Martinson’s no-hitter helps Florence baseball to 4-0

By: Sean Moylan
   Even as a happy 12-year-old, Florence’s Anthony Krause had a pretty good idea of how to pitch. He’d mix his pitches well and he’d never let one bad inning escalate into a bad game.
   Krause and Stevie "The Wonder" Giambrone pitched Florence to a championship in the East Windsor Tournament back when they were both 12’s. Now both are playing for the Florence High School varsity baseball team and little has changed. They’re as dominating as ever. In fact, Krause, a freshman, pitched and hit brilliantly in leading the Flashes to a 5-4 home win over West Windsor-Plainsboro North this past Monday.
   "Anthony Krause threw a heck of a game. He had the game-winning hit in the fifth. He had a two-out single up the middle (which plated Chris Foehr, who had singled)," said Florence Coach Ryan Pandolfini. "That was definitely a big win."
   In the first frame, Krause got in trouble because of a couple of miscues in the field. Yet he was able to work his way out of a huge jam with only thee runs scoring. And when WW-P North scored the game-tying run (4-4) in the fourth, Krause didn’t get flustered. When all was said and done, he had thrown a complete game, 7-strikeout, 6-hitter.
   Florence had seven hits in the contest with Krause and Foehr (two runs) each collecting two hits and knocking in a run. Giambrone was 1-for-2 with a run and a key walk in the fifth. Anthony Cardone (single, run), Jimmy Martinson (single) and Cory Haluska (run, RBI) also produced for the Flashes.
   The first start of Jimmy Martinson’s varsity career was a spectacular one as the fabulous freshman hurled a five-inning no-hitter in the Flashes’ 10-0 home win over Medford Tech last Friday.
   "The story of that game was Jimmy Martinson," added Pandolfini. Not only did Martinson allow no hits, he walked just two while fanning six batters. Meanwhile Spahn (2-for-2, 2 RBI), Robby Hutchison (2 hits, RBI, 2 steals), Cardone (2 steals, 2 RBI) and Haluska (2 hits, 2 RBI) all hit well for the victors. Moreover, Clint Rockhill (2 steals), Foehr, and Martinson each knocked in a run. Florence stole 9 bases in the contest.
   Last Thursday, Florence nipped a feisty New Egypt squad 7-6 on the road with Giambrone picking up a complete game win. The Flashes led 7-4 going into the bottom of the seventh when the Warriors tallied a pair of runs and threatened to score more. But Giambrone (4 earned runs allowed) was able to close the door with some clutch pitching. Spahn was 2-for-3 with a double and Martinson also collected a pair of hits and drove in a run. And Haluska contributed a clutch double in the contest.
   The young Flashes are 4-0, but they have a week of tough games coming up so they must stay as focused as possible. Florence was scheduled to have hosted Hamilton West yesterday (Wednesday). Florence is scheduled to host Holy Cross today (Thursday), Riverside on Saturday and Delran on Tuesday.
   BRHS
   The Bordentown High School baseball team let a big lead get away, but still managed an 11-10 win over New Egypt on Tuesday.
   "We came out and played well right away and then we kind of settled for mediocre," Bordentown Coach Joe Sprague said.
   Kevin Malloy started and allowed only two earned runs in five innings. Fraser finished up and allowed three unearned runs. Fraser also had a great day at the plate with a pair of doubles and 3 RBI. Taylor Martucci, Kenny Eckelmann and Kyle McGonigal each contributed two RBI to the win.
   The Scotties suffered a heartbreaking 5-4 loss at Burlington City last Friday in a game that seemed like it was in the bag for the Scotties. Bordentown took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the sixth when the Blue Devils’ A.J. Reed spoiled its day with a bases-clearing triple to take the lead. Lost in the mix was a fine performance by Malloy (6 innings, five earned runs allowed, 11 strikeouts, 2 walks), who only had one bad inning.
   "It was a frustrating loss because we were winning the whole game," added Sprague. Joey Eckelmann had a double, 2 RBI and scored a run. Malloy (double, run), Mike Medina (single, RBI, run) and Taylor Martucci (single, RBI) also enjoyed good days at the dish for the Scotties.
   Bordentown (2-3) is scheduled to host Delran today (Thursday). It is scheduled at Trenton Catholic Academy on Monday and at Palmyra on Tuesday.
   NBC
   Baseball is a crazy and unpredictable game. Last week the Northern Burlington County Regional High School boys’ varsity baseball team lost a pair of games it thought it could have — or perhaps should have — won. Then this past Tuesday NBC played its best game of the year to edge Holy Cross, one of Burlington County’s best squads, 4-3 in eight innings at home.
   Nevertheless, Tuesday’s victory was much more a result of hard work than luck as Dan Agos, Jon Lathers and Andy Hoyer kept the Lancers’ mighty lineup in check for most of the afternoon. But it was Hoyer who played the role of the hero when he came in to pitch the sixth with a runner on third, two outs and the score knotted at 4-4 and he whiffed the batter. The Lancers had another chance to score off of Hoyer, but NBC left fielder Will Ethington caught a fly ball and then gunned down a runner at the plate to end Holy Cross’ half of the 8th. In the bottom of the frame Hoyer (2 hits) singled and advanced to second on a passed ball before scoring the winning run on Matt Vereb’s (2-for-3) game-winning hit. Jeff Valli had a double and Bryan Henry knocked in two runs. Ethington’s RBI single in the fourth was NBC’s only other hit in the contest off a tough Lancers’ staff.
   "Lathers did a phenomenal job," said NBC coach Rick Doppler, whose budding lefty star has given up just 2 earned runs in 11 innings this season and worked 3 2/3 innings in this one. NBC is going to need him, Hoyer and Agos because their other star hurler Rob Van Sciver suffered a ruptured spleen diving for a ball at practice on Monday and is expected to miss the rest of the season.
   Van Sciver pitched for NBC on Friday at Willingboro. Unfortunately, the Chimeras nipped the Greyhounds, 6-5, in the contest. Hoyer and Dustin Ghaul each had a double and a RBI in a losing cause. Jeff VanGuilder and Ethington each drove in a run too.
   Last Wednesday’s scheduled game versus Lawrence was postponed. NBC (1-3) is scheduled to host Rancocas Valley today (Thursday) and Pemberton on Monday.