Red Wings a familiar foe to the Golden Bears

The last few years Lyndhurst’s baseball team has headed into the state tournament and found a familiar foe waiting for them.

That foe was Hoboken, but in past years the Golden Bears have been at home at Breslin Stadium.

Unfortunately for Lyndhurst, the home cooking had not helped as both times the Red Wings unceremoniously have been not nice visitors as they have ended the Golden Bears hopes for winning a state sectional title.

This year the teams had switched dugout positions and possibly the stakes had reason.

Unlike in previous years where the two teams had met in the first games of the Group 1 North 2 state sectional tournament games, the two rivals were meeting for the sectional championship, but this time in Hoboken.

"We were feeling great going in," said senior designated hitter/pitcher James Ostag. "We were playing well and everything was starting to come together."

But despite the change of scenario and going from a first game to the sectional final, third-seeded Lyndhurst could not withstand the top-seeded Hoboken comeback and fell 5-4. The Golden Bears finished the season with a 19-9 record.

If Lyndhurst would have defeated the Red Wings, it would have been the first state sectional title for Lyndhurst since 1984. A long time especially since the Golden Bears have had much success in the 23 years since that last sectional championship.

"We knew how long it had been and wanted to win the championship," said Ostag who remembers the two losses the last two years to Hoboken. "It was tough and especially since it came in the state finals."

While in the past it was on the real grass of Breslin Stadium, the game was being played on the synthetic turf of Hoboken stadium.

Despite the trip east and playing on the new turf, it did not have an effect on the Golden Bears.

With the help offensively of Evan Levario, Anthony Dorio and Bubba Jasinski, Lyndhurst was able to build a 4-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning.

And despite giving up a run in the fourth inning, Golden Bears sophomore hurler Glenn Flora was whipping through the Red Wings lineup.

But the fifth inning would be an inning that Flora, Ostag and Lyndhurst would soon like to forget. Five of the first Hoboken six batters getting up to hit would get on first base and the once seemingly invisible four run lead was cut to one, 4-3.

Lyndhurst head coach Butch Servideo would turn to Ostag, the second part of the Golden Bears quality duo of pitchers (including Flora). It would work out well for the senior as he was able to get the first batter on a fielders’ choice. But Hoboken’s Erick Cruz would get the better of the senior with smash up the middle and scoring two runs for the 5-4 Red Wings lead.

While Ostag settled down, Lyndhurst had two innings of opportunities, but Hoboken pitcher Devon Inhulsen would not allow the Golden Bears to get the equalizer or even the go ahead run.

Heading into the battle with Hoboken, Lyndhurst was playing well in state sectional play. After falling 11-1 at Old Tappan in the Bergen County tournament, the Golden Bears rebounded in fine form with a 8-2 victory over Ridgefield in state sectional semi-finals.

Ostag threw a three-hitter over five innings while catcher Anthony Latti went 3-for-3 and two RBI to lead the Lyndhurst offense. Nick Abruscato had a pair of RBI and Dorio and Artie Wilson had an RBI each.