MAKE IT COUNT
Hamilton Spartans begin Last Dance Tournament with convincing victory
BORDENTOWN » When the Last Dance Tournament for high school baseball players was finally given the goahead after weeks of rumblings and uncertainty, the boys from Steinert High vowed to make it count.
Going by Hamilton Spartans, Jack Wiegartner pitched 4.1 scoreless innings and Steinert capitalized on some shaky defense from opponents from Nottingham, playing as Mercer Stars, to pull away for a 7-0 victory at Gilder Park on Tuesday afternoon.
“The first thing that comes to mind is grateful because we are that they put this thing on,” Vanderbilt University-bound senior C.J. Pittaro said. “Right when the season got banged, everyone was like ‘what can we do to get back.’ The time we had off may have been a negative, but we tried to use it to our advantage and get better every day and stay in shape — keep our bodies and minds prepared for something like this. We’re so grateful that they put it on and we have the opportunity to play together, have some fun, and maybe win this thing. That’s the mindset we have.”
Wiegartner allowed one hit, struck out five and walked two over 4.1 scoreless frames to pick up the win. The senior was able to effectively change speeds and keep hitters off balance with his curveball and change-up.
“I knew all I had to do was throw strikes and the boys behind me would make the plays,” Wiegartner said. “That’s what happened today. My center fielder Mason Walczak made a beautiful play in the second inning. It feels great playing baseball again, getting a sense of normalcy.”
Walczak also provided the game’s biggest hit when he delivered an RBI single in the fourth that served as the catalyst for a three-run inning that gave the Spartans a commanding 4-0 lead. They added three more runs in the fifth on the back of a two-run double down the left-field line by Evan Bresnan.
The Spartans face the winner of the game between Bordentown and Hamilton West, playing as Dirty Boyz Liedtka Trucking, at Arm & Hammer Park on Wednesday night.
“We’re going in with the idea that we’re going to win this thing,” said Pittaro, who knocked in a run with a single in the first inning. “That’s the only way you can approach anything in baseball and life. The main thing is we’re going to have a lot of fun, but we have the mindset we’re going to win every game we play.”
Mercer Stars (0-1) 000 000 0 - 0 2 4 Hamilton Spartans (1-0) 100 330 x - 7 6 1 WP: Wiegartner. LP: Baker. 2B: Bresnan (HS). RBI: Pittaro, Walczak, Nitti, Sangillo, Bresnan 2 (HS).