Hopewell edges Hamilton in first meeting this season
HAMILTON » The teams who squared off in the New Jersey American Legion championship game a year ago met again for the first time in the 2018 season Friday at Steinert High’s Rich Giallella Field.
Hopewell Post 339 and host Hamilton Post 31 renewed their Mercer County American Legion League battles with the same fire and heart-pounding excitement as before, but also with the same result as defending state champ Post 339 defeated Post 31, 6-3.
It seemed as though things might change when Hamilton (2-2) rallied from a 4-0 deficit to apparently tie the game in the bottom of the second inning when Jack Hardiman crossed the plate on Brady Plunkett’s sacrifice f ly.
But when Hardiman was ruled out on an appeal for leaving the bag too early, Hopewell had a game-saving double play, which stemmed the tide.
“We hit the ball hard today, but we also made a few mistakes,” Post 31 first baseman Brendan James said. “We could still use to be a little more aggressive at the plate. Our coaches want us to be positive and never stop fighting. Once we sharpen things and mold together more, I think we’ll be all right.”
James and Jordan Nitti had two hits apiece to account for the majority of the offensive production (six total hits) for manager Rick Freeman’s team.
Meanwhile, Post 339 (3-0) pounded 11 hits off four different Hamilton pitchers to put at least one runner on base every inning.
“It feels great to be back out here,” said Hopewell’s Jake Tobia, who broke his leg while playing for Hopewell Valley High at Steinert last year and missed the rest of the year. “We’re always nervous playing these guys. But we know we cannot take an inning off against them, which we tried not to do today.”
That was not always easy, especially when Cameron Cane when down with an apparent right ankle injury, sliding back into first base on a pickoff attempt in the fifth inning after going 3-for-3. He was helped off the field and to his family’s car, so he could get the injury evaluated.
Tobia made a successful return with two hits, along with teammate Andy Blake. Blake started the game on the mound and came away with the win with three innings of relief help from Tony St. John, who earned the save.
Cole Hare’s RBI double and Tobia’s RBI ground out put manager Mike Coryell’s team on the board first. Blake and Luke Blair doubled that lead in the second inning with RBI singles off Post 31 starter Josh Welke.
Hamilton got right back in the game in its half of the second when Chris Cote and Brendan James opened with back-to-back doubles. Drayven Kowalski was hit by a pitch, then Jack Hardiman reached on a one-out error, which allowed James to score. After an infield single by Nitti, C.J. Pittaro singled in Kowalski to load the bases with one out before Plunkett’s fly ball.
Things settled down at that point with 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief from Post 31’s Anthony Wilk. But Hopewell added a pair of unearned runs in the seventh to hold on after St. John stranded runners in scoring position in the sixth and seventh innings.
The teams will meet again 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, June 26 at Hopewell Valley High with plenty of other key MCALL matchups along the way.