St. John and Hopewell blank Steinert
HOPEWELL TWP. » Even after strong spring and summer seasons a year ago, the Hopewell Valley High baseball players probably would not have said they’d open the 2018 season by winning eight straight games.
Many of their players are inexperienced at the varsity level, and the Colonial Valley Conference Patriot Division is tough.
Yet, that is where the Bulldogs find themselves after shutting out Steinert for the second time this season with their 2-0 win Tuesday.
After shutting down the Spartans, 9-0, last Friday, Hopewell scrapped across a couple of early runs and rode the arm of junior pitcher Tony St. John to its eighth win.
St. John, a six-foot righthander who was making just his second varsity start, tossed a four-hit complete game in which he did not walk anyone and struck out four to outduel Steinert senior righty Dom Maglione, who also went the distance, scattered five hits and did not walk a batter.
“I’m not surprised we’ve had a good start. I’m really happy to be 8-0,” said St. John, who threw 78 pitches in seven innings. “I just need my off-speed pitches to be working, and I need to keep the ball low.”
From the time St. John retired the Spartans in order in the first inning to the nine in a row he retired between C.J. Pittaro’s oneout single in the fourth and STEINERT
abrhbi Gater 3b 3000 Plunkett cf 3 0 0 0 Pittaro ss 3010 Kowalski c 3 0 0 0 Muller dh 3020 Conti pr 0000 BJames 1b 3000 MJames rf 2000 Schwagr 2b 2 0 0 0 Santin lf 2010 Totals 24 0 4 0
Steinert (4-3) Hopewell Val.(8-0)
HOPEWELL VALLEY
abrhbi Cleary 3b 2100 Blake ss 3100 Hare lf 3020 Brodine 1b 2 0 0 1 Savas c 2011 Potter cr 0000 Porpora dh 3 0 2 0 Russo rf 3000 Taglrni 2b 2000 Haynes cf 2000 Totals 22 2 5 2 E — MJames; DP — Steinert 1, Hopewell Valley 1; LOB — Steinert 3, Hopewell Valley 5; 2B — Hare, Porpora; SF — Savas.
IP HR ER BB SO
STEINERT
Maglione L,1-1 6.0 HOPEWELL VALLEY
St. John W,2-0 7.0 4 0 004 HbP- by Maglione (Brodine, Cleary); WP — St. John 2.
5
0000000—0 101000x—2
2
101
Jake Muller’s two-out single in the seventh, the younger pitcher was in control.
“He kept us off balance,” said Muller, who had half of the hits for coach Rick Freeman’s 4-3 team. “I thought our at-bats were better, but we were putting balls where people were. We need to focus a little more, and we can’t take anyone for granted.”
Underestimating the Bulldogs was not the problem, especially after Hopewell Valley leadoff hitter Liam Cleary reached base on an error and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Mike Savas in the bottom of the first inning.
Only two Spartans reached scoring position against St. John while his teammates tacked on a run in the third after Andy Blake reached base on a fielder’s choice, advanced on a double down the third-base line by Cole Hare (2-for-3) and scored on a ground out by Drew Brodine.
“Last year, we had guys waiting in the wings. We knew we had some talent coming up,” Hopewell head coach Ken Harrison said. “Tony’s one of those kids. He’s always been a decent pitcher. His motion is fluid, and he has a tight, breaking ball.”
Tuesday against Steinert, St. John only allowed a bloop single to Muller in the second inning and an infield hit to Gabe Santin in the third besides the other singles by Pittaro and Muller. That was important since Maglione was in his own groove, retiring 9 of 10 hitters from the third to sixth innings. When Savas and Marc Porpora (2-for-3) came up with consecutive singles in the sixth, the Spartans turned a double play to keep the game close.
St. John did not allow it to get any closer.