Mike Sweeney and Anthony Auletta teamed up to produce another stellar pitching performance for North Jersey on Thursday night, guiding the Eagles to a 3-0 victory over the Staten Island Tide.

Just as they did Wednesday against the Pilots, the Eagles’ hitters wasted no time providing their starter with a lead.

After leading off the bottom of the 1st inning with a walk, Tyler Benson stole second base and later moved to third while Shane Woelfel reached first on an error. One pitch later, Tide starter Hector Vargas tossed an errant pickoff throw into right field, allowing Benson to plate the first run of the game.

That run would be plenty for Sweeney and Auletta.

In his first start of the season, Mike Sweeney was masterful on the mound at Overpeck Park, scattering four hits and ringing up a strikeout in an efficient 59-pitch performance.

Holding the Tide hitters at bay throughout his five innings of work, Sweeney recorded 10 of his 15 outs on ground balls and did not allow a Tide baserunner to advance past second base.

After their starter’s outing was finished, the Eagles tacked on an insurance run via small-ball baseball in order to bolster the lead for reliever Anthony Auletta.

With runners on the corners and one out in the 5th inning, first baseman Luis Amaro blasted a sacrifice fly into deep left field off Tide reliever Jake Regina to score Benson for the second run of the night.

Toeing the rubber in the 6th inning, Auletta picked up where Sweeney left off, working around a Connor Powers single to record three more outs that all stayed in the infield.

The Eagles manufactured one last run in the 7th, as left fielder Ryan Rivera reached base with a single, stole second, and came around to score on a wild pitch to give the Eagles a 3-run cushion.

In the final two frames, it was much of the same for Auletta, who tallied the final five outs in order after allowing a one-out single in the 8th to Powers.

Auletta slammed the door shut with an emphatic 3-pitch strikeout of Tide third baseman Sean Mazzio to end the game and secure his first save of the season.

For Staten Island, Powers enjoyed a 4-4 night with four base hits, and Mazzio contributed two additional singles for the six hits that the Tide produced during the game.

Across the diamond, it was the second win in as many days for the North Jersey Eagles, who have rebounded nicely from their two Opening Days losses.

The Eagles pitching staff has been the key to the team’s success in the early part of the season, allowing only one run and eight hits in the last two games combined.

With their record leveled at 2-2, the Eagles will continue their lengthy homestand next week, playing four home games in the upcoming nine days.

North Jersey’s next game is Monday, June 8 against in-state rival Trenton Generals at Overpeck Park in Ridgefield Park, NJ. First pitch will be at 7:00pm, and the pregame show with Eagles broadcaster Dominick Savino will begin at 6:45pm on http://mixlr.com/northjerseyeagles/.

By Dominick Savino