Carney's Complete Game Highlights Dragons' Win

Relying on senior pitcher Tim Carney, Brick's varsity baseball team picked up a much-needed win on Friday afternoon.

Carney and the Dragons scratched out a 4-2 come-from-behind win over Lacey.

Despite not having dominant strikeout numbers – only five – Carney allowed just one walk while silencing the Lions' bats.

"He really battled today," said Brick head coach Jason Groschel. "He hit his spots and had a good fastball."

In six of the seven innings, Carney danced around trouble as Lacey leadoff men reached base. After allowing a solo home run in the top of the first, Carney kept  the Lions off the scoreboard until the seventh.

"He had his breaking balls working, as well, today," said Groschel. "The key was how he managed to throw them for strikes today. When he's throwing it that good, it makes his fastball just that much faster."

Brick was not the only team with an excellent pitcher on Friday. Lacey's Victor Kochanowski pitched well, too.

Despite getting the leadoff runner on five out of six innings, the Dragons failed to produce any offense.

"It was a great pitchers duel," said Groschel. "They're a quality team and always seem to give us trouble.  We just happened to get the clutch hits."

Shutout through four innings, Brick went to work in their final two plate appearances.

Nick Vitale took advantage of a catcher's interference  as Rich Zonin was awarded first base and kept the inning alive by doubling home a run to tie the score at one in the bottom of the fifth.

In the sixth, the Dragons took advantage of  errors to take the lead. Following pitcher Carney reaching on an error, Cody Schenebel singled. Splitting a pair of strikeouts was Victor Wilenta; his hit would bring home the go-ahead run. Later, Zonin's hit scored two runs, as the Lions scored and got the tying runs on base before Carney induced a groundout to end the game.

Vitale, the centerfielder, went 3-for-4 while second baseman Victor Wilenta went 2-for-3.  Zonin was 2-for-2.

The only inning the Dragons did not get their leadoff man on was the bottom of the fourth, when Carney was at the plate and called out for using an illegal bat.

"All the bats were lined up prior to the game to be checked," said Groschel, "Maybe they made an oversight, I believe that bat was checked. Regardless, it got us fired up."

Brick's next game is Monday, May 2, in Barnegat at 3:45 p.m., in Shore Conference B South.