By Scott Stump - Senior Editor


    TOMS RIVER - The players on Toms River North's baseball team know that championships are not won in April in the jungle of Class A South, but the message they sent in their season opener on Wednesday was anything but subtle.
    The defending division champs went on the road and took down a Toms River South team viewed as the No. 1 squad in the Shore and one of the top in the state heading into the season by using the heavy artillery of the long ball to zoom to a seven-run lead before holding on for a 7-5 victory. It reminded everyone that the Mariners return plenty of talent as well and are still a force, while the Indians' comeback to make the Mariners sweat in the seventh inning also showed that they aren't planning on going anywhere either. It also marked North's fourth straight win over South.
    Toms River North hit a trio of two-run homers for six of its seven runs and received a solid start from ace right-hander Zach Brebner, who had a streak going of 20 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings against the Indians dating back to last season before Seton Hall recruit Chase Gray hit a two-run homer in the fifth inning on Wednesday. Brebner went 5 1/3 innings, struck out eight and allowed four runs to pick up the win, which was powered by a pair of two-run homers by left fielder Ryan Fontenelli and a two-run bomb by second baseman Steve Nyisztor at Ken Frank Stadium.
    "Coach (Ted Schelmay) always tells us that we don't want to do that much talking outside - it's all done between the lines,'' Nyisztor said. "It was a good team win. This gives us a lot of momentum.''
     "We're used to getting ranked low and that's how we like it,'' said Brebner, who pitched a no-hitter in his previous start against the Indians in last season's NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV semifinals. "We like to come out of the woodwork and take down the top teams.''
     The Mariners seized the early momentum when they nicked Indians ace Tyler Gebler for an unearned run in the second inning, while Brebner cruised through the first three innings without allowing a hit. Brebner is one of the Shore's more efficient pitchers, keeping his fastball at the knees and changing speeds effectively while throwing one strike after another. He also has pumped up his velocity, getting a little extra burst on his mid-80s fastball on his way to eight K's.
     "I was doing more power cleans in workouts this year, and I've been working to put another three to four miles-per-hour on the fastball,'' Brebner said.
     Speaking of fastballs, Fontenelli clubbed one in the fourth inning to the perfect part of the park, a quirky spot where a building juts out just over the 300-foot sign, for a two-run homer and a 3-0 lead to get his sparkling debut in gear.
     "I struck out the first time, so I wanted to be aggressive,'' he said. "I looked to swing at the first pitch. It was important to come out (and take the lead) because it quiets them down a little bit. The game was in our control.''
      In the fifth, Gebler was relieved by Drew Holt, who was on the Indians as a freshman but spent two seasons at a high school in Tennessee before moving back to Toms River for his senior year. He did not get a warm homecoming from the Mariners, many of whom played with or against him growing up. The first batter he faced was Nyisztor, who promptly launched a fastball about 350 feet over the left field fence for a two-run shot, a 5-0 lead and his first career home run.
      "(Holt) got ahead of me on the first pitch, but then he came back in with a low fastball and I just turned on it and got all of it,'' Nyisztor said. "Some of us knew (Holt) and played with him back in middle school. We heard some rumors that he wasn't feeling the best and that his arm was a little sore.''
     Designated hitter Nick Feelise walked with two outs in the same inning as Nyisztor's homer, and Fontenelli made Holt pay for that by blasting a two-run shot on to the roof in center field to balloon the lead to 7-0 in the fifth.
     "I know Holt, and I know what he had,'' Fontenelli said. "I felt comfortable.''
      A part-time player last season, Fontenelli had one career homer before depositing two over the fence on Wednesday.
      "I know I'm not going to do this in every game the rest of the season,'' he said before smiling. "I needed to get off to a good start this season.''
      Toms River South had a difficult time scoring runs in big games last season, especially against the Mariners, so it may have been a big psychological boost when Gray crushed an inside fastball, which Brebner had snuck by him on previous at-bats, over the right field wall in the bottom of the fifth for a two-run homer to put the Indians on the board. They kept chipping away by pushing across two more in the sixth on an RBI single by senior outfielder Jake Del Vento and an RBI sacrifice fly by first baseman Vin Vivona against reliever Scott Shan.
       The Indians then made the Mariners have to take a few deep breaths in the seventh inning when designated hitter Dan Davis hit an RBI single with two outs to slice the lead to two runs with runners on first and second. Shan induced a groundout to Nyisztor, however, who made the throw to seal the win, as Toms River North's defense was excellent and made the Indians work for everything they got.
        "We were just hoping Scotty would throw strikes because we want to make them earn it,'' Nyisztor said. "They were putting the ball in play and getting hard hits, but we made the plays in the end.''
        Toms River South outhit the Mariners, 10-8, but Toms River North recorded the more costly hits. However, the Indians battled to the end, which will most likely serve as a microcosm of the always-competitive Class A South. Sophomore reliever Andrew McGee was also impressive for South, striking out five of the seven batters he faced in the last two innings.
        "The three home runs, that's the difference,'' said Indians coach Ken Frank. "Zach Brebner was tough and the error cost us early and sent a little momentum the other way. Give credit to Toms River North, they're probably the team to beat in the A South. I'm not going to chew the kids out. They didn't play our game today, but they'll be back.''
       All they need to do is look at Toms River North, which lost to the Indians in the first game last year before roaring back to win the division. As for the Mariners, they can make a big statement with a win over rival Toms River East later this week in their quest  to repeat as champs.
       "We've got East on Friday, so this is a great way to go in there,'' Fontenelli said.

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com

Box score
Toms River North 7, Toms River South 5

TR North (1-0, 1-0)  0 1 0 2 4 0 0 - 7 8 0
TR South (0-1, 0-1) 0 0 0 0 2 2 1 - 5 10 2

Home runs: (TRN) Fontenelli 2, Nyisztor; (TRS) Gray. WP: Brebner (1-0); LP: Gebler (0-1).