Pennington pitching staff stepping up

Pennington baseball

By: Mike Molaro
   The Pennington School baseball squad has scored 36 runs in its first three games, yet Jerry Russo is more excited about what his Red Raiders are doing in the field than with the bats.
   "Our pitching is where we want it to be," the Pennington coach said. "With the kind of hitting we have, if our pitching and defense remain solid, we are going to be a tough team."
   Sophomore Mike Bertuccio allowed just one hit in four innings on April 6 as the Red Raiders (3-0) pounded visiting George School 13-2, and senior Dylan Via Cava surrendered six hits in five innings in Monday’s 11-3 home triumph over Princeton Day.
   Against George, junior Chris Slanina led the offensive barrage with four RBIs — including two home runs — while junior Mike Millstein drove in a pair of runs, and seniors Terry Wells, Joe DeFazio and Via Cava each had an RBI.
   "We broke it open early," added Russo as the Red Raiders scored three runs in the bottom of the first, six in the second and four in the third as the game was ended after 4 ½ innings because of the 10-run rule. "Our bats got hot early. Our defense was good."
   Wells went 4-for-4 with two homers, four RBIs and three runs scored against the Panthers, and Slanina was 3-for-4 with three RBIs. Pennington again started quickly with three runs in the bottom of the first and six in the second.
   "We had a big second inning," Russo said. "We were hitting the ball hard. Our big guys have been hitting the ball well, but we are the type of team that doesn’t need one guy to carry us.
   "Not everyone in the lineup will be hot at once, but we won’t all go south at once."
   Although they have allowed just seven runs in three games, the Red Raiders began a stretch of at least five games in eight days. That means the mounds corps will be busy.
   "Our pitching will be tested," Russo said. "We will have to start extending guys."
   The Red Raiders compete in the Diamond Classic at Rutgers Prep on Saturday with a first-round game against Newark Academy. If they win that game, they advance to the tournament finals. Pennington visits Prep A opponent Lawrenceville on Monday and hosts cross-town rival Hopewell Valley next Wednesday.
   "Rutgers Prep is going to be a tough game," Russo said. "Newark Academy beat us in the Prep B finals last year. We are circling that game. Lawrenceville is always solid. Playing HoVal is always competitive and a lot of fun. They have started off very well.
   "It’s good for us to play teams who are playing well. We will see how we measure up."