It's not often that two tournament championship games are played in the same week, but with a bevy of rain delays, that is what Christian Brothers Academy Baseball was forced to do.
The Colts took the challenge in stride and came out victorious in both finals.
On May 22, CBA defeated Southern Regional in the Shore Conference Championship at ShoreTown Ballpark in Lakewood, earning the program's eighth conference title.
It was 1-0 pitchers' duel victory for the Colts, as sophomore Dylan Iwaynk threw 5.1 scoreless innings and junior Jack Dufficy finished the last 1.2 innings with four strikeouts.
Christian Brothers scored its only run on a wild pitch, when sophomore Jayden Matejicka dashed home in the third inning. Matejicka had led off the inning with a single, proceeded to steal second, and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by junior Will Fahey.
“I was glad I could pitch with some comfort after Jayden scored there. After he scored, I had a feeling we’d win like this again,” Iwanyk told NJ.com after the game.
Iwanyk was referencing CBA's walk-off wild pitch win in the Shore semifinals against RBC. The Colts scored the game-winning run in the seventh inning, when Fahey slid in at home plate before the tag.
It is CBA's first Shore title since 2016, when the Colts won their third in three years between 2014-2016.
Due to multiple weather postponements, the Monmouth County Championship was scheduled for after the Shore Conference final, causing CBA to have to play that game on May 24.
Facing RBC for the second time in a week, the Colts won a shootout of a game, 13-12, in what can only be characterized as the polar opposite of the Shore title contest.
Sophomore Colin Hoverter scored the go-ahead, 13th run on a passed ball in the sixth inning, continuing the streak of unlikely game-winning scores.
Dufficy once again came up big on the mound, pitching three relief innings and not allowing a run. That gave the Colts a chance to make up a three-run deficit in the fifth and sixth innings.
Iwanyk showed his muscle at the plate in this game, notching two hits and four RBIs. Matejicka went 2-2 with a triple.
The Monmouth County title is CBA's first since 2019 and 10th overall.
