Saturday was a long day of baseball and team building for Nutley featuring 15-plus hours together with two road games in two different counties, concluding with what it hopes to be one season-changing win.
Hours after a morning loss at state-ranked Ridgewood, Nutley went to West New York that night for the conclusion of the Hudson/Essex Challenge to Cure Alzheimer’s and defeated host Memorial, 9-0. The emphatic victory snapped an eight-game losing streak for the Maroon Raiders.
Junior Chris Suriani had the best game of his career, striking out 11 over six shutout innings. Drew Slomkowski went 3-for-4 with a home run, triple, four RBI, three runs and a stolen base before pitching a scoreless seventh in his first mound appearance of the season.
“It definitely took a huge weight off,” said Nutley head coach Eric Puzio about the end of the streak. “It was stressful, it was causing a lot of tension in the locker room. It wasn’t a fun place to be and that’s not what the program’s all about.”
In a spring where the pitching staff has been hampered by injuries, Suriani has emerged as the ace, posting both of Nutley’s wins while striking out 21 batters in 18 innings with a 3.89 ERA.
“He’s been a hell of a competitor for us,” Puzio said. “He mixes his pitches well, keeps people off-balance and that’s what we need from him.”
Senior Jacob LoMonaco and sophomore Nick Gaccione have slotted in behind Puzio in a rotation, which is set to welcome back opening day starter Erik Thompson, who was limited to just first base the last few weeks due to a quad injury.
Slomkowski, who was set to be the Raiders’ relief ace, was also limited to hitting and playing the field due to injury.
The returns of Thompson and Slomkowski couldn’t come at a better time for Nutley, which hosts Barringer in the first round of the Greater Newark Tournament on Friday and, despite a 2-10 record, is currently holding the 15th spot in the North 2, Group 3 power point standings.
Sophomore PJ Balsamo, juniors Angelo DiTaronto and Ryan Pessoa, senior Jayden Velez and freshman Gabe Rodrigues have all seen time on the mound thus far this spring.
While Thompson’s injury has limited him at the plate, it certainly hasn’t at the plate, as the senior has hit .371.
“He was our most consistent hitter last year and this year,” said Puzio. “He doesn’t strike out. He’s a guy that puts the ball in play. He makes things happen for us.”
Juniors Ben McNeil and Keith Jiratatposat also see action at first base when Thompson is on the mound.
Junior Nick Palumbo has played stellar defense at second base while also hitting .296 this year, while Slomkowski, who leads the team in RBI, runs and extra-base hits, starts at shortstop.
Eugenio Roman, who had four hits over Saturday’s double-header, has emerged as the starter at third base with McNeil, Antonio Bonassia and Suriani also seeing time at that hot corner.
Junior Santino Ruiz, who had three RBI against Memorial, starts at catcher with sophomore Chris Kovacs as the backup.
Senior Jonathon Breihoff has been a stellar defender in center field for Nutley, while also leading the team in stolen bases with 10.
“He’s probably one of the best center fielders I’ve ever coached,” Puzio said. He has unbelievable range and can get balls that you would think would be over his shoulder for triples.”
Tangora Field’s notorious outfield dimensions require a right fielder with the range of a center fielder and Puzio has one in freshman Dominic Saladino.
In left, Jiratatposat, a transfer from Seton Hall Prep, has returned from an early-season hamstring injury and is the team’s leading hitter at .389.
Senior Oliver Conheeny is a power threat at designated hitter, slugging two home runs this year.
Bonassia has played all over the field and is a threat on the bases off the bench for Nutley. Vincent Trauma and Nick D’Auria provide added depth in the outfield, as does Nick Gionni on the infield.
Rocco DeLitta, CJ Giachetti, Xavier Rivera, Sean Fealey and Anthony Straface have provided added depth off the bench.
Nutley looks to continue its turnaround on Wednesday when it hosts perennial state power Millburn before Friday’s GNT game against Barringer. Nutley concludes the regular season with rivalry games against Bloomfield and Belleville.
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Jason Bernstein | Observer Sports Writer
Jason Bernstein joined The Observer as its sports writer in March 2022, following the retirement of Jim Hague. He has a wealth of sports-writing experience, including for NJ Advance Media (nj.com, The Jersey Journal, The Star-Ledger.)