Falcons get their GMC title BY SHAWN LAYTON Staff Writer JEFF GRANIT staff St. Joseph’s Mike Bujalkowski fires a pitch to the plate during the Falcons’ win over Carteret in the GMC Tournament championship game in Bridgewater on Sunday. BRIDGEWATER — The St. Joseph High School baseball team won its first Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament since 1968 with a 6-0 win over Carteret Sunday night at Commerce Bank Ballpark in Bridgewater. Senior right-hander and GMC Tournament MVP, Mike Bujalkowski two-hit the Ramblers and went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double off the left field wall and a two-run HR over the same wall to put the game out of reach in the sixth. "I struggled earlier at the plate," Bujalkowski said. "I was expecting a fastball, so I kept my weight back and let the bat do the work. It was my second home run of the year." Bujalkowski admitted that he struggled a bit on the mound in the early innings. After last weekend’s dominating performance over Spotswood in which he allowed three hits and fanned 10, the first inning of Sunday’s game was anything but dominating. Bujalkowski hit a batter and walked another to cause some alarm among the Falcon faithful. "I didn’t feel comfortable in the first inning," Bujalkowski said. "I was having a hard time gripping the ball because of the humidity, but I just pitched and let them put it in play." Bujalkowski eventually settled down, and the game became a pitching dual through the first three innings. Carteret pitcher Brian Mliczek kept the Falcon bats quiet until Falcon shortstop Santo Maertz beat out an infield hit, diving into first to lead off the bottom of the fourth. Third baseman Harry Douglas followed Maertz’s single with one of his own and senior first baseman Robert Pietrocola put down a perfect bunt to load the base with no outs. Mliczek threw a wild pitch to plate Maertz for the game’s first run, and catcher James Capriglione lined a pitch to center for a RBI single and a 2-0 lead. "He threw me a fastball away," Capriglione said. "I was able to hit a single past the shortstop. It is definitely my biggest hit this year." Capriglione also hit a game-winner in the ninth against Sayreville earlier this season. The Falcons put two more on the board in the fourth, thanks to a two-RBI single by second baseman Anthony Sessa and a throwing error by Carteret right fielder Brian Whalen. Bujalkowski never gave the Ramblers much of a chance to surmount a comeback. He retired 13 of the last 14 batters he faced. Carteret’s Kevin Connelly tagged Bujalkowski for a double to the wall in the second, but Bujalkowski came back to strike out Israel Gual and get out of the inning when Isauh Gual grounded to third. Bujalkowski allowed one more hit in the fifth, but finished the game in typical fashion, retiring the last seven batters in order. "That’s a good hitting team," St. Joseph head coach Lou Urbano said of Carteret. "They swing the bats right to the end. I told [Bujalkowski] that he wasn’t going to strike them out, and he mixed in a few more change-ups than usual." For Urbano and his Falcons, the victory attested to their development and maturation over the last several years. "My seniors have been with me since they were sophomores," Urbano said. "They have paid their dues and our program has come a long way in the eight years that we’ve [Urbano and assistant Bob Yunker] been here." Urbano’s Falcons were scheduled to try and wrap up the regular season and clinch the GMC Red Division title with a game yesterday at J.P Stevens. Notes...At the conclusion of Sunday’s victory over Carteret in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament championship game, Bujalkowski was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player — selection that came as little surprise to the crowd at Commerce Bank Ballpark. In addition, in a season that keeps getting better, Urbano was recognized as the GMC Coach of the Year between innings at Sunday’s game. In his eighth season at St. Joseph, he has brought the team from last place to first place as the team earned its first GMC title since 1968.