Weniger, Nottingham hold off Princeton
PRINCETON » There was a point earlier this season when the Princeton High baseball team probably would have easily won a matchup with Nottingham High.
As the spring season has worn on, however, that probability has changed.
Despite a good battle Saturday, it was the Northstars who pulled out a 4-2 over the Tigers at Barbara Smoyer Park with both teams trying to improve their state tournament seeding one day before the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletics Association Tournament’s qualification deadline.
All head coach Charlie Iacono’s Nottingham squad has done to put itself into the Central Jersey Group III mix after starting the season 2-10 is win six of its seven games since April 28 to improve to 8-11.
Head coach Dom Capuano’s Princeton club appeared to be in good position for the Central Jersey Group IV bracket when it was 8-5 on April 30. Since then, however, the Tigers have only won three-of-eight games to cling to one of the final playoff spots at 11-10.
“We realized that if we don’t turn things up, we’re going to miss out this season,” Northstars junior Tyler Weniger said. “Everybody’s mentally better now. We did a lot of work on the basics, and it helped.”
Meanwhile, Weniger has been getting stronger after losing nearly 50 pounds during the coronavirus pandemic years. He has returned as a much leaner and longer, 6-foot-1 righthanded pitcher with the resolve to go the distance despite having a high pitch count in yesterday’s searing heat.
“The big difference for me is my mechanics,” Weniger said after throwing 110 pitches to hold off Princeton High. “I worked with my pitching coach James Pugliese to improve. It helped me today. That was going to be my last batter.”
Instead, Weniger got Dylan Newman to pop out to first baseman Tyler Dunmeyer in foul ground to end the game.
It was a day of frustration for the Tigers, who appeared to be in good shape when senior leadoff hitter Jensen Bergman belted a solo home run to knot the score at 1-1.
“That was the first one I hit out in my high school career, although I did hit an inside the park home run last year at Valley Road Field,” said Bergman, who is going to be playing for Vassar College next year. “Some days we play great. Our bats are alive, and we
play well defensively. Then some games, we have a lull.”
With pitchers Jon Tao and Wes Price keeping the game in striking distance, Princeton appeared to be in good shape with 10 hits, led by Drew Petrone’s 3-for-3 performance. Even with Bergman and Jaxon Petrone adding doubles, the Tigers were not able to score again after Kenny Schiavone’s infield hit with
the bases loaded in the second
inning.
Nottingham catcher Chris Babkowski had a lot to do with that, throwing out three runners trying to steal in the game, including a pair in the bottom of the sixth inning.
The visitors took the lead to stay when Jordan Raba and Dunmeyer were both hit by pitches with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the second.
Raba delivered a more
conventional run batted in when he singled in Gio Davila, who was pinch running for Alex Rodriguez (2for-4) in the sixth inning.
Like Bergman for Princeton, Mike Septak went 2-for-3 to help the Northstars win their fourth in a row.