Hun, North edged in MCT semifinals
By: Bob Nuse
One team looked like it had the game in hand, only to see it slip away.
The other looked to be out of at the start, only to battle back and make a game of it.
The end result, however, was that both the West Windsor-Plainsboro North and the Hun School baseball teams were eliminated from the Mercer County Tournament with losses on Saturday at Mercer County Park.
WW-P North, the No. 2 seed, led Notre Dame, 2-0, heading into the top of the seventh before the Irish scored four unearned runs to pull out a 4-2 win. Hun trailed top-seeded Steinert, 8-1, after the first inning before cutting the lead to 9-5 after six innings. But with the Raiders coming to bat in the top of the seventh, a lightning and rain delay led to the game being called with the Spartans on top.
"We played good baseball after the first inning," said Hun coach Bill McQuade, whose team fell to 16-4 with the loss. "Our defense let us down a little in the first inning and we dug ourselves a big hole. But I’m proud of the guys for the way they battled back.
"We battled back a long way. In the sixth we had those two guys on down by four and when (Mike) Russo hit that ball, I thought it had a chance to go out and then it’s 9-8 and anything can happen. But I thought that first inning really set the tone. We had a chance to score more than one run, and we didn’t. And then they had a good first inning where we helped them quite a bit."
After a couple errors, five hits and three walks led to eight first-inning runs for Steinert, the Raiders found themselves in an 8-1 hole. After falling behind by eight runs entering the sixth, the Raiders scored four times and had two runners on when Russo flied to deep left to end the inning.
David Putman, who had missed the whole season with a shoulder injury, started on the mound for Hun and gave it his best effort before giving way to Andrew Baxter, who pitched 5Ò innings and allowed just two runs.
"We took a chance with Putman," McQuade said. "He had clearance from the doctor and he had thrown a real nice bullpen the day before and then also right before the game. But sometimes you lose it going from the bullpen to the mound. He gave it his best shot and I’m proud of him. We put him in a tough situation and he did the best he could. It’s been a tough year for him with the injury and he’s worked hard to get back.
"Andy Baxter came in and after that first inning he really settled down and did a nice job. That’s something he has done for us all year, time and time again. I’m proud of the kids because of the way they battled and I think we showed we’re one of the better teams in the area. But Steinert took advantage of the opportunities we gave them, which is why they’re as good as they are."
Shane Davis had the big hit in the top of the sixth when he doubled in two runs. But once the lightning and rain came, Hun lost any chances at a seventh inning comeback.
"I understand the position the umpires and the tournament director were in," McQuade said. "Everyone wanted to get the game in, but you can’t have kids and fans get hurt over a baseball game."
Hun was scheduled to face St. Benedict’s in the double-elimination state Prep A tournament on Monday. With a win, the Raiders would advance to the winners’ bracket final on Wednesday against the Lawrenceville-Blair winner.
Weather didn’t play a factor in WW-P North’s loss to Notre Dame. The Knights and Irish were locked in a pitching dual for five innings as North starter Greyson Van Dyke allowed just two hits and Notre Dame’s Dan Zuccari allowed just one.
But the Knights got to Zuccari in the sixth, as Van Dyke drove in a run, then scored later in the inning on an error.
But in the top of the seventh, North committed a pair of uncharacteristic errors to left the Irish score four times.
"We didn’t do much the whole game," said North coach Bob Boyce, whose team slipped to 16-3 with the loss. "We were absolutely blanked for the first five innings. We have to do more than that if we expect to compete in the state tournament. The pitching we’ll see in the state tournament is at least that good.
"Greyson was fine until he told me he had some pain in his arm. We also lost (Brian) Sigle. (Charlie) Carluccio came in in the sixth and gave it his best shot, but he’s a shortstop and not really a pitcher. But with the injuries we have with our pitching, we’ve used him on the mound and he’s done a good job."
North loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on a Pete Kelly hit and a pair of walks. But a fielder’s choice grounder forced one runner at the plate and an infield pop up ended the game.
"We just didn’t do enough with the bats to deserve to win this game," Boyce said. "But even with that if we make a couple basic plays in the field in the last inning, it could be a different game."