As the spring weather begins to warm up, so are the bats of the baseball players at Bordentown Regional High School.
Bordentown’s productive offense rung up a total of 18 runs in two games–both victories–a week ago.
The Scotties first pitched a 10-0 shutout over host Pemberton Township High School on April 6 and then they kept the offense flowing with an 8-4 victory over Pennsauken High School on April 9 in Bordentown.
Bordentown set the tone early against Pennsauken when it connected for seven hits and five runs in the first inning.
“That’s the type of offense we are capable of having,” said Bordentown coach Chris Glenn. “One through nine – when we are swinging like that, we are a tough out. It’s just a matter of being able to sustain that throughout the whole game.”
The offensive contributions came up and down the lineup for Bordentown in the victory against Pennsauken.
Second baseman Mike Bancroft recorded three hits and two RBI, while outfielder Johnny Schroeder finished with a hit, an RBI and two walks.
Also contributing to the victory were shortstop Chris Wade, third baseman Luke Mabin, and outfielder Kyle Kato, who each produced an RBI.
But even with strong at-bats coming throughout the lineup, Glenn pointed to his pitcher, Dylan Wood, who shined on the mound and at the plate, too.
In his first start on the hill this season, Wood went six innings en route to the victory. He allowed four runs and four hits while he struck out five and walked three.
Glenn praised Wood for his command of his off-speed pitches and the reliability upon the players behind him.
“I’m real proud of [Wood]. Off and on, he has been giving us innings for the last three years,” Glenn said. “He is somebody that comes out and competes. He is not going to throw the ball the hardest by a lot of guys, but he works his pitches well, he places them well and he is always around the plate. When he can do that and trust his defense, he can be good.”
Wood was also involved in the offensive showing when he registered two hits, including a double, and drove in a run.
Although Wood worked himself into a third-inning jam, which led to three runs for Pennsauken, he bounced back the next inning as he retired the next three batters to the delight of his coach.
“[Wood] comes right out of the gate and has two big hits, then shuts [Pennsauken] down on the mound,” Glenn said. “He got in a little bit of trouble [in the third inning], but found his way through and shut them down the next inning.”
For Wood, his strong day on the mound and at the plate was his ideal start to the new season.
“It was my first start of the season, so I wanted to put a good one up there,” Wood said. “In the third inning, it got a little shaky, but it was important there to know that we still had the lead, and you cannot let that get into your head – You come back and get back on top, and to put some more runs on the board later in the game and finish it off.”
Another player Glenn highlighted in the victory was his senior catcher Jack Parker.
As the defensive catalyst for the Bordentown squad for the past four years, Parker has already earned a solid start to the season with his .375 batting average. He doubled during the victory against Pennsauken.
“Jack has been our starting catcher for four years now and there is a reason for that,” Glenn said. “Not only does he do a good job of handling our pitching staff, but he is a rock. He walls up in big spots. He is also starting the season pretty nice at the plate too, so I know that takes a little bit of pressure off of him.”
With a steady schedule of league games approaching, Wood said the key to achievement this year dwells in contribution from each player.
“We are about to hit the meat of the season here and [will] start playing some really good teams,” he said. “Keeping a good mentality of not trying to do too much and doing your part – knowing your team is going to pick you up is the most important thing.”