Pitching duels don’t get much more fabulous than the one that happened yesterday between the baseball teams of Verona and Nutley high schools in the quarterfinals of the Greater Newark Tournament.
Pierce Coppola was on the mound for Verona, striking out 12 and walking five in seven full innings. Johnny Luberto was his Nutley counterpart, and he struck out 10 Hillbillies and walked four in five innings of play. The game was scoreless after seven innings, but in the top of the eighth, it looked like Verona might break the log jam. Anthony Zamloot got to first on a passed ball and then stole second. Nutley, which had already brought in one reliever for Luberto, brought in a second. Verona couldn’t make it home, however, and when Nutley got back at bat, their Kevin Hogan drove in a run to give the Raiders a 1-0 win.
While the loss was the end of the line for VHS baseball in the 87th GNT, it’s not the end of Verona’s presence in the tournament. Baseball’s semifinals and softball’s quarterfinals will both take place on Verona High School’s lower field on Saturday, May 11. The boys schedule begins at 11 a.m. with Millburn versus Seton Hall Prep and then Montclair will face top-seeded Nutley at 3 p.m.
Softball’s GNT action begins at 9 a.m. with Livingston against Caldwell, followed by West Essex against Nutley at 11. At 1 p.m. the VHS softball team takes on Mount Saint Dominic Academy with Columbia facing Cedar Grove at 3 p.m. Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students and seniors.
Photos copyright Kathleen Seubert. Used by permission.
