Chambers tosses shutout

By: Sean Moylan
   The Florence Township Memorial High School boys’ varsity baseball team didn’t get many scoring chances against Northern Burlington ace Pat King in Monday’s game played at Nyikita Field.
   As it turned out the Flashes didn’t need many big innings to record a win because James Chambers tossed a 2-0 masterpiece over the Greyhounds, who’ve been playing some great baseball as of late.
   "The story of this game was all him (Chambers). He had nine k’s and he was hitting his spots," said Florence head coach Ryan Pandolfini.
   "His breaking ball was phenomenal."
   Florence took an early lead with an unearned run in the first.
   Joey Spahn tripled and later scored with two outs when Taylor Lovejoy’s swinging bunt was misplayed.
   Then the Flashes were able to manufacture another unearned tally in the sixth when Chambers cracked a two-out single, and his pinch-runner Kyle Lutz stole second and later scored on an error by an NBC infielder.
   "Kyle (Lutz) just kept on running," added Pandolfini, who was pleased with the "w".
   Last Friday, behind a strong pitching performance by Steve Giambrone, Florence creamed Medford Tech, 13-0.
   Ryan Lee (two RBI) and Spahn (a triple) each cracked home runs. Chris Giambrone (two doubles, two RBI), Maurice Calhoun (a double, three RBI), S. Giambrone (double, two RBI), Matt Ordog (triple) and Lovejoy (RBI) all had big days at the plate as Florence pounded out 15 hits.
   "Stevie (Giambrone) looked good," said Pandolfini, who is using his freshman standout as a switch-hitter. He also will get another pitcher start soon.
   Earlier on Thursday, New Egypt handed the Flashes their first loss of the season (4-2).
   "We should have lost, but we should have lost 1-0," said Pandolfini, whose club surrendered three unearned runs.
   Ordog was the hard-luck loser.
   Florence, a hard-hitting club, had just four hits against Donny Bunce. Still it did manufacture two runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to knot the score at 2-2 until the seventh inning, when new Egypt tallied twice to win it.
   Florence (3-1), nonetheless, has looked sharp under Pandolfini. Florence was scheduled at Palmyra yesterday (Wednesday). It is scheduled at Riverside on Friday and at Pemberton on Monday.
   BRHS

   Everything finally came together for the talented Bordentown Regional High School boys’ varsity baseball squad with a 6-2 victory at New Egypt on Tuesday.
   Danny Sasso was the hero for Bordentown with a compete game six-hitter. In fact, both runs he gave up were unearned and he struck out seven while walking no one in the game.
   "He pitched real well," said Bordentown head coach Joe Sprague, of his senior star.
   "Everything was working for him. He was throwing his curve ball when he was behind on the count and he was getting it over."
   Nonetheless, Bordentown found itself down 2-0 when it erupted with a two-out rally in the fifth.
   Joe Moore started the Scotties’ engine going with a two-out walk and Mike Lysczak followed with a clutch single. Sean Malloy plated Moore with a single. Then, following a Kevin Malloy walk, Brandon Fraser ripped a two-run single to give the Scotties the lead for good.
   In the seventh the Scotties played little ball and added three more runs on key perfect suicide squeeze bunts by Taylor Martucci and Mike Medina.
   Fraser, Sasso (single) and Martucci all scored runs in the inning.
   "It feels great (to get the first win). These kids have talent," said Sprague.
   Last Thursday a power-packed Holy Cross club defeated Bordentown, 17-2, at Delran.
   "They’re loaded," noted Sprague, making note of the Lancers’ senior firepower.
   Medina took the loss for the Scotties.
   Bordentown’s (1-3) scheduled home game versus Burlington City last Friday was postponed due to rain.
   Bordentown is scheduled at Delran today (Thursday).
   Bordentown is scheduled to play in the Clayton Tournament on Saturday. Then on Tuesday, Bordentown is scheduled to host Palmyra.
   NBC



   "We’ve been playing better," said Northern Burlington County Regional High School boys’ varsity baseball coach Rick Doppler, whose club has won two of its last three games after starting the season 0-2.
   This year the Greyhounds’ baseball squad has been burdened with a schedule nearly as unforgiving as the one the NBC girls’ softball team plays. However, the NBC softball squad is also one of the two or three best teams in the state.
   Still, NBC’s baseball squad beat Ewing, 6-4, last Thursday at Northern Burlington to post its first victory of the young season.
   Andy Hoyer hurled a fantastic complete game (seven innings, six hits allowed, three earned runs, five strikeouts) to earn the win.
   "He (Hoyer) threw 120 pitches," said Doppler, who often refers to the sophomore star as his workhorse.
   With the score deadlocked at 4-4, Ryan Henry blasted an RBI single in the fifth to put NBC up for good. He, Will Ethington (2-for-4, RBI, run) and Matt Vereb (double, single, two RBI) all had multiple hit games for NBC.
   Hoyer helped his own cause by scoring two runs and cracking a single. Rob Van Sciver (hit, RBI), Chuck Krichling (single, run), Pat King (RBI), Jeff Van Guilder (single, run) and Jeff Valli (run) all made contributions to the Greyhounds’ offensive attack.
   Then on Saturday, Vereb blasted a home run to pace the Greyhounds to a come-from-behind 10-7 home win over Willingboro. Van Sciver earned the victory in relief of Zach Traino, who started, and Vereb. Hoyer was the overall hitting star in the contest with two hits, two RBI and two runs.
   On Monday, Pat King tossed a four-hitter versus Florence but still lost 2-0 as the Flashes tallied a pair of unearned runs.
   "He’s 0-3 (King) but he’s our ace," said Doppler, who has been very happy with the way King has pitched this year despite the overall results.
   Against a powerful Florence lineup, King’s had his change up working.
   "He had a lot of batters off-balanced," added Doppler.
   Meanwhile Florence starter James Chambers baffled NBC hitters with his curve to pick up a win. It was great pitching matchup.
   NBC (2-3) is scheduled at Rancocas Valley today (Thursday) and at Pemberton on Saturday. On Tuesday it is scheduled at Burlington Township.