Pennington baseball
By: Mike Molaro
Its season ended sooner than it had wanted, but the Pennington School baseball squad finished on a positive note with a come-from-behind 8-7 triumph over visiting Ewing on May 12 in the consolation round of the Mercer County Tournament.
The seventh-seeded Red Raiders (10-8) scored five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, after the eighth-seeded Blue Devils scored twice in the top of the inning.
A two-out, two-run double by sophomore shortstop Justin Nusblatt tied the score at 7-7 in the seventh. Senior third baseman Dylan Via Cava stroked a two-run single in that five-run frame.
"We woke up late," Pennington coach Jerry Russo said. "This game followed a state tournament loss a couple of days earlier, and it took us awhile to get started.
"We strung some hits together in the seventh, and that provided the win for us."
Senior center fielder Adam Spadafora was 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored, and wining pitcher senior Terry Wells (3-4) drove in a run and scored one.
Pennington, which fell to Princeton Day in the first round of the Prep B state tournament, brought their bats to every game. In the field, though, the Red Raiders could’ve been a little tighter.
"We hit very well," Russo said. "We were a hitting team. I wish we could’ve played better defensively. That’s something we’re going to address right away.
"I’m happy that we won our conference (Patriot). I wanted a better showing in the state tournament. We lost to a team (PDS) that we beat twice during the regular season."
The Red Raiders are losing Spadafora, Via Cava, Wells, catcher Joe DeFazio and first baseman Wells Winegar to graduation.
"Adam (Spadafora) was the heart and soul of our team," Russo said. "He’s our all-time hit leader (96) and tied his season hit record this year (32). He always brought a level of energy to every game. Terry (Wells) set a school record this season with 37 runs batted in and hit .526. He pitched against some of our toughest opponents. He always wanted the ball.
"Wells (Winegar) loves the game. He showed great improvement from his freshman year and is a good defensive first baseman. Dylan (Via Cava) is quiet but steady. His hitting really came around this year, and he hit two grand slams. Joe (DeFazio) was with us for two years. He volunteered to catch, and not many players will do that. He had a very lively bat.
"It’s going to be tough to replace these five players. We will miss all of them."
Although Pennington will have some holes to fill next season, the opportunity is there for the underclassmen to show what they have.
"This will give the younger guys a chance to step up," Russo said. "This is what high school sports is all about."

