By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
PITMAN — Dennis Barth likes to think of Braeden Lipoff as a player who performs best under the lights and on the biggest stage.
“He’s the man,” the longtime Gloucester Catholic High coach said. “He’s a big-time player and a big-game player. He does it all the time when it counts. Him and Noah (Danza) have been doing it all year, and (Jason) Bogart for that matter.”
In an electric atmosphere here on Tuesday night under the lights at prestigious Alcyon Park, Lipoff showed exactly why his coach views him in that light. The senior finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate with three RBIs as the top-seeded Rams rolled past No. 6 Clearview, 13-2, to capture the 52nd annual Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic title.
As soon as the bus pulled into the parking lot, it was clear Gloucester Catholic was ready to roll with music playing and loud cheering with heads turning out of the windows.
“We had the energy up since we got here,” Lipoff said. “The energy has been contagious to the whole team. This definitely means a lot to me, coming off two bad losses in the previous years I’ve been here.”
However, the game didn’t start the way the Rams pictured, as Clearview loaded the bases and scored the game’s first run to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Rams tied the game on an RBI single from Brayden Moughan in the second inning.
In the fourth, the floodgates opened. Lipoff recorded two of his hits and drove in three runners as the Rams executed a 12-run inning and ended the contest a half-inning later in a five-inning mercy rule.
It was the eighth Diamond Classic title for Gloucester Catholic. The Rams previously won the tournament in 1994, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2023.
Despite the dominant effort, it’s now back to business as usual, Barth said.
“We still want to keep getting better,” he said. “We messed up a little bit early.”
Danza went 2-for-3 with an RBI and Moughan added a pair of hits and three RBIs for the Rams as they improved to 21-4, riding a six-game win streak. Eddie Pinero locked things up on the mound, scattering eight hits and recording two strikeouts.
“This year shows the amount of work we’ve put in during the offseason and during practice, and the love we have for each other,” Lipoff said.
Clearview dropped to 20-5 but had an extremely successful tournament run as the No. 6 seed. The Pioneers knocked off No. 2 St. Augustine and No. 3 Northern Burlington en route to the championship game.
“We kind of crumbled a little bit. The lights were a little too bright for us tonight,” Clearview coach Nick Core said. “It was a heck of a run for us. We’re a tough team… tonight, when things snowballed a little bit, it got a little out of control. When the lights are bright again and things really matter, this is as good of a learning experience as you can get.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Gloucester Catholic travels to Williamstown on Wednesday at 4 p.m. Clearview hosts Lenape on Wednesday at 4 p.m.
