By: Shane Petagna

BERKELEY HEIGHTS—Game One of the 2022 ABCCL Championship Series between the Garden
State Junebugs and the CGI Monsoons had two of the most potent offenses in the league on full
display. CGI relied on the heart of their order to cruise to a 13-5 victory.

The Monsoons, the No.2 seed out of the North Division, was able to host the top seeded
Junebugs from the Shore Division due to the fact they earned more points in the regular
season.

The contest started off hot as there were three outs on the basepaths combined in the first
inning. In the second inning, The Junebugs stranded one runner in scoring position while their
ace Ryan Pozo looked like he was beginning to settle in.

However, the home team struck first in the bottom of the third inning once the top of the
lineup got a second look at the Garden State starter.

Pozo, whose ERA for the season shot up a full run after surrendering five earned runs in his last
start in the Quarterfinal round, got a bit roughed up again this afternoon. His defense did not
do him any favors, either.

Pozo retired the leadoff man but allowed a single to Matt Hollender. In the next at-bat, Pozo
threw the ball away on a pickoff attempt and Hollender advanced to second base. From there,
the right-hander from Middlesex College started to lose command of the zone. A walk to the
last batter in the order Sean McCulloch brought up the top of the Monsoons lineup with a
chance to do damage.

Leadoff hitter Greg Verano tapped what looked like an inning-ending double play to Junebugs
third baseman Robert Gonzalez, who stepped on the bag for the force out but spiked the throw
to first and went up the line. McCulloch scored on the play, which set Pozo in a tailspin.
He walked the next three batters in a row, the last of which brought in a run to make it a two-
run lead. The next batter, Tyler McCulloch, made it 3-0 on an RBI infield single before the
Junebugs were finally able to escape the inning.

However, just as they have done all season, the Junebugs answered back in the next frame.
With CGI starter James Pazdera still on the bump, it was the same story when the Garden State
lineup came around the second time.
The Junebugs No. 2 batter Steven Shaffer led off the inning with his own infield single, and the
lineup behind him was able to put the tying run on base with only one out. After a mound visit
to Pazdera, Thomas Radigan was all over a full count fastball that went to the wall for a bases

clearing, three RBI triple to tie the score. However, the Junebugs would do no more damage in
the inning.

Garden State would regret not putting more runs on the board, as the Monsoons went right
back to work in the bottom of the fourth.

The bottom of the lineup for CGI knocked Pozo out of the game after two soft hits and his fifth
walk of the afternoon to load the bases once again for the top of the order. Patrick Kannaley
entered in relief, but was not able to mop up the mess.

Facing Verano first, Kannaley got him to roll over to Gonzalez for the second straight at-bat, but
another throwing error gave the Monsoons the lead right back. Two batters later, the league
leader in RBIs CJ Tomalavage added two more to his total on a double deep to centerfield to
make the score 7-3, after the Monsoons added a run on a wild pitch earlier in the plate
appearance. Chris Giacalone followed Tomalavage and brought him home on an RBI single to
complete the fourth inning rally.

CGI went to the bullpen for the top of the fifth and got a shutdown inning out of southpaw
Patrick Tullo. In the bottom half of the inning, CGI went right back to work with the meat of
their order.

More walks by Kannaley, and the theme of the day for Junebugs pitching, gave the Monsoons
another premier scoring chance. Tyler Ruban, the winner of the batting title for the regular
season, joined the party with two RBIs of his own on a double down the left field line to truly
blow the game open. Tomalavage added a third RBI on the afternoon with his second extra-
base hit of the day to make it 11-3.

“We just have batters one through ten, no matter what, get the job done,” said Tomalavage
post game with ABCCL’s own Dan Mallea.

The Monsoons certainly did get the job done all afternoon long. Giacalone and Tyler McCulloch
each plated a run in the bottom of the eighth, securing multiple RBI days for both men. CGI
combined for 13 runs on 13 hits, with the help of 10 walks from Junebugs pitchers.

The Championship Series will wrap up tomorrow afternoon, where the Monsoons are in the
driver’s seat. Look for Garden State to use Alec Schwartz, who currently is league leader in ERA
with a mark of 1.73 and is arguably the team’s best pitcher, to be used in an important spot in
Game 2. Schwartz has been used primarily as a reliver this season but has made three starts.