South Jersey Baseball . . .
Rob Christ's Coaching History
Eastern Regional coach Rob Christ, after
earning career
win No. 400 (Gateway & ER) in the 2018 season.
Rob Christ, a product of
Willingboro High ('82) and Elizabethtown College (Pa.), has led
two South Jersey high school baseball programs for 22 seasons into the 2018-19
season --
Gateway for six (1996-2001) and Eastern Regional for 16 (2004-19).
His teams have qualified for sectional playoffs in
20 of his 22 seasons, including the
last
10 in succession.
Recaps of those playoff games are below, along with a list of the records
vs. all opponents.
Rob won one South Jersey sectional title at Gateway (in '99) and has won
three at ER (in
'13, '14 and '19) along with one state championship (in '13).
His records in playoffs: 8-5 at Gateway, 26-14 at ER, 34-19 overall.
Overall record through 2019: 424-159 (104-49 at Gateway, 320-110 at
Eastern).
In 2019, Rob was named the South Jersey Coach of the Year by the
Courier Post.
Details obtained primarily from stories in the
Philadelphia Inquirer
and
Camden Courier-Post.
To reach Ted Silary -- tedtee307@yahoo.com
| Year | Round | Opponent | W-L | Score | Details |
| At Eastern (Group 4) | |||||
| 2019 | First | Brick Memorial | Won | 5-0 | Cole Boyan, who allowed five hits and no walks, became just the third guy to pitch |
| a complete game playoff shutout for coach Christ. Nick Zellner turned three hits into | |||||
| one RBI and scored twice. Dylan Stezzi added two hits; one was an RBI double. | |||||
| Qtr | Williamstown | Won | 5-2 | Sam Portnoy hurled a four-hitter with one walk. RBI came from Matt Karpousis, | |
| Isaac Fendrick (one double apiece), Dylan Stezzi and AJ Funari. The fifth inning | |||||
| was delayed by a thunderstorm. | |||||
| Semi | Cherokee | Won | 4-3 | Mike Bonomo pounded a two-run double in the second, but Cherokee pitcher | |
| Jake Prince answered in the visiting seventh with a three-run double. Nick Zellner's | |||||
| triple in the bottom half created a tie and Dylan Stezzi -- after a hit by pitch and | |||||
| intentional walk loaded the bases, and the outfielders were brought waaaaay in -- | |||||
| launched a one-out, game-winning "single" far over the centerfielder's head. | |||||
| Final | Cherry Hill East | Won | 7-2 | While seizing their first SJ crown since 2014, the Vikes offered quite the memorable | |
| moment. They expanded a 3-2 lead in the fifth on a trick play: Dylan Stezzi flopped | |||||
| about halfway toward third base. The catcher's pickoff throw was high and Jack | |||||
| Winsett frolicked home from third. Highlights in the three-run sixth were RBI by | |||||
| frosh Mike Bonomo (triple) and Ryne Kremer (single). Sam Portnoy allowed seven | |||||
| hits and fanned five over 5 2/3 innings. Kremer earned the save. | |||||
| *Semi | Manalapan | Won | 1-0 | Cole Boyan crafted another shutout while allowing four hits and getting major | |
| help from his defense. Centerfielder Nick Zellner started two doubleplays; catcher | |||||
| Dylan Stezzi made the tag to end one of them. AJ Funari's squeeze bunt made it | |||||
| 1-0 in the fourth. With out and runners on second and third in the seventh, Manalapan | |||||
| made it 1-1 with a squeeze on a pitchout . . . until the plate ump ruled the batter out for | |||||
| making contact from outside the batter's box. 3B Isaac Fendrick caught a liner on | |||||
| the next pitch to end it. | |||||
| *Final | Ridgewood | Lost | 2-1 | Ridgewood scored the game's one earned run in the first inning on a sac fly | |
| and used another SF to make it 2-0 in the sixth. Cole Boyan allowed just two hits | |||||
| over 6 2/3 frames. Eastern scored in the home sixth as AJ Funari walked, stole | |||||
| second, moved to third on a wild pitch and scurried home on an errant pickoff | |||||
| throw to first. Nick Zellner's double was the best of Eastern's two hits. The Vikings | |||||
| fanned 12 times. | |||||
| 2018 | First | Atlan. County Tech | Won | 12-2 | Eastern's seven hits included Jack Herman's triple and doubles by Ron |
| Silvestro/Jesse Barbera/Isaac Fendrick. Ryne Kremer earned the win. | |||||
| Qtr | Shawnee | Lost | 6-4 | The Vikings fell behind for good, 4-3, in the visiting fifth. AJ Funari and | |
| Jack Herman smacked doubles. | |||||
| 2017 | First | Atlantic City | Won | 13-0 | Zach Ray went 3-for-3 with five RBI, Davis Schneider added three RBI and |
| Spencer Perez went four innings to pick up the W. | |||||
| Qtr | Lenape | Lost | 2-1 | The Vikings were held to three hits. | |
| 2016 | First | Toms River North | Lost | 4-3 | Davis Schneider (one RBI) and Ron Silvestro notched two hits apiece. TRN |
| posted three runs in the home seventh. | |||||
| 2015 | First | Brick Twp. | Won | 9-5 | Collin Fabio went 3-for-3, scored three runs and collected all three of his |
| RBI on a sixth-inning double that expanded a 6-5 lead. | |||||
| Qtr | Clearview | Won | 6-0 | Alex Schwartz twirled a two-hitter and Matt Woods, the No. 9 hitter, matched | |
| two doubles with two RBI. Corey Kreston went 4-for-4. | |||||
| Semi | Cherokee | Lost | 9-5 | Tyler Dixon went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Davis Schneider also | |
| rapped two hits. Cherokee led, 9-2, after 5 1/2 innings. | |||||
| 2014 | First | Vineland | Won | 4-3 | The Vikings, the No. 11 seed (they'd begun the season with just one returning |
| starter), toughed out this upset as Austin Friedant, after allowing seven hits in the | |||||
| last two innings, ended the game with a three-pitch strikeout. Vineland had | |||||
| already scored twice in that frame and runners were on first and second. | |||||
| Eastern scored four in the fourth and Tyler Dixon, the No. 9 hitter, stroked | |||||
| a two-out, two-run single. | |||||
| Qtr | Williamstown | Won | 7-4 | Alex Schwartz earned the win. Tom Flacco (two) and Matt Woods hit triples. | |
| Joey Caruso, Collin Fabio and Corey Kreston contributed doubles. | |||||
| Semi | Washington Twp. | Won | 5-4 | Alex Schwartz went five innings to post the W. Tyler Travis (double) and Tom | |
| Flacco (single) had RBI in the two-run third. Two more runs were scored in the | |||||
| fourth after miscues followed Corey Kreston's sacrifice bunt. Collin Fabio | |||||
| launched a solo homer in the sixth. The Vikings turned three doubleplays. | |||||
| Final | Rancocas Valley | Won | 5-1 | Coach Rob Christ's Vikings hit the road for a fourth consecutive time in the | |
| playoffs and. hey, no one minded as a second consecutive South Jersey crown | |||||
| was secured. Austin Friedant crafted a four-hitter with no walks and five. | |||||
| strikeouts. Joey Caruso and frosh Davis Schneider had matching performances: | |||||
| 2-for-3, one RBI, one run scored. Ryan Keen’s RBI single in the first put | |||||
| Eastern ahead for good. | |||||
| *Semi | Jackson Twp. | Lost | 6-5 | The Vikings fell into a 6-2 hole before almost completely staging the hoped-for | |
| rally. They scored one in the fifth and two in the sixth. Davis Schneider posted | |||||
| three RBI thanks to a two-run homer and one-run single. | |||||
| 2013 | First | Millville | Won | 4-2 | Steve Priolo surrendered four hits, two of the infield variety, and retired 12 |
| of the final 14 batters. Tom Flacco launched a homer and bagged another RBI | |||||
| on a groundout. | |||||
| Qtr | Toms River North | Won | 7-3 | Steve Priolo struck out five and went 3-for-4 with three RBI. Matt Marella and | |
| Tom Flacco lashed two hits apiece. The former had two RBI; the latter scored | |||||
| two runs. | |||||
| Semi | Williamstown | Won | 4-0 | The Vikings made Alex Bussison (three-hitter, seven Ks) a winner by packing | |
| four runs into the fourth inning. Jake Quinn pounded a double. | |||||
| Final | Shawnee | Won | 16-6 | Steve Priolo pitched a complete game and enjoyed being part of a seven-hit, | |
| seven-run first inning. He finished with three hits. Nick Tierno thumped a solo | |||||
| homer and scored three times while Tom Flacco went 3-for-3 with two doubles | |||||
| and a triple while scoring four runs. The first four guys in the batting order -- | |||||
| Tierno, Ryan Delaney, Flacco, Priolo -- totaled 11 hits, six RBI and 11 runs | |||||
| scored. | |||||
| *Semi | Hunterdon Cent. | Won | 2-1 | The Vikings scored their runs in the first inning and got the last out of the | |
| game on a close play off a grounder, second baseman Nick Tierno to first | |||||
| baseman Jake Quinn. | |||||
| *Final | Westfield | Won | 8-1 | After heavy rain caused a one-day postponement, Steve Priolo fired a five-hitter | |
| with seven punchouts and Nick Tierno tripled. Later? Glad you asked. They made | |||||
| it back to Eastern in time to make late appearances in the Camden County Senior | |||||
| All-Star Game and clubbed back-to-back homers! Against Westfield, Jake Quinn | |||||
| went 2-for-4 with two doubles and one brought home two runs in a four-run fifth. | |||||
| Ben Hoffman went 3-for-3 with a double and RBI single. He also experienced the | |||||
| thrill of stealing home. Tom Flacco mixed two steals with two runs scored. In six | |||||
| playoffs, coach Rob Christ's Vikings outscored their opponents by 41-13. | |||||
| 2012 | First | Toms River North | Won | 7-4 | Mike Marchitto fanned eight and helped his own cause with three RBIs, |
| including a two-run double in the sixth inning. Eastern overcame a 4-1 deficit | |||||
| Qtr | Cherokee | Lost | 6-4 | After pinch-hitter Jake Quinn provided major excitement by launching a | |
| two-out, two-run homer in the visiting seventh . . .Cherokee posted a three-run | |||||
| swat in the bottom half. | |||||
| 2011 | First | Oakcrest | Won | 6-1 | Tylor Love went 3-for-3, Tom Bordi cracked a solo homer and Steve Volpe |
| allowed four hits. | |||||
| Qtr | Williamstown | Won | 9-2 | Matt Lawson's 3-for-3 performance included a triple and two RBI, Tom | |
| Bordi doubled and Steve Volpe pitched for 5 1/3 innings. | |||||
| Semi | Lenape | Lost | 11-0 | The Vikings were limited to four hits (all singles). | |
| 2010 | First | Washington Twp. | Lost | 9-5 | Eric Oliver and Evan Levicoff tripled for Eastern, which failed to score until |
| the final two innings | |||||
| 2009 | First | Lenape | Won | 10-5 | Bobby Foley (back from injury after missing 1 1/2 months) and Nick Caputi |
| rapped two hits apiece and the former had two RBI. Derek Scott got the win. | |||||
| Qtr | Cherry Hill East | Lost | 8-6 | The Vikes surrendered four runs in the visiting seventh. | |
| 2008 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2007 | First | Cherry Hill West | Lost | 4-1 | Eastern's only hits were bagged by Mitch Primas (double) and Wes Sweet |
| (single). The run scored on a wild pitch. | |||||
| 2006 | Qtr | Washington Twp. | Won | 5-4 | Winning pitcher Pat Monaghan turned two doubles into three RBI, Rick |
| Fougeray slashed a triple and Kris Herman stole home. The Vikings scored four | |||||
| times in the fourth. | |||||
| Semi | Toms River South | Won | 11-10 | The Vikings stormed back from 5-0, 8-6 and 10-8 deficits. Reliever Matt | |
| Pizzutillo became a winner when Pat Monaghan delivered a walkoff, three-run | |||||
| double in the home ninth.. He also had a triple. | |||||
| Final | Toms River East | Lost | 3-2 | Pat Monaghan twirled a three-hitter and had a no-no through four innings. | |
| Brendan Moles lofted a solo homer in the home seventh to get the Vikings | |||||
| within one run, but the next two batters were retired. | |||||
| 2005 | Qtr | Winslow Twp. | Won | 14-4 | The Vikings exploded for 12 runs in the last two innings of this five-frame |
| game. Rick Fugeroy went 3-for-4 with a triple and four RBI and Pat | |||||
| Monaghan collected the win. | |||||
| Semi | Washington Twp. | Lost | 8-0 | Eastern was held to one hit. | |
| 2004 | First | Cherokee | Lost | 4-3 | Jeff Daniels and Nate Rosborough stroked RBI singles in a two-run visiting |
| seventh as Eastern fell one run short. | |||||
| At Gateway (Group 2) | |||||
| 2001 | Did not qualify | ||||
| 2000 | Qtr | Haddon Heights | Lost | 2-1 | Josh Schwartz spun a three-hitter in defeat. |
| 1999 | Qtr | Audubon | Won | 6-5 | In the 10th, Luke Miller drove in Mike Peterson (3-for-4) to win it. Joe |
| Saporetti earned the W with 5 1/3 scoreless innings. | |||||
| Semi | Cinnaminson | Won | 12-2 | Josh Schwartz whiffed eight in five innings while Matt Bush and Joe | |
| Saporetti posted two hits apiece and combined for five RBI. | |||||
| Final | Kingsway | Won | 8-4 | Jim Bastien, Mike Peterson and Scott Long (two hits, four RBI) contributed | |
| run-scoring singles in a three-run first as the Gators made a quick statement en | |||||
| route to their first SJ title. Luke Miller (RBI double) also provided support | |||||
| for winner Josh Schwartz. | |||||
| *Semi | Ridge | Won | 2-1 | Josh Schwartz allowed two hits and fanned six over seven innings. In the | |
| eighth, singles by Schwartz and winner Joe Saporetti created a first-and-third | |||||
| situation and an intentional walk loaded the bases. Mike Peterson's squeeze | |||||
| bunt (almost caught by the sprawling pitcher) allowed the Gators to advance. | |||||
| With a diving catch, CF Matt Bush made the defensive play of the day. | |||||
| *Final | Gov. Livingston | Lost | 4-2 | The Gators did lead, 2-1, thanks to Jim Bastien's two-run double. but a | |
| doubleplay off a missed suicide squeeze proved to be a killer. Joe | |||||
| Saporetti and Matt Bush halved four hits. | |||||
| 1998 | First | Sterling | Won | 8-7 | This classic lasted 15 innings and Josh Schwartz' single drove in Matt Bush |
| (double) to win it. The Gators forced extras with three in the home seventh, | |||||
| thanks mostly to Andrew Colanero's two-run single, and Brad Tully's RBI | |||||
| single made it 7-7 in the 13th. Soph Sam Dunn pitched the last nine innings, | |||||
| allowing four hits and one run while striking out six. | |||||
| Qtr | Manchester Twp. | Won | 5-4 | Joe Saporetti clubbed an RBI double in a three-run fourth. Brad Tully had | |
| a two-run double. | |||||
| Semi | Audubon | Lost | 13-3 | The deficit was 11-1 after three innings. Josh Schwartz, Joe Saporetti and | |
| Andrew Colanero managed to stroke doubles. | |||||
| 1997 | First | Delran | Lost | 1-0 | Mike Peterson pitched well, but allowed a homer to Ted Trump in the first, |
| 1996 | First | Haddonfield | Won | 3-2 | Eric Berry (also a triple) gave himself the win in the eighth inning with a single |
| after Tony Gismondi's triple was followed by two walks | |||||
| Qtr | Buena | Won | 11-6 | The Gators exploded for eight runs in the sixth to erase a 5-3 deficit. | |
| Semi | Northern Burlington | Lost | 16-1 | Gateway, which scored its run in the visiting first, was held to five hits. | |
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| Records vs. Playoff Opponents | |||
| (italics -- opponents at Gateway) | |||
| School | W | L | Pct. |
| Williamstown | 4 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Brick Twp. | 2 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Atlantic City | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Atlantic County Tech | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Clearview | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| *Hunterdon Central | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| *Manalapan | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Millville | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Oakcrest | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Rancocas Valley | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Toms River South | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Vineland | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| #Westfield | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Winslow Twp. | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Buena | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Cinnaminson | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Haddonfield | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Kingsway | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Manchester Twp. | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| *Ridge | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Sterling | 1 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Toms River North | 2 | 1 | .667 |
| Washington Twp. | 2 | 2 | .500 |
| Cherry Hill East | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Shawnee | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Audubon | 1 | 1 | .500 |
| Lenape | 1 | 2 | .333 |
| Cherry Hill West | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| *Jackson Twp. | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| #Ridegwood | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Toms River East | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Delran | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| #Gov. Livingston | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Haddon Heights | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Northern Burlington | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| Cherokee | 1 | 3 | .250 |
| 34 | 19 | .642 | |
| *-state semi | |||
| #-state final | |||
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