Bulldogs suffer humbling loss

Hopewell Valley baseball

By: Mike Molaro
   The good news for the Hopewell Valley Central High School baseball squad about Monday’s 14-2 loss to visiting Notre Dame is that there’s a lot of baseball left to play.
   "It was one of those games where nothing went right," Bulldogs coach Ken Harrison said of the setback to the Colonial Valley Conference foe. "Our pitchers couldn’t get anyone out. It seemed that everything we hit was right at somebody, and they had some hits that found holes.
   "We had our chances. We left the base loaded three times. The final score could’ve been a lot closer if we had come through with a couple of clutch hits."
   Senior third baseman Chris Zsenak was 2-for-2 with the only HoVal RBI.
   "I told the guys right after the game that we have a lot of games left," Harrison said. "We need to use this game as a learning experience. Learn from it and move on.
   "It’s a humbling defeat. You have to put it behind you."
   The Bulldogs (4-2) last Friday nipped CVC opponent Allentown 7-6, as sophomore designated hitter Dylan Catherina drove in his first two varsity runs and stroked his first varsity hit. HoVal defeated the Redbirds 24-11 on April 6.
   Senior shortstop Mark Yuhas was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, senior catcher Angelo Pagano went 2-for-4 and scored a run, junior first baseman Ralph Rich drove in a pair of runs and scored a run, and junior second baseman Frank Lovero was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.
   Senior pitcher Dan Hogan picked up the win, Zsenak earned the save, and sophomore Shaun Jones again did a superb job in relief, holding the Redbirds for Zsenak to close the door in the top of the seventh.
   "Jones got us out of some jams," Harrison said. "He did a nice job again. We let them back in the game. Allentown was much improved this time. They gave us all they had."
   Although the Bulldogs are pulling out the wins, they know they have to keep teams down when they are on top.
   "We need to hold leads instead of letting teams back in," Harrison said. "It’s not that we stop hitting. It’s more that we relax too much on defense. We must play better defense. You put your pitcher in a hole when you give a team more than three outs.
   "Fortunately, we’ve been coming out on the winning end."
   Harrison would like some victories to come a little easier.
• NOTES: The Bulldogs visited cross-town rival Pennington yesterday, host Moorestown tomorrow and visit CVC rival Ewing next Monday.