Anders, Freedman pitch well
By: Sean Moylan
The frustrating thing about the East Windsor 12-year-old Little League All-Star baseball team’s 0-4 finish is that starters Zak Freedman and Eric Anders each pitched at least one good game.
After 6-11 slipped by East Windsor 2-1 last Friday, all the talk was about 6-11 winning its first District 12 game in six years.
But the game also featured a tremendous pitching duel between Gabby Colon and Freedman. Colon struck out 10 and allowed an unearned run on three hits in four innings of work while Freedman worked 4 1/3 innings and surrendered two runs (one earned) on two hits while fanning seven.
The game actually began on June 27 with neither side scoring until the top of the fourth when East Windsor’s Craig Fishbach singled and scooted to third on a Chris Sholy base hit. When the subsequent throw back to the infield got away, Fishbach alertly scored. But 6-11 was able to tie the game with a run in its half of the fourth. After East Windsor failed to score in the top of the fifth, 6-11 got a runner to second with one out when the rain came and stopped play for the night.
When play picked up on Friday, Freedman was replaced on the hill by Dylan Malinosky who surrendered a hit and 6-11 scored the go-ahead run. However, he then picked up the final out to keep East Windsor’s chances alive.
In the sixth, Fishbach drew a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. Jordan Finger then hit a ball through the middle for a base hit. Fishbach tried to score on the play, but was thrown out at the plate by a perfect throw by center fielder Omar Ahmad. Finger, trying to get in scoring position, attempted to take second but he too was gunned down by a great seed of a throw by catcher Carlos Ortiz-Rios. So it took a tremendous, unlikely double play and some superb pitching from Colon for 6-11 to beat Freedman (who had a hit), who did every thing he could do for East Windsor.
On June 28, Allentown defeated East Windsor 7-0 in a rain-shortened four-inning contest. In the top of the first, Anders gave up three runs (only one was earned) to an Allentown squad which had won the District title as 11’s.
In the second and third Anders tossed a pair of brilliant scoreless innings, but then in the fourth a couple of infield hits and errors opened the flood gates to five more Allentown runs scoring, only one of which was earned.
"It was kind of frustrating," said Anders, who did a good job of converting negative energy into positive energy on the mound.
He changed arm angles and looked very good for the most part. East Windsor just had a tough day in the field. Meanwhile, East Windsor batters were having trouble making contact against Allentown southpaw Dylan Myers, who would eventually go on to toss a no-hitter.
However, down 3-0 in the bottom of the second, Freedman worked out a two-out walk and then Sholy ripped a line drive down the right field line that looked like a sure double. But at the last possible moment, Allentown right fielder Danny Stabulis made a diving catch to preserve the no-hitter and end the threat.
"It changed the game," said East Windsor manager Ray Taylor, who wasn’t saying his club was going to win it. But at least with a run or two it would have still been in it.
Then on Saturday, a tough Ewing squad beat East Windsor, 9-0, at Millstone as Josh Sharik threw a no-hitter. Freedman, however, pitched well in a losing cause.
Then on Sunday HTRBA, which has some powerful batters in the middle of its order, beat East Windsor 16-1 in four innings at East Windsor. Freedman, who had a good District tourney, knocked in East Windsor’s only run in the top of the fourth.