Monroe Senior Legion team getting its feet wet
BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer

PHOTOS BY JEFF GRANIT staff Above, Monroe's Ryan Clark slides safely into second base after a shallow pop-up to right during a senior American Legion game against Old Bridge on Monday in Monroe. Below,Monroe's Joey Ruopoli fakes an attempt to steal second base.

For coach Mike Quaglietta, fielding a senior American Legion team for Monroe Township has meant watching younger players develop, and marking progress in terms other than wins and losses.

Monroe, which is sponsored by Post 519 in Concordia, has a 3-15 mark with two games remaining. In its most recent outing, Tuesday's 10-6 loss to North Brunswick - one of the three teams Monroe has defeated - the club showed spirit by fighting back from a 6-0 deficit with a five-run fourth inning, sparked by a 400-foot triple from first baseman Jeff LaPollo, a two-bagger from catcher Angelo Trento, and shortstop Mitchell Litt's two-run single. But the rally fell short.

Monroe has its bright spots, none more so than pitcher Lenny Bergen, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound lefty.

"He's the ace of our staff and he's been phenomenal," says Quaglietta. "In his last start, he pitched seven scoreless innings against Milltown, which is composed mainly of college freshmen and high school seniors, and then he pitched a strong inning in relief against North Brunswick."

The coach limited his star to a lone inning because in today's match with St. Joseph of Metuchen, he plans to showcase him to three college coaches - from Montclair, Kean and Felician. He's certainly an attractive prospect, with an 82 mph fastball complemented by control of his off-speed pitches.

"That's the purpose of Legion ball, to attract colleges and help these kids go on with their education," Quaglietta said.

As for the rest of the squad, Garrett Beyer had been Monroe's sparkplug, batting leadoff, playing middle infield and giving 110 percent. But an arm injury sustained in an auto accident ended his season after four games.

"That took a big bite out of our lineup and our defense," says the coach. "Garrett was fun to watch, the kind of kid who dives and hustles all the time."

Ryan Cushman had been batting .320 and playing center field, but left the team after eight games to concentrate on football - the quarterback is heading for East Stroudsburg in the fall. Another Spotswood star, right fielder Rich Feldhan, "is probably our best all-around hitter," Quaglietta says, pointing to his team-leading .380 average and two homers.

LaPollo, who also pitches, is up around the .370 mark with solid glove work at first.

Matt Lezzo, who was supposed to catch, ran into some arm trouble and has largely been confined to designated hitting and pinch-hitting. One of his pinch knocks was a key double that helped spark a victory over New Brunswick.

"At shortstop, Litt is making great plays and I'm very impressed with him," Quaglietta says. "He's a singles hitter who bunts well, and without him we'd have big problems."

Another big hitter, catcher Anthony Modugno, has a .360 mark and a cannon arm behind the plate. Says his coach: "He's getting better every game."

At third base, Dan Palisay made some midseason adjustments to his swing and has started crushing the ball - he's the only other Monroe player with a home run this summer. Quaglietta is impressed with youngster Joe Ruopoli, a sophomore who has filled in at the keystone sack.

"He's a real tough kid," he says. "He has a great attitude and isn't afraid of anything."

The fastest runner on the team is outfielder John Schieda, a singles and gap hitter who leads Post 519 in stolen bases and walks. Trento, another catcher, has been hitting the ball hard all summer, but, as Quaglietta points out, "the ball is finding its way into fielders' gloves." Trento is also the team's No. 2 pitcher.

Rounding out the roster, first baseman and catcher Joe Williams is batting right around the .300 level.

"He has a great attitude, and terrific team spirit," his coach points out.

Assisting Quaglietta this summer are Fred Beyer, Marc Povlosky, Devon Quaglietta and John Schieda.