to the Green Wave, which ended ranked seventh in the state, the Lions showed they played tough against state-ranked teams during the season, as they lost to Hunterdon Central (No. 2) and St. Peter’s Prep (No. 9) by only scores of 2-0 and 3-1, respectively. Individually, senior outfielder Joe Millar earned the New Jersey Herald’s Player of the Year honor after he hit .451 with a .568 on-base percentage and a .610 slugging percentage to go along with eight doubles, 11 stolen bases and 19 RBI. Millar also earned a selection to the 41st

annual New Jersey Scholastic Baseball Coaches Association Senior All-Star games. In addition, freshman outfielder and Auburn recruit Mike Bello was named to the NJ.com Non-Public Third Team and New Jersey Herald First Team. Moreover, junior starter Jake Wells and sophomore shortstop Eddie Ventresca made the New Jersey Herald First Team at their respective positions.

NJAC American Division Div. % Overall %1. Pope John 8-0 1.000 16-11 .5932. Mount Olive 4-3 .571 8-12 .4003. Morris Hills 3-5 .375 12-16 .4294. Sparta 2-5 .286 10-12 .4555. Jefferson 2-6 .250 14-13 .519



402018 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL SEASON TEAM STATISTICS

2018 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL INDIVIDUAL BATTING STATISTICS

POPE JOHN OPPONENTSRUNS 145 (5.4 rpg) 106 (3.9 rpg)HITS 214 176ERRORS 37 28PLATE APPERANCES 839 790AT-BATS 689 669BATTING AVG .311 .263OBP .422 .367SLG .433 .350OPS .854 .717WALKS 108 87DOUBLES 44 20TRIPLES 8 1HOME RUNS 8 12RBI 128 88TOTAL BASES 298 234ERA 2.72 4.93EARNED RUNS 69 116STRIKEOUTS 140 130

Name PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI AVG OBP SLG OPS TB SB CS BB KJoe Millar 95 77 15 37 8 1 0 19 .481 .568 .610 1.179 47 14 4 13 10Mike Bello 98 77 23 35 13 0 0 16 .455 .563 .623 1.186 48 7 0 17 6Eddie Ventresca 102 84 28 29 3 1 0 8 .345 .451 .405 .856 34 10 0 10 10Luke Chenault 93 77 18 22 3 3 4 15 .286 .409 .558 .967 43 3 0 9 18Kevin Putsky 92 74 12 18 4 1 2 20 .243 .380 .405 .786 30 3 1 15 16Dan Sanville 86 68 2 20 2 0 1 13 .294 .430 .368 .798 25 0 0 16 9Chris Sabo 85 70 11 16 5 1 1 15 .229 .341 .371 .713 26 0 0 8 18Jake Wagner 61 53 5 14 2 0 0 10 .264 .305 .302 .607 16 3 2 3 8Trevor Befumo 61 53 6 14 3 0 0 7 .264 .361 .321 .681 17 3 0 6 15Zach Dole 30 25 3 4 1 0 0 1 .160 .300 .200 .500 5 0 0 3 10Jeff Milton 14 13 12 3 0 0 0 2 .231 .286 .231 .516 3 3 1 1 2Anthony Caputo 10 9 5 2 0 1 0 1 .222 .300 .444 .744 4 3 2 1 3Aidan Schleer 5 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000 .400 .000 .400 0 0 0 1 2Ralph Iadarola 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 3Jimmy Brennan 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .500 .000 .500 0 0 0 1 0Joe Shelley 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 0TOTAL 839 689 145 214 44 8 8 128 .311 .422 .433 .854 298 49 10 108 130



2018 POPE JOHN XXIII HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL INDIVIDUAL PITCHING STATISTICS

Name W L G GS CG SHO SV IP ERA H R ER BB SO WHIP BAAJake Wells 6 4 11 9 4 0 0 53.1 2.10 49 23 16 14 48 1.18 .254Peter Corcoran 5 0 12 7 2 2 1 44 1.59 46 17 10 10 22 1.27 .289Ethan O’Connor 4 5 9 9 2 1 0 42.2 0.98 24 18 6 28 50 1.22 .194Chris Sabo 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 8 8.75 7 10 10 6 9 1.63 .226Joe Shelley 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 8 3.50 9 4 4 16 3 3.13 .273Mike Damico 1 1 4 2 0 0 0 6.2 10.50 14 12 10 4 3 2.70 .519Ryan McCreedy 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 5.1 1.31 6 1 1 0 1 1.13 .600Brendan Brown 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 4.1 6.46 5 4 4 4 1 2.08 .278Sean Beck 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 2.0 10.50 3 5 3 1 1 2.00 .300Jake Wagner 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1.2 0.00 3 0 0 3 1 3.60 .375Mateo Sarabia 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1.1 15.75 5 4 3 0 1 3.75 .556Kevin Putsky 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.1 84.00 2 5 4 1 0 9.00 .667TOTAL 16 11 27 27 8 3 1 177.2 2.72 176 103 69 87 140 1.46 .262



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