Knolls Defeats West Essex; Captures Consecutive Sectional Titles

The Morris Knolls Golden Eagles (26-5) defeated the West Essex Knights (24-5) to win their 2nd-straight sectional championship. The Golden Eagles move on to the Group 3 Semifinals on Wednesday as they continue their journey for back-to-back state titles. 

James Kahn toed the slab for Morris Knolls, coming into Monday’s matchup with a stellar 2-0 record in the state playoffs. The Senior has allowed just three hits and one earned run thus far, rightfully earning the role of the team’s ace.

For the Knights, Chris Murano got the nod, entering Monday with a record of 6-1 on the year and an earned run average of 1.78. West Essex has been one of the better teams in the state this season, winners of seven-straight, but has flown under the radar for the most part. 

West Essex showed right away why they rolled into Denville on a seven-game winning streak. With two outs and runners at the corners, Danny Gianetti laid down the perfect safety squeeze to drive in the first run of the ballgame.

The Golden Eagles struck back in the bottom half of the inning by simply putting the ball in play. Luke Dickerson entered Monday needing only one home run to tie Mike Trout’s record of 18 dingers on the year. The UVA commit (and potential MLB Draft pick) was plunked to start the rally for Knolls. 

The offense picked up where they left off last Friday. Brodie Frecker and Kahn each drove in a run, and thanks to an error, Morris Knolls jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead after just one inning of play.  

After a scoreless 2nd inning, the Knights tied it up at three runs a piece in the 3rd behind four-straight singles from the heart of their order. Gianetti added his second hit and RBI of the game to cut the Knolls lead to one. Jack Epstein drove in another run with his 2-out single. 

Knolls’ Offense Comes Alive

With the game tied at three, the Golden Eagles put on an offensive clinic in the bottom half of the 3rd. Knolls chased Murano from the game with a seven-run inning that was capped off by a Dylan Fitzsimmons bases-clearing RBI double. Ryan Kuehne and Simone each drove in a run, helping the team jump out to a 10-3 lead.

James Kahn trotted out to the mound in the top of the 4th inning and proceeded to strike out six Knights in a row. His fastball had some extra giddyup, and his off-speed pitches were filthy, freezing multiple hitters. With 89 pitches and 10 K’s in the ballgame, Coach Mindrebo pulled his starter to plan for a possible state final game on Saturday. 

Thanks to an Elijah Frix RBI single in the 4th, the Golden Eagles were just two runs away from ending the game in the bottom of the 5th. Fitzsimmons scored on a wild pitch, and Joe O’Toole belted an RBI single to end the game, giving Knolls back-to-back Sectional titles.

What’s Next for Knolls?

The Golden Eagles will square up against Randolph on Wednesday for a chance to advance to the State Finals. In their lone matchup this year, Knolls defeated the Rams 7-4 at Gardner Field in Denville. The rivalry between these two schools has gone back decades; now, they stand in each other’s way for a shot at a state title. 

How can you not be romantic about baseball?