As the sun shined down on Morris Knolls High School on Friday, the hometown Golden Eagles (25-5) took the field to take on the Wayne Hills Patriots (17-11) in the Section 1 Group 3 Semifinals. The Patriots defeated Roxbury in dramatic fashion on Wednesday, walking it off in the 7th inning. Knolls cruised to a 13-1 victory over Tenafly entering Friday’s matchup, outscoring their opponents 21-1 in the tournament.
Dean Kaletcher took the ball for Knolls, marking the Sohpmore’s first-ever state playoff start. The Patriots turned to Chris Cundari to try and neutralize one of the best lineups in the state.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the 1st. Brodie Frecker laced a 2-out double off the wall, bringing home Dylan Fitzsimmons to grab a 1-0 lead.
Kaletcher and Cundari continued to trade zeros the next couple of innings, keeping the score at 1-0 heading into the bottom of the 4th.
Cundari found himself in a tight spot in the 4th, walking Luke Dickerson to load the bases with just one out. Dylan Fitzsimmons roped a single into right, scoring a run. A perfect relay from Wayne Hills beat Ryan Kuehne to the plate for the second out of the inning.
Mike Simone followed that up by delivering a huge 2-out RBI single to score Dickerson and extend the Knolls lead to 3-0.
The Patriots responded in the 5th by loading the bases with two outs. The Golden Eagles called on Daniel Calantropio to work out of the jam, ending Kaletcher’s night.
After walking the first batter he faced, the right-handed Junior settled in and limited the damage to just one run, and the Patriots cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Golden Eagles put the game in the bottom of the 6th when Dickerson belted an opposite-field 2-run shot over the high wall in right. Billy Wingren and Elijah Frix tacked on a pair of RBI singles to put the game out of reach at 7-1.
Calentropio sealed the victory, propelling Morris Knolls to the Section 1 Group 3 Final on Monday. This marks the team’s second consecutive appearance in the final in as many years.
The Golden Eagles will host West Essex on Monday after the Knights upset Ramapo 15-12 earlier today.
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