Matt Filiaci of the Diamond Jacks Super 15U drives a single to right field leading off the fifth inning.
By Bob Behre
Braiden Russell limited the Diamond Jacks Super 15U to one run over five gritty innings and delivered a two-run single that capped a four-run third inning and sent the Complete Game Colonials to a 5-3 victory in the final Super 17 Invitational game for each squad.
Russell and the Colonials took the initiative in a contest that saw the Diamond Jacks come in at 3-0 with a 22-1 runs advantage on its opponents this week. The Colonials, in fact, had scored just two runs in a 1-2 start to the showcase. But Russell and his mates were the ones with the hop in their step today.
“Braiden was super gritty,” said Colonials coach Ray Cassens. “He comes at you and he competes. He has a great two-pitch mix.”
The right-handed Russell, a rising senior at Midland Park High, got the upper hand on the Diamond Jacks with his fastball, then flummoxed the young squad with his curveball in his later innings.
“I don’t like to show my curveball early,” said Russell. “I like to get them (off balance) the second time through the lineup.”
L.J. Renshaw put the Colonials on the board in the bottom of the first with a one-out RBI single through the left side. Ryan Nitch had drawn a leadoff walk and Emerson Cho reached on righthander Gabriel Miller’s second walk of the inning with one out. Niche then broke from second on a 1-0 pitch to Renshaw. Third baseman James Fenton moved quickly to cover the bag as Renshaw shot his single through the vacated spot in the Diamond Jacks infield.
Miller struggled with his command again in the third inning. He hit No. 10 hitter Matt Milstein with a pitch to open the inning. Miller then walked Nitch and Alex DeSimone to load the bases with no outs. The righty struck out Cho and had Renshaw at 0-2, but plunked the Colonials catcher with the next pitch to force home a run and boost the lead to 2-0.
Jayden Peres then jumped on a 1-0 pitch and sent a fly to center fielder deep enough to score Niche for a 3-0 lead. Russell confidently stepped in and delivered a dagger with a hard two-run single to center field to extend the lead to 5-0.
“I was thinking I had to come through in that spot,” said Russell, who batted .357 during his high school season. “I had to help my teammates out.” Russell jumped on a 1-0 fastball from Miller and drove it.
The Diamond Jacks’ bullpen shut out the Colonials from there, giving the home squad an opportunity to battle back.
“It’s been a long hot week and I think we came out a little flat,” said Super 15U coach Josh Ake. “But I like how we battled back. We’re just getting going. We’re 8-3. We’ll be fine.”
The Diamond Jacks did peck away at Complete Game’s lead despite stranding nine runners in the game. They would, in fact, put the tying run aboard in the top of the seventh.
Owen Ehrenkranz finally generated the Diamond Jacks first run in the fifth. He led off the inning with a single to center, raced to third on Matt Filiaci’s single to right and scored on a wild pitch.
Kim Kotaro of Complete Game Colonials takes a pitch in sixth inning at bat against the Super 15U.
Gino Spigarelli drew a two-out walk in the sixth, stole second and reached third on a passed ball. Reliever Kim Kotaro nearly got out of the inning clean but Spigarelli scored when Connor Bresler reached on a throwing error.
James Fenton made the Colonials pay further for the miscue when he lined a shot into the left-center field gap for a double and a run that drew the Diamond Jacks within 5-3. Kotaro got out of the jam from there before walking a thin tightrope in the seventh.
Kotaro walked Ehrenkranz and Filiaci to start the seventh, putting the tying run on base with no outs. But Kotaro, while battling command coming in from third base to relieve, put the walks behind him and retired the next three batters in order; strikeout, strikeout, force-out at second, to pick up the hard-earned save.
“Braiden’s two-run hit to extend the lead to five really helped us in the end,” said Cassens, a Union City grad.
Russell limited the Diamond Jacks to five hits, struck out five and walked four. He was impressive over 40⅔ innings for Midland Park (21-9-1), as well, posting a paltry 1.03 ERA while striking out 55 and walking 18.
Stranded
The Diamond Jacks surely rue the lost opportunities in this one.
Nick McCabe singled with one out in the top of the first for the Diamond Jacks but was erased on an inning-ending double play. Gavin Ross drew a two-out walk in the second and Ehrenkranz (2-for-2, walk) followed with a single to center field. Hope rose further for the Super 15U squad when a wild pitch sent Ross to third and Ehrenkranz to second. But Russell induced a grounder from the next batter to end the threat.
The Diamond Jacks also failed to get runners home from first and third with one out in the third and stranded Spigarelli at second in the fourth after he drew a leadoff walk and took second on a wild pitch with no outs.
On to the next tournament
The Colonials were 2-2 in the Super 17 Invitational despite being outscored 13-7. The Diamond Jacks Super 15U was 3-1 and held a 25-6 runs advantage on its opponents. The Colonials play in the PS Boston Classic July 6-10 and the Diamond Jacks Super 15U heads to Alabama next week.