Baseball
By: Mike Molaro
When a new coach takes over a program, it’s a lot easier for the players to buy into the philosophy if they start off on the right track.
The Hopewell Valley Central High School baseball squad began the Jim Reed era with a solid 5-2 triumph at Lawrence in its season opener Tuesday.
"It’s nice to get the first one under the belt," said Reed, in his first year as Bulldogs coach. "It was a real nice win."
Senior right-hander Chris Borkowski allowed a two-run homer in the bottom of the first before shutting down the Cardinals.
He allowed just one earned run, scattered five hits, walked one and struck out one in his seven innings of work.
He also helped himself at the plate by going 2-for-3 and scoring three runs.
"Chris pitched an excellent game," added Reed. "He only threw about 90 pitches and had total command of his pitches. He was mixing up his pitches well. His fastball, curve and cutter were working well."
HoVal, which had eight hits in the game, took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first on a single by Borkowski, a sacrifice by sophomore Mark Yuhas, a walk and a Cardinal error.
After Lawrence went ahead 2-1, the Bulldogs tied the score in the fourth on an RBI single by sophomore Chris Zsenak (2-for-2, two runs batted in) and took a 3-2 lead in the fifth on another RBI single by Zsenak.
Zsenak also made an outstanding sliding catch in right field early in the game to keep the Cardinals from doing more damage.
HoVal broke things open in the sixth on singles by senior Donnie Giovacchini (2-for-3) and sophomore Andrew DiMatteo and a two-run pinch-hit double by junior Rob Serratelli.
"We were pretty solid defensively," Reed said. "We minimized our mistakes and capitalized on our hits. We had an all-sophomore infield. We got a great pitching performance and solid defense.
"It was a good team effort. Every player had a role and they were there to win. We made some gutsy moves with some people and they paid off. Lawrence had their ace on the mound (senior right hander Dave Waseleski)."
Reed’s game plan this season is to work on the little things and build a solid foundation for the future. Winning that first game definitely goes a long way.
"If we can minimize our mistakes, we’ll be in the game."
The victory over Lawrence is a perfect example.
NOTES: The Bulldogs had their home opener Wednesday with Giovacchini on the mound against Hightstown. They visit Nottingham on Friday and host Delaware Valley on Saturday.