Bellissimmo, Nyisztor lead Jersey Shore into Carpenter Cup Championship Game

Almost three weeks removed from the Shore Conference Tournament Championship, Mike Nyisztor graduated from Toms River North on Wednesday evening.

And later this summer, Nyisztor will bid farewell to his teammates and friends — including rising senior Jared Bellissimmo, when he begins his career at Rutgers.

Bellissimmo, however, will be right behind him. The 6-foot-1 left-handed pitcher and first baseman will join his childhood best friend in Piscataway next fall.

In Friday's Carpenter Cup Classic Semifinals at Citizens Bank Park, Bellissimmo went 4 for 4 with four runs to help Jersey Shore defeat Olympic-Colonial, 12-7, and advance to Saturday's championship game against Delaware North.

"We just have a great group of guys," Nyisztor said. "We've been playing against each other all year. We're used to going up against each other. Playing on the same team takes a lot of pressure off, and I think we're all just having fun right now. Everybody's clicking."

Nyisztor, a shortstop, added two hits and a pair of runs in Jersey Shore's 17-hit onslaught. But it was Bellissimmo who broke the game open with a 2-run single to right center, giving Jersey Shore a 5-2 lead in the sixth inning. Third baseman Craig Larsen, also from Toms River North, drove in four runs for Jersey Shore.

"I was just trying to find a ball down the middle of the plate," Bellissimmo said. "Put it in the outfield, and score those two runs for us."

Nyisztor was not surprised by Bellissimmo's dominant four-hit performance as Olympic-Colonial pitchers simply struggled to get the first baseman out. With Olympic-Colonial trimming its deficit to 8-6 after six innings, Bellissimmo padded Jersey Shore's lead by igniting the three-run seventh-inning rally with an RBI single up the middle.

"That's not surprising at all from him," Nyisztor said of Bellissimmo. "He's one of the hardest workers. I always see him at the field doing extra stuff. It's great to see his hard work pay off. He deserves it."

Jersey Shore will face Delaware North in Saturday's championship, slated for 10 a.m. Delaware North used an 8-run sixth inning to blow out its rival Delaware South, 12-5, in the other semifinal. Tatnall's Oliver Campbell collected five RBI's, including a three-run double that trickled down the right-field line.

"It's definitely an honor," Nyisztor said. "Especially to honor the Jersey Shore and all the teams that play in it. It feels good to get the win for everyone back there. I know they've been following us, I hope we can get the championship tomorrow."

Until they reunite as Scarlet Knights next year, Saturday's Carpenter Cup finale will serve as Bellissimmo and Nyisztor's final game as teammates in high school. While Bellissimmo chases a state title for Toms River North, Nyisztor will try to help Rutgers improve upon a 14th-place finish in the Big Ten last spring.

"I'm ready to head up there and start working," Nyisztor said. "It'll be a weird year without him there. One year off, and then he comes. It's going to be fun."