Sports

Homers by Hunt and Taylor Not Enough to Top Immaculata

Warriors end season on the short end of a 22-16 slugfest.

A day after winning the Skyland Conference Championship, the Warriors offered up a little bit of everything in a 3-hour battle with Immaculata. The game ended with Immaculata on top, 22-16, after the Warriors ducked a near mercy rule ending in the sixth inning.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Final Immaculata 3 0 9 5 0 5 0 22 Watchung Hills 5 2 4 0 1 4 0 16

IN SHORT

Immaculata scored early, but the Warriors responded immediately with first inning home runs by Richard Hunt and Kyle Taylor. Christopher Berry's double in the second inning drove in two runs, but the Spartans clobbered pitcher junior Eric Driver in the third inning before Joey Rocchietti took the mound.

Find out what's happening in Warrenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The substitution began a rotation through the bullpens of both teams, with Watchung Hills using six pitchers and Immaculata using five before the end of the game.

Sloppy field work also contributed to several Immaculata runs, and with the umpire keeping the strike zone tight, both teams saw more than the usual number of walks.

Find out what's happening in Warrenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

WARRIOR OF THE GAME

Richard Hunt—Hunt's homer sparked the Warriors' offense, and he added a two-run double in the third, a single in the fifth, and was walked in the sixth.

OTHER KEY PERFORMANCES

Christopher Berry—Hit two-run doubles in the second and sixth innings, and stole third base in the second to help set up another score.

Nick Rivera—His pitching in the fourth through sixth innings quieted Immaculata's bats.

THEY SAID IT

"We knew this game was going to be a baseball game, and the kids had fun.We just won the conference in the toughest conference in the New Jersey, and this was just a final game."—Head Coach Mario Diaz

UP NEXT—Today's game caps the Warriors season, with the leaving leaving the field with an 18-9 record, and their first Skyland Championship in three years.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here