Baseball team captures first sectional crown
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
Success is nothing new for the West Windsor-Plainsboro North baseball program.
In the school’s nine-year history, the Knights have played for the Mercer County Tournament title three times, been a regular competitor in the state tournament, and won their share of Colonial Valley Conference division titles.
But this year the Knights took their success to a new level. With a 9-1 win over Red Bank Regional on Saturday, WW-P North captured its first sectional championship.
”With the rain day everyone was a little uptight because didn’t get to play (Friday),” junior catcher Ryan Phelan said after the Central Jersey III title game. “We were kind of on a roll. It feels good. This is just one step in the process. It’s all about the state championships and that was the goal. This is the first step.”
Leading 1-0, the Knights started to take control in the third inning when Scott Kelly’s two-run home run increased the lead to 3-0. Red Bank got a run back in the fourth, but the Knights answered with four more runs to make it 7-1. Mike Tartaro’s two-run single was the big hit in the inning.
”I think we realized their pitcher is just another pitcher after Scotty hit that home run.” Phelan said. “He had this vibe because he was their ace. We got that 1-0 lead and then when Scotty hit that ball we just wanted to keep it rolling.”
The Knights added two more runs in the fifth on bases-loaded walks, but by then they had plenty of runs to back the two-hit pitching of David Bachner, Kyle Reed and Neal DeVincenzo.
”As soon he settled down his stuff was lights out,” Phelan said of Bachner, who allowed one run on one hit in his five innings of work. “I don’t even think we used that many curveballs or off-speed pitches. He was just blowing them away. On the home run he just left one out over the plate and the kid hit it hard. But he struck out the next two guys and just shut them down.”
Bachner has been a key to the success of the Knights this year. And according to Knights’ coach Bob Boyce, the difference-maker between this team and those that have come before.
”You have to have a legit No. 1 and we have one with David Bachner,” said Boyce, whose team will face Shawnee in the state Group III semifinals today at 4 p.m. at The College of New Jersey. “Now that team we had two years ago, if Brian Sigle had not blown his arm out they probably would have gone farther. That really hurt that team. You have to have a Dave Bachner, no question.”
But it has not just been Bachner for the Knights this year. Reed has given the team a better No. 2 starter than most teams have. And the lineup has produced from top to bottom, especially in the state tournament.
”When you have guys who have plus stuff and only give up one or two runs a game, it lets your offense relax and know we just need to get a couple runs and let the pitchers take care of the rest,” Phelan said. “That is what it has been like all season. Our offense is good, but there is not a really great player on the offense. Everyone has come together and that has helped the team a lot.
”It’s those big hits. And it comes from the little things. It’s the guys at the bottom of the order having big at bats and getting on base. Then the guys at the top of the order coming through with a big hit to get the runs in. Everybody is doing their part and it is a trickle down effect. In the late innings we’re just exploding and jumping on pitchers.”
Throughout the state tournament the whole lineup has contributed, whether it be Kelly and Tartaro at the top or Mike Voltmer and Chet Otis at the bottom. After struggling early in the season, the offense hit its stride midway through the year and has been on a roll.
”When I put Ryan Demouth in the lineup, that was a key,” Boyce said. “He is a good, young ballplayer for us. He’s had some big games and he has given us another bat in that part of the lineup in that 5-6 area that we needed to have. And the bottom of the order has come up big. We don’t hit a lot, but we hit enough.
”We have hit when we needed to in key spots. On any given day it has been someone else. Mike Tataro has had some big games. Mike Voltmer has started some big innings. It’s been a lot of different guys.”
And that is the key to a successful team.