BASEBALL: The state prep tournament title is the only jewel left for the Falcons to reach for this season.
By: Neil Hay
Having been unable to secure a spot in last weekend’s Mid-Atlantic Prep League Tournament finals, and because they sat out this year’s Mercer County Tournament, the only jewel of the baseball triple crown still available to the Peddie baseball team is the upcoming State Prep A Tournament.
And has been the case all year, the Falcons’ chances of successfully defending their title rests essentially with their pitching.
Or, as coach Frank Schermerhorn put it, "When Matt Pustay pitches, we are 6-1. He pitches against the best teams on our schedule. When he does not pitch, we are 6-4."
The two-time defending champion Falcons ran out of gas in the MAPL because, after Pustay, the Peddie pitching ranks are thin. Schermerhorn made the obvious choice by sending Pustay to the Hun School mound Saturday to face the Hill School. Pustay delivered a 5-4 win that earned the Falcons a berth in Sunday’s semi-final. But Erik Lohrmann was lit up in a 12-2 loss to top-seed Mercersburg Academy, which went on to defeat Hun 1-0 in the finals.
"In a single elimination tournament like the MAPL, you have to go with your best," explained Schermerhorn of his decision to use Pustay against Hill. "Pustay had to pitch Saturday."
The Rutgers-bound Pustay was nicked for 9 hits and 4 earned runs. But he walked just 1 and struck out 5 in going all the way for the win. Hill made it scary with 3 runs in the top of the sixth to tie the score at 4-4. The fourth-seeded Falcons notched the winning run in the bottom of the sixth on Anthony Belasco’s long home run. Pustay then pitched a scoreless seventh inning to keep Peddie’s MAPL tournament hopes alive.
The locals finished with 9 hits, 2 each by Pustay, Steve Chiavarone, and Gavin Vetrano.
The Hill game was Peddie’s first in a week. Said Schermerhorn, "That’s no excuse (for the semi-final loss). But you do need games at this time of the year for your timing."
Lohrmann (11 hits, 8 runs, 6 earned) did not have it in three and a third innings against Mercersburg Academy, the top-seeded entry in the tourney. Two relievers allowed four more runs, giving Mercersburg a five inning, 10-run rule win.
"Lohrmann had two quality starts in a row," noted Schermerhorn. "He didn’t pitch well Sunday. He fell behind in the count. He went to his fastball and they hit it. He was hit hard."
Vetrano’s single and double accounted for two of Peddie’s 6 hits. Belasco added a double.
While Peddie and Lawrenceville sat out this year’s Mercer County Tournament because of the controversy over using postgraduates, eyebrows were raised by Hun’s decision to sit its two PG’s and play in the tourney.
"I respect (Hun’s) decision but I don’t agree with it," said Schermerhorn, who would have loved to play against county powers such as Hamilton and Steinert. "It’s a no-brainer for us and Lawrenceville. The issue is not postgraduate players. We’ve just been too successful in the county tournament. It affords us local coverage and affords us a chance to play in Waterfront Park."
In discussing his team’s inability to make it to the Mid-Atlantic Prep League tournament finals, and his team’s overall record of 12-5 (compared to the 20-something wins his team has posted the last two years), Schermerhorn said "In fairness to our kids we are not as talented as last year. What we lack most is baseball no-how. The kids in the past had more baseball sense, they knew how to make adjustments during at-bats, during the course of an inning, or while pitching. I hope they learn everyday and in most cases they have. But we are not the most talented. Talent is one thing, how hard they work is another. I won’t say this is the hardest working group. It’s a little bit of a work ethic (issue).
"We are playing people," alluding to the Falcons’ top-rated schedule. "What people don’t understand is we could very easily be 15-2 if we played a weaker schedule. It is all about competition, not about our record. I want Pustay to pitch against the best competition. He is a Division I pitcher. It is good for him.
"The underclassmen are gaining valuable experience," continued Schermerhorn. "We will be better off in the long run. We still have the most important thing to play for, states. Do we have a shot? Absolutely."
Peddie won three of the last four "A" titles, in 1998, 1999 and 2001. This is a double elimination tournament, with Hun, Lawrenceville and Peddie the top three seeds. St. Benedict’s is number four, followed by Blair, although Schermerhorn expects Blair to eliminate St. Ben’s when they meet.
Blair, Peddie, Hun, and Lawrenceville have all beaten each other during the season. If there is a factor that will allow one team to survive, it is strength of schedule. There the Falcons have the edge.
"The difference is our schedule, the quality of the competition we play. And Pustay. They will see more Pustay in this tournament."
The state prep "A" begins next Thursday with the Falcons facing Lawrenceville. Pustay will get the starting assignment.
Pustay took a no-hitter into the fifth inning Wednesday, then settled for a 1-hitter, as the Falcons defeated visiting Chestnut Hill, 12-1, in a game halted in the fifth by the 10-run rule. Said Schermerhorn, "Chestnut Hill is not a bad team. We did not see their top flight pitching."
Vetrano banged out a single, double, and triple and drove in 2 runs, as the Falcons collected 13 hits. John Johnston had 2 singles and 2 RBI, and Lohrmann had 2 doubles and a single, scored 3 runs and drove in one.
Pustay dominated Chestnut Hill, striking out 4 and walking none. The lone run he allowed was unearned. In 48 innings Pustay has yielded just 2 walks.
"Even Greg Maddux doesn’t have that," said Schermerhorn of Pustay’s walk totals. "That is unbelievable, at any level."