Eastern rolls over Timber Creek, 12-0

Matt Leise was making up for lost time.

The Eastern baseball team was making the most of an opportunity.

Leise, a lefthander who has missed much of his senior season because of illness, pitched a two-hitter as Eastern rolled to a 12-0 victory over host Timber Creek yesterday in the long-delayed championship game of the Camden County tournament.

"I couldn't be prouder of this team," Eastern coach Rob Christ said. "This is a remarkable group. They are so resilient."

Freshman outfielder Mike Marchitto hit a three-run home run and finished with four RBIs, and senior first baseman Nick Caputi delivered an RBI single for Eastern (15-8).

Rider-bound Jim Schramm, the ace for Timber Creek (9-13), allowed eight runs in the first inning as a combination of walks, fielding errors, and Marchitto's home run put the Chargers in a deep hole.

"Any pitcher who doesn't get the corners is going to be in trouble," Timber Creek coach Frank Torcasio said. "Jim has walked 12 batters all season, and suddenly he walks three in the first inning? We didn't help him out, either."

The first eight Eastern batters came around to score. That was more than enough support for Leise, who allowed just a pair of singles.

The Vikings also backed their pitcher with strong defense, turning two double plays.

"That was great," Leise said.

Leise was projected as Eastern's ace but missed much of the season with mononucleosis. He has returned to pitch a few times in the last couple of weeks, and yesterday's game marked his strongest performance.

"We're starting to see the true Matt," Christ said.

Eastern lost a heartbreaker to Cherry Hill East in the quarterfinals of the South Jersey Group 4 tournament on Friday. The Vikings were ahead, 6-4, with two outs and nobody on base in the seventh, but the Cougars rallied for an 8-6 victory.

Sixteen hours later, Eastern played one of its best games of the season to capture the title of the second-annual tournament.

"The true test of character is how you handle adversity," Christ said. "For this team to lose a playoff game and come back in a championship game with the level of focus and intensity they showed, that says something about these kids."

Leise said he was confident the Vikings would be ready to play because of the resilience the team has displayed all season.

"It's been up and down for us all season, but we've battled through everything," Leise said. "We never stop fighting."

Leise said he was trying to make the most of his time on the mound because he missed so much of his senior season.

"It was a disappointing season for me," he said. "But to be able to win this game, it's like it was worth the wait."

Timber Creek 000 00 - 0 2 4

Eastern 810 3x - 12 5 0

WP: Matt Leise. LP: Jim Schramm.

2B: E–Seth Feldbaum.

HR: E–Mike Marchitto.