The Non-Public A North state playoffs was underway this past week, and the Rams, named the “dark horse” of the tournament by NJ.com, were determined to make a run. In their second home state game in two years, OP faced Paramus Catholic in the first round on May 21.

For his last home game of his career, Vassar-Bound pitching ace Andrew Meisner got the start on the mound against the Paladins. The top of the first inning was eventful, and Paramus Catholic clearly came to put up a fight. They scored two quick runs with an RBI single and triple, but Meisner would prove to quickly bounce back. He finished the inning and the offense immediately erupted. They rallied in four runs, with runs driven in by Joey Del Sol’s double, John Meehan’s single, and Nick Demarinis high-fly triple ‘moonshot’ down the left field line. Del Sol, Demarinis, Will Demilt, and Logan Drone all scored in the first, making the score 4-2 going into the second inning. The rest of the game would be a pitchers’ duel between both teams’ aces. Meisner and the opposing pitcher would cruise for the rest of the game and not give up a single run. In the bottom of the seventh with the game on the line, however, the Rams found themselves in a bases-loaded situation following a couple of errors and a hit. The tying run was up at bat with two outs, but Meisner was able to get out of the jam. A hard hit line drive found the glove of centerfielder Will Demilt, ending the game and allowing the Rams to move on in the tournament. For the second game in two years, the Rams had won a home state game.

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The following opponent was not an easy one. Oratory played Delbarton in Morristown and faced MLB Draft prospect Jack Leiter on the mound. Sophomore Logan Drone got a solid single in the first inning to start things off, but the offense would not be able to drive him in. Jack Greco started on the mound and battled hard against a stacked Green Wave lineup. The defense was highlighted by a web-gem diving catch by Will Demilt (video found in article)

in centerfield. Going into the fifth inning, the score was 8-0 Delbarton, but the Rams were able to score one with a suicide squeeze from John Meehan. The Rams, despite getting additional hits from Joey Del Sol and Robert Grasso later in the game, would unfortunately not be able to score any more runs. The final score was 9-1 Delbarton.

Despite battling hard, Oratory finished the season on a high note. They refused to give up against a very talented opponent, and they proved that the baseball program at the school was on the rise. The final record on the season was 17-7, while the team also went undefeated in the conference 10-0. Despite having a great season last year and losing many seniors, the Rams came back stronger and put up even stronger numbers in 2019. The results of the outstanding season displayed each player’s hard work and improvement throughout the course of the year and the continued excellence from several key stars. Following a fruitful season, Oratory can expect an even better one next year, continuing the upward trend for the baseball team at the school. Thank you to the seniors for all they have done the past 4 years and for contributing to the baseball team’s recent successes at OP!