By:Neil Hay
A year ago Peddie baseball was the toast of the Mercer County and state Prep A tournaments.
This year, however, the twin laurels belong to prep rival Lawrenceville.
Earlier this season the Big Red supplanted the Falcons as Mercer County champions. And on Wednesday the Big Red completed the tournament sweep by eliminating Peddie, 20-11, in the Prep A finals.
Lawrenceville was sitting in the driver’s seat, needing just one win Wednesday. Peddie, though, needed to take two from the Big Red, having already lost to Lawrenceville, 8-3, Sunday.
The Big Red made sure that a second game would not be needed. Peddie coach Frank Schermerhorn sent Fernando Perez to the mound, anointing him the starting pitcher for only the second time all year. Schermerhorn had little choice but to go with Perez; his pitching staff was tired, hurt, and battling an assortment of injuries.
Perez would be just the first of four Peddie pitchers. In succession, Schermerhorn signaled for Pat Dimon (the eventual losing pitcher) in the third inning, Matt Pustay in the fifth, and Mike Miller in the sixth. The foursome would be raked for 19 Big Red hits. Some shoddy defense furthered aided the Lawrenceville side.
The final score looks lopsided — and it is — but the Falcons were leading 11-10 late in the bottom of the fifth inning. With two out and runners on second and third, Pat Doggett ripped Pustay’s two-strike pitch for a three-run home run.
“That was essentially the game,” said Schermerhorn. Lawrenceville would go on to score nine more runs, seven coming in the sixth inning.
Schermerhorn had complained for much of the season about his team’s lack of intensity and desire. But with their backs to the wall, the Falcons dug in and competed like the two-time defending Prep A champs they are. The Falcons swung the bats well and rapped out 12 hits, including a two-run home run by Jung Wi and two hits by Perez.
“I was impressed with our offense. We swung the bats pretty well. We hit Matt Righter (who took a perfect 6-0 mark into the game) pretty good.
“We had some opportunities, but we didn’t finish the job,” said Schermerhorn.
Schermerhorn tipped his cap to Lawrenceville.
“I am not surprised they out hit us. They have a good lineup. They have a better team than we do. They were very determined. Lawrenceville is on a roll and things fell into place for them, just like it did for us last year. I take nothing away from them.”
Lawrenceville also has more depth than Peddie. The Falcons had injuries they could ill afford. When he needed a pitcher to start the biggest game of the year, all Schermerhorn had left was Perez, who saw most of his mound action in relief in the late innings.
“Injuries precluded us from being the best team we can be,” Schermerhorn said. “We are not deep and the pitching faltered. It comes down to pitching. We played hard but didn’t do some things well.”
Peddie, seeded first in Prep A, fought off elimination on Tuesday with a 6-2 win over Blair at home. Wi and winning pitcher Dimon combined on a six-hitter. Peddie had only five hits, with Pat Linahan scoring three runs.
Blair led 2-1 when Peddie scored three times in the bottom of the fourth. Three singles, a walk, a wild pitch and a sac fly accounted for Peddie’s runs. Miller’s two-run home run in the sixth inning, his sixth of the season, provided the cushion.
“We didn’t hit very well against a lefty (Nick D’Amato) who is average at best,” Schermerhorn said. “We didn’t swing the bats well. We looked sluggish.”
In a game that could have meant the end of the season, “We didn’t play with much desperation. We showed a little more spirit in the fourth inning. We are doing just enough to win and that’s disappointing. We definitely lack some leadership. We are young but we have juniors who have played at a high level. We have a different pulse. It is frustrating. Something is lacking in our chemistry. We don’t play with urgency. We’ve won 21 games, but it’s been difficult.”
The Falcons were in a one-loss- and-out situation on Wednesday because they fell to Lawrenceville, 8-3, Sunday at home. That defeat sent the Falcons to the loser’s bracket.
Lawrenceville, seeded second, got a strong effort from Adam Hanson, who tossed a four-hitter with six strikeouts. The Big Red banged out 11 hits off (starter and loser) Pustay, Bryan Lodigiani and Perez.
Lawrenceville broke open a scoreless game with six runs in the top of the third. Pustay, battling a bad back, gave it his best shot but his injury kept him from being effective.
As for Peddie’s six-hit attack, “We didn’t do enough against Hanson. We battled him.”
Going into Sunday, Peddie had bested Lawrenceville four of the last five times they met. But the Big Red prevailed the last two times out, giving Lawrenceville the “A” title.
So the Big Red finish as county and Prep A champs with a 19-3 record. And Peddie, despite going 21-6, leaves empty-handed.
“I don’t think Peddie baseball ever had 21 wins. We won 17 last year and peaked. We can’t take 21 wins back. We lost to Lawrenceville twice. They are not just another prep school team.
“We had a pretty good year,” continued Schermerhorn. “I give the kids credit for battling (Wednesday). I just wish we were a little more intense this year.
“20 runs, that’s not good baseball,” continued Schermerhorn. “But this is the same team that shutout Steinert (on April 19th). And we beat Lawrenceville during the regular season. So what’s that all about?
“We’ll hang our heads high and keep on going. There is nothing to be ashamed of. We’ll be back.“
