PENNINGTON BASEBALL
By: Tim Falls
The Pennington School baseball team seemed to be in control when it started the season gaining a five-run lead over Lawrence by the top of third inning Saturday.
The Cardinals came back and nearly tied the score in the bottom of the sixth inning, making the Red Raiders work for their 5-4 victory.
The Red Raiders also built a small lead against Trenton, but fell, 3-2, on Tuesday after giving up two runs in the top of the sixth inning.
Both were dramatic games with the outcome still in question late in the game.
"It was a very intense game," said junior Brandon Smith of playing Lawrence. Smith knocked in the first run and closed out the game as Pennington’s pitcher in the final two innings. "It’s always good to start off the season with an intense game."
Lawrence made the game much more dramatic by scoring three runs in the fifth and sixth innings, but Smith retired the side to seal the win in the bottom of the seventh.
"We have to keep it this intense the rest of the season," said Smith. "If we can get this kind of effort at the beginning of the year, I can’t wait to see what we can do at the end of the season."
Smith got it all started in the top of the second with a triple that sent home Taylor Titsch.
"We hit well," said Smith. "We stayed back and made good contact. It was a chain reaction."
After Smith put Pennington on the board, the Raiders extended their lead with four runs in the top of the third.
Justin Nusblatt tripled in Christian Lauer and Mike Millstein. Nusblatt then scored as well on a sacrifice fly by Chris Slanina. Titsch drove in Mike Bertuccio for Pennington’s last run.
After the third inning, Lawrence didn’t let Pennington gain anymore. Starting pitcher Taylor Smith, and closer Dan Ciccone retired the side in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
"Lawrence can play," said Pennington coach Jerry Russo. "Watch their infield; they can field the ball. They don’t make too many mistakes."
Pennington didn’t make many mistakes either. In fact, the Raiders turned two double plays. The second, an inning-ending double play, was critical in edging Lawrence.
Slanina picked off a line drive from Lawrence’s Chris Cox with a diving catch in center field for the second out in the bottom of the sixth. The second out of the play came on an appeal. Lawrence’s Bobby Hallowell came home from third after the catch, but Pennington appealed and the umpire agreed the Cardinal did not tag up properly. Instead of scoring to tie the game, Hallowell was called out to end the inning.
It was a rough start for Smith, who relieved Bertuccio, Pennington’s starting pitcher, in the bottom of the sixth, but the junior closed out the game with three straight outs in the final inning.
"He had trouble his first inning," said Russo. "His second inning was terrific."
Millstein and Nasblatt each doubled for Pennington’s only hits against Trenton, while Smith took the pitching loss giving up two of the six hits, striking out seven and walking four.

