Cherry Hill West Baseball Wins Behind Bordner's Blast

Kyle Bordner was just trying to get on base.

With two outs in the bottom of the eleventh against Toms River East in the opening round of the South Jersey, Group 4 playoffs Monday, Bordner had only one thought: Keep the Lions alive, and move teammate Matt Giampetro over to second or third.

Naturally, Bordner took hold of a 1-1 fastball and launched it into the alley in left field, a shot that, in an instant, deflated the Toms River infield and sent Giampetro racing around the base paths to score the game-winner for Cherry Hill West’s first playoff victory since 2009.

“It gets tiring after a while, you’re just like, ‘I want to win’—that’s what we were fighting for today,” Bordner said. “It means so much—I mean, we’ve been working so hard all year just for this moment right here.”

Bordner’s game-winner was just the cap to a first-round game like none other—staple a triathlon to a marathon, and you get an idea of what the game felt like.

West starter Brad Machinski managed an unheard-of 98 pitches in 10 innings of work before hitting his limit for the week, working out of jams and stranding Raiders runners at third in the eighth, ninth and tenth innings.

While Machinski said he spent the early part of the game throwing with everything he could, he shifted to a strategy predicated on accuracy as the innings piled up.

“I was throwing for contact—I was throwing a lot of strikes,” he said. “Once it gets to extra innings, I live for that…I just lock in. I was hitting spots, throwing pitches when I needed to.”

And as much as Bordner got the credit for his heroics with the bat, Machinski said having him behind the plate made all the difference in the game.

“Nothing’s getting by him, so I have the confidence to throw any pitch at any time,” Machinski said. “I strongly believe he’s the best catcher in South Jersey.”

Toms River East only managed seven hits off Machinski all game—mostly singles—doing damage with a triple in the first and a double in the fifth.

Otherwise, the Lions starter was in near total control, striking out eight batters and working about as efficiently as possible.

“He’s been our leader all year long, and it was his game,” coach Dan McMaster said. “He wasn’t going to come out until the state told me I had to take him out, which is the 10 innings rule. He just wanted the ball, and it was his game to win.”

When Machinski finally had to come out, teammate Will Allen took over, allowing just a single before retiring the side in the top of the eleventh and getting credit for his sixth pitching win of the year.

Giampetro, who went 4-for-5 in the game, got West’s energy up with a leadoff single up the middle to start the bottom of the eleventh, and got to second on a fielder’s choice when teammate A.J. Sohacki grounded to the second baseman.

It was all up to Bordner from there, and he avenged a strikeout looking in his previous at-bat in a big way. Whether it came off his bat or anyone else’s, the junior said all that mattered was the W.

“This team has just been absolutely amazing all year,” Bordner said. “Everything that’s happened in the past doesn’t matter, because for the first time in years, we just won in the first round of the playoffs.”

West will travel to Williamstown, a 12-8 winner over Absegami, in the second round of the tournament Friday.

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