In a game that demanded every ounce of resilience, determination, and toughness, Delbarton Baseball delivered one final unforgettable performance on June 10 at Rutgers University.
The Green Wave scored three runs in the top of the 10th inning and rode clutch relief pitching from senior Kyle McBride to defeat St. Augustine Prep, 4-1, and capture the NJSIAA Non-Public A State Championship.
The victory capped a remarkable season for Delbarton, which finished 28-4 overall and claimed its first state championship since 2019.
The Green Wave struck first in the second inning. After Ted Masino opened the frame with a single, courtesy runner James Gaven moved into scoring position. With one out, Curt Friedrich executed a perfect squeeze bunt, bringing home Gaven for a 1-0 Delbarton lead. The Green Wave loaded the bases later in the inning but were unable to add to the advantage.
St. Augustine answered in the bottom of the third, tying the game at 1-1 on a wild pitch.
From there, runs became nearly impossible to find.
Delbarton managed just four hits all afternoon—two from Matt Tafuri and one each from Lorenzo Maselli and Masino—as the Hermits' pitching staff retired 11 of the next 12 Green Wave hitters after the third inning.
While the offense struggled to generate opportunities, Delbarton's pitching staff continued to keep the game deadlocked.
The championship appeared to be slipping away in the bottom of the eighth.
With one out, St. Augustine put runners on the corners following consecutive singles. Head Coach Bruce Shatel turned to McBride out of the bullpen to protect the tie. After a hit batter loaded the bases, McBride recorded a strikeout for the second out of the inning.
That set up the defining moment of the game.
With the bases loaded and a full 3-2 count, the Hermits stood one ball away from walking off with a state championship. McBride challenged the hitter with a high fastball, and the batter chased for strike three.
Instead of celebrating a title, St. Augustine was left stranded with the bases loaded.
Delbarton had been given new life.
" I put him in a tough spot and he responded for our team in a big way," Shatel said. "I couldn't be more proud of him. His fastball was electric and his slider was good in certain spots and they didn't have many good swings against him."
The Green Wave finally broke through in the top of the 10th.
Ethan Yerow was hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Tafuri followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt but beat the throw to first for an infield single, putting two runners aboard. A full-count pitch then struck Sal Garcia, loading the bases for Maselli.
The senior remained patient and drew a four-pitch walk, forcing home Yerow and giving Delbarton a 2-1 lead.
The Green Wave continued to apply pressure.
Finn O'Loughlin delivered a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Tafuri for a 3-1 advantage. Moments later, Masino added another sacrifice fly, bringing home Garcia and extending the lead to 4-1.
Three outs away from a championship, McBride took the mound one final time.
The junior left no doubt.
McBride struck out the side in the bottom of the 10th, capping a dominant relief performance that featured seven strikeouts in 2.2 innings and securing the state championship for the Green Wave.
"We worked for this all season, even from the start in the weight room together, 6:30 a.m. in the winter," McBride said. "All the way until we went down to North Carolina. It's just been a battle the entire year. And to come out on top at the end, I mean the feeling is second to none."
The championship victory also served as redemption for Delbarton's senior class. The Green Wave fell to St. Augustine during their sophomore season, a memory that fueled the team's preparation throughout the postseason.
"We had fire behind us," Garcia said. "That sophomore year we lost to St. Augustine, we got killed, to be honest. There's no real way to explain it. Coming to this game, we knew it was going to be a dog fight."
No player embodied that determination more than Garcia.
The Virginia commit played every postseason game following the Morris County Tournament Final despite suffering a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in his fielding arm. His toughness became a rallying point for the entire team during the championship run.
The state title completed an extraordinary postseason for Delbarton, which captured both the Non-Public A North sectional championship and the overall Non-Public A crown.
