Hamilton scores late to edge Bordentown

HAMILTON » It may sound strange that a team like defending Mercer County American Legion League champion Hamilton Post 31 needed to pull out a game late, but the way things have been going early in the 2017 season, it was true.

Manager Rick Freeman’s team went into Sunday having played three games that were decided by two runs or less this season. Two of those were losses.

Post 31’s bats were getting a reputation for producing early, then going to sleep.

Against rival Bordentown Post 26 on Father’s Day, however, Hamilton’s players rose to the occasion.

Once again, there was an early two-run lead which turned into a deficit. But this time, Post 31 had responses.

After delivering a twoout, two-strike single to score Chris Cote (double) with the tying run in the bottom of the fifth inning, Joey Sacco returned to the plate two innings later facing a similar situation.

This time, Cote had singled and stolen second base. With two outs and the lineup turned over, Sacco returned to the plate and Post 26 pitcher Mike Cottrell got ahead of him with two strikes.

Sacco did not fret and delivered a solid single down the left-field line, which chased around Cote to give the home team a 4-3 win in its last at-bat.

“Absolutely, we did need this,” Sacco said. “This is the kind of win that brings a team together. Everybody wanted to play today. We were excited to play on Father’s Day.”

The excitement of both teams was clear on a day when it would have been easy to droop with the mounting humidity. Following the lead of pitchers Cottrell and Sean O’Boyle, both of whom went the distance, Bordentown and Hamilton kept after each other from start to finish.

The unexpected edge was provided by Cote. The Steinert High senior who will head to Hood College in Frederick, Md. in the fall went 3-for-3 with two double, two runs scored and a run batted in to spark Post 31 from his No. 8 spot in the batting order.

“I’ve been in a slump, so I’ve been putting in extra work hitting with Mr. G (assistant coach Rich Giallella),” Cote said. “The energy of the whole team was up today. It was nice to see.”

Cote’s production was critical as he doubled in a run in the bottom of the second to give the home team its 2-0 lead. Each of his next two at-bats also led to hits despite falling behind Cottrell in the count.

“Both those times I was down two strikes, so I sat back and tried to rip something,” said Cote, who doubled to left-center in the second, doubled to right in the fifth, then singled to center in the seventh.

“Chris had a huge day. He really got us going,” Sacco said. “His approach is phenomenal.”

The big hits by Cote and Sacco spoiled an impressive rally by Post 26 one day after suffering its first loss.

Paul Woodley tripled in Kyle Forcini (single) in the third inning to get the visitors on the board, the Alex Popovich tied the score, 2-2, with a sacrifice fly which plated Brian Amantia in the fourth.

Woodley reached base on an error to start the fifth, advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Cody Schroeder, then came around to BORDENTOWN

abrhbi Forcini cf 4110 Woodley lf 4121 CSchrdr 3b 2 0 1 0 Porcelli dh 3 0 1 0 Amantia rf 2 1 1 1 BJones c 3000 Berg 2b 3010 Popovch ss 2 0 0 1 Wade 1b 3010 Totals 26 3 8 3

Bordentown (3-2) Hamilton (6-2)

HAMILTON

abrhbi Sacco ss 4022 Mstrngli cf 3 0 1 0 Pittaro 2b 3 0 0 0 Beyer rf 3010 Ricci 1b 3110 Zahn c 3100 Plunktt dh 3 0 0 1 Cote 3b 3231 Harknss lf 3 0 0 0 Totals 28 4 8 4 E — Berg, Sacco; LOB — Bordentown 5, Hamilton 4; 2B — Amantia, Cote 2, Mostrangeli; 3B — Woodley; SF — Popovich; SAC — CSchroeder; SB — Cote; CS — Woodley, Sacco.

IP HR BORDENTOWN POST 26 Cottrell L,1-1 6.2 HAMILTON POST 31 O’Boyle W,1-0 7.0

8 8

0011100—3 0200101—4

4 3

ER BB SO 203 217

score the go-ahead run on a two-out double by Amantia.

“Today we fought hard,” said Woodley (2-for-4), a Northern Burlington senior who will head to Penn State-Abington in the fall. “Both teams played well, but we had an error that led to a run. In a game like this, that can be the difference. We’ll be O.K. We just have to get a little better. I want to go out with a ring.”

For two clubs who’ve accounted for at least a share of 20 of the last 21 MCALL titles, the feeling is mutual.

“Both those times I was down two strikes, so I sat back and tried to rip something,” said Cote, who doubled to left-center in the second, doubled to right in the fifth, then singled to center in the seventh.” — Chris Cote