Angelo Casale – OLD BRIDGE, NJ (July 26, 2011) – After edging the Freehold Clippers 2-1 last night in Game 1 of their semi-final playoff match-up, the Toms River Hurricanes came out firing on all cylinders tonight to take Game 2 by the score of 13-1 at Phillips Park in Old Bridge.  With the win, the #1 seeded Hurricanes advance to the ABCCL finals to play the winner of the other semi-final between the Monmouth Monarchs and Protocall Starz.

Game 2 was the complete opposite of Game 1, as the Hurricanes drubbed the Freehold pitching for 13 runs on 20 hits. After the game, Hurricanes head coach Jerry Smith noted, “In Game 1, 14 of our first 15 outs were either strike-outs or flyouts.  We wanted to emphasize working line drives and taking a ground out approach, and I thought that our players made nice adjustments today.”

And boy did the Hurricanes listen to their coaching and make the adjustments needed. They scored six runs in the top of the second to command the game early on. In all, 11 batters stepped up to the plate for Toms River in the inning, combining for eight singles, five of them going for RBIs.

Toms River also got a strong pitching performance from starter Conner Medler (Rutgers-Newark; hometown Edison, NJ), who went five innings, allowing only one run on five hits while striking out six.

The Clippers scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the fourth, when Ryan Phelan (Fordham University; hometown West Windsor, NJ) singled home Mike Cappiello (Plymouth State University; hometown Westfield, NJ) who had also singled in the inning.

The Hurricanes were at it again in the top of the fifth, when they scored four more runs to take a 10-1 lead. A Billy Hoermann (Rutgers University; hometown Toms River, NJ) RBI double, a Jack Provine (West Chester University; hometown Lincroft, NJ) 2-run single, and an Elijah Yarborugh (Temple University; hometown North Brunswick, NJ) RBI single all contributed to another huge inning for the Hurricanes.

The rest of the game went by quietly, and when all was said and done, the Hurricanes were enjoying just another day at the ball park.  All nine of their starters had recorded at least one base hit, and all 19 players at the game got a chance to hit. Notable performances were made by: Billy Hoermann, who went 3-4 with 2 doubles, a single, and 2 RBIs; Elijah Yarborough, who went 2-4 with a double, a single, a sac fly, and 3 RBIs; and Jack Provine, who went 3-4, with 3 singles and 2 RBIs.

After capturing the #1 seed in last year’s ABCCL playoffs, the Hurricanes were ousted in the semi-finals by the eventual champion Protocall Starz. This year, they have a chance to redeem themselves, in a season that has seen them atop of the ABCCL standings from week 1. With a record of 30-5 including this years 4 playoff wins, they are the clear favorites to lift the championship cup at season’s end.

Toms River general manager Dean Mancini added, “I think this year’s team is different from last year’s. The chemistry between the players is a lot stronger, and we have a deeper pitching staff. We have 10 guys that can come in and get it done on the mound, and I think our middle infield is stronger this year as well.”

The ABCCL Jerry Lillis Championship Series starts Friday July 29th, under the lights at Raritan Bay Waterfront Park at 7 PM.  Check out the ABCCL’s homepage at abccl.com for more information.