Allentown drops Princeton for win No. 13
PRINCETON » When Matt Bethea began his high school baseball career at Allentown this spring, he was just a freshman playing on the freshman team.
After an injury to starting varsity second baseman Matt Tannenbaum last week, however, Bethea has found himself in a new role at a higher level than he was at just a month ago.
How players like Bethea and their teammates adjust as the season continues has a lot to do with how their team will fare.
One week into his varsity career as a second baseman, this still young former shortstop seems to be progressing nicely after going 2-for-4 with a triple and a run batted in as the Redbirds defeated a much improved Princeton squad, 7-3, at Valley Road Field.
“I’m just trying to get hits and help the team win games,” said Bethea, who had been practicing with the varsity before Tannenbaum went down with a leg injury in a game versus West Windsor-Plainsboro South April 24.
At that point, head coach Brian Nice decided to plug in Bethea, who has impressed him at the plate, at second base. He is tested every game by the Colonial Valley Conference’s veteran pitchers, and Tuesday figured to be no different with senior lefthander Paul Cooke getting the start for the Tigers.
“I felt like we were focused,” Bethea said after an hour late start to the game. “Their pitcher was good. He had a decent offspeed pitch, but I saw a lot of ALLENTOWN
abr hbi Ferrier cf 3 1 1 0 Gaul 1b 4 1 2 0 Reeder c 3 1 1 1 Miller ph-c 0 0 0 0 Arcuri 3b 3 1 1 2 Zupko lf 2 1 1 1 Marcario ss 40 1 0 Bethea 2b 4021 Nitti dh 4110 Merkel p 2011 Aprile cr 0100 Frein p 1000 Boyle rf 0000
Totals
30 7 11 6
Allentown (13-2) Princeton (8-6)
E — Reeder, Bethea 2, Frost; LOB — Allentown 12, Princeton 11; 2B — Arcuri; 3B — Nitti, Bethea; SF — Zupko; SAC — Gaul; SB — Arcuri.
IP H R ER BBSO
ALLENTOWN
Merkel W,3-0
Frein
PRINCETON
PCooke L,1-3 5.0 6 3 3 5 4 Delany 2.0 5 4 3 1 1 HbP- by PCooke (Arcuri 2); PB — Reeder.
5.0 2.0 PRINCETON
abr hbi Paria cf 2110 Reid rf-1b 3022 PCookeprf 3 0 0 0 Silvermn c 2 1 0 0 Amon cr 0000 YlsnAgndh 2 0 0 0 Seals dh 1010 Frost 3b 4010 Okoye lf 2000 Grouardph 1 0 0 1 Durbin 1b 2000 JRamirz 2b 2 0 0 0 Delany 2bp3 1 0 0 MRamirzss0 0 0 0 Totals 27 3 5 3
3 2
1002040—7 0000021—3
0 3
0 1
6 2
9 3
fastballs.”
Any first-time varsity player would have expected nothing less from Cooke. Bethea got good swings off him and helped keep the pressure on the Princeton starter before driving in a run against freshman reliever Tommy Delany in the sixth inning.
“We couldn’t put any hits together,” Tigers head coach Dave Roberts said.
That was frustrating for the home team since Cooke kept them as close as 3-0 for five innings before surpassing 100 pitches. Besides putting six players in scoring position and loading the bases twice versus Allentown freshman starting pitcher Danny Merkel, Princeton (8-6) could not capitalize until Tommy Reid singled in two off senior reliever Jimmy Frein after Merkel also neared 100 pitches at the end of five innings.
“(Merkel) was putting the ball in the strike zone and had a good off-speed pitch, so I wanted to jump on the ball early, put it in play and get on base for my team,” said Reid, who went 2-for3.
The only other player with two hits in the game was Allentown senior Brandon Gaul.
That was quite all right for the 13-2 Redbirds, who loaded the bases in the top of the first versus Cooke and scored when Mike Zupko plated Austin Ferrier with a sacrifice fly. The Tigers also loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the first, but were kept off the board when Merkel struck out Zachary Yoelson-Angeline and Mike Frost.
The score stayed, 1-0, until Jack Nitti led off the fourth inning with a triple and Merkel singled him home. Three batters later, Chris Reeder knocked in courtesy runner Gio Aprile with a ground out to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
Giuseppe Arcuri’s two-run double and Bethea’s RBI ground out highlighted a four-run sixth, which broke the game open, before Princeton started scoring, adding a run in the seventh as John Girouard drove in Alec Silverman.