Gens Grind to a Title

Hard to win a do-or-die game without grit, timely hitting, clutch pitching, and the ability to withstand some challenges. The Gens had all of those things and earned one of the biggest wins in franchise history yesterday at Drew University, beating the Jersey Pilots 9-7 in Game 3 of the Wolff Division Championship series.

In doing so, the Gens (27-16) advance to the ACBL Championship for only the second time in team history, the first since their only league title in 2014. Their opponent will be the North Jersey Eagles (25-6), winner of the Kaiser Division. Game 1 and 2 of the three-game series will be played as a doubleheader starting at Noon tomorrow at Moody Park. The Gens will be the home team in Game 1 and visitor in Game 2.

If a Game 3 is necessary, the Gens will be the home team but it will be played at Breslin Field in Lyndhurst on Monday at 7 PM. The Gens and Eagles split a pair of tight, well-played doubleheaders two weekends ago. Interestingly, the Eagles are 3-5 against Trenton teams, having lost 3 of 4 to the Caps, but 22-1 against the rest of the ACBL.

Back to yesterday's thriller as there were so many big performances. The Gens as a team didn't get enough good at bats in Thursday's DH split, but they grinded the heck out of 5 Pilots pitchers yesterday. Gens hitters worked 13 walks and a HBP and played the patient game to perfection when they erased a 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the 4th.

Greg Delgado and Mark McNelly walked to start the inning, and then after the umpires butchered a Dan Melnick HBP and turned it into a dead ball, the Gens seemed to pick up their focus. Melnick eventually walked, Paul Cooke walked in a run, Jake Sloss singled in the tying run, and Zev Moore worked a ridiculous 10-pitch at bat into a walk that put the Gens up 3-2.

Cooke broke decisively for home on a wild pitch that didn't get all that far away from the catcher and the Gens had a 4-2 lead.

Moore, who reached base all four plate appearances, started a three-run sixth with a double. Lorenzo Repack tripled him in, and Chase Conklin doubled in Repack as the Gens built a 7-2 margin. Conklin drove in a pair with a huge two-out single an inning later as the Gens went up 9-4.

There were more fantastic team efforts. Conklin's energy has been contagious, and his defense at shortstop has been flat-out ridiculous, even when robbed of an MLB Gold Glove caliber play deep in the hole in the 8th when the umpire appeared to miss the call at first base.

Meanwhile, given the magnitude of the game, Eric Cartafalsa delivered one of the great Gens pitching performances in years. He gave up a two-run single in the third and a single, error, and HBP loaded the bases with two out in the fourth for league HR champ Vinny DiNicola.

In the game's toughest time, the Rowan-bound Cartafalsa stood tallest. He got DiNicola to bounce back to the mound and retired 9 straight batters until he got into two out trouble in the 7th. By then, the Gens were up five. It was the franchise's longest playoff outing since the 2014 Championship win. Cartafalsa had lasted 113 pitches and more than done his job.

The Pilots, being a great team, of course made it close. Too close. They got it to 9-7 in the ninth and had the tying run in scoring position. But Ryan Murphy got leadoff man Jay Kalieta to roll over harmlessly to second base and the Gens established their place in franchise history.