Baseball: West Essex Defeats Garfield, 2-0, on Murano's Gem in State Tournament Opener

NORTH CALDWELL, NJ -- The West Essex baseball team edged Garfield, 2-0, in a pitchers’ duel on Thursday afternoon after heavy morning rain pushed the first-round game in Section 1, Group 3 from West Essex’s home field to the turf at West Orange High School.

Junior RHP Chris Murano led the way for the Knights, striking out eight and giving up just four hits in a complete-game shutout effort. Murano’s electric outing was enough to outduel Garfield senior Brenden Baeza, who gave up two runs in six innings.

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Murano (6-1, 1.98 ERA) was able to keep the Garfield lineup off-balance all afternoon. Four of the right-hander’s eight strikeouts were on called third strikes. His outing on Thursday adds to an impressive spring campaign in which he leads West Essex in both innings pitched (46) and strikeouts (63).

West Essex benefited from some late-game defensive heroics. In the sixth, sophomore catcher Colin Fogg caught a runner stealing third for the second out, killing a potential Garfield rally. Senior Shaun Bertonaschi made a diving play behind first base in the seventh, turning a sure extra-base hit into a lineout.

Murano himself made 1-3 putouts for the first and last outs of the game on nearly-identical dribblers back to the mound.

On offense, Bertonaschi and Danny Giannetti broke up the shutout tie in the fourth, hitting a pair of two-out doubles to give West Essex a 1-0 lead. Max Garcia, West Essex’s leadoff hitter, added onto the lead in the fifth, scoring Colin Fogg on a double into the right-field gap.

The Knights' lineup put up an impressive contact-hitting display at the plate, striking out just once in six innings.

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West Essex (22-4), which has won five games in a row, will play either Montville or Sparta next Wednesday in the sectional quarterfinals.

GARFIELD (12-11-1) 000 000 0 -- 0-4-0
WEST ESSEX (22-4) 000 110 X -- 2-6-0
WP-Murano
LP-Baeza

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