Asa Brown scores ahead of a throw for Apex Academy Prospects at the 16U Blue Chip Prospects.
By Sean Reilly
Theo Seidman was ready to pitch, and it showed on Thursday afternoon at Diamond Nation.
Seidman, a right-handed reliever for Apex Academy Prospects from Massachusetts, entered in the top of the fifth inning of his team’s final game at the 16U Blue Chips Prospects tournament.
Apex Academy was down by a run, and his task was shutting down the opposing Nor East Clippers 2027, who were very eager to head home to New York with their first victory in its last game of the tournament.
Seidman wound up allowing two hits over three scoreless innings, with six strikeouts and one walk, while Apex rallied with two runs for a 6-5 victory.
“It felt great,” he said. “My family and my friends were watching. I pitched in three of the four games this week and it’s a beautiful day. It’s awesome to come in to try to close out the game for my team. You have a whole family behind you, and you have to just go out and throw your best stuff.”
Shawn Fusco connects on a two-run single for Apex Academy Prospects.
Apex, which finished the week with two wins and two losses, erased a 5-4 deficit by scoring twice in the bottom of the fourth.
The frame began with George Papalambro hitting a double to center field. Linus Henke singled to right, with Papalambro holding at third before Henke moved to second on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Daniel Lestrade hit a grounder to third and was safe after a bad throw to the plate. The runner retreated back to third, which loaded the bases for leadoff man Shawn Fusco.
Fusco hit a grounder back to the pitcher, but an error on the throw home scored Papalambro with the tying run.
After another ground ball to third resulted in an out at the plate, a balk during Preston Ardolino’s at-bat scored Lestrade with the go-ahead run.
After that, Seidman provided the necessary relief to secure the victory.
“We’ve been through a lot together since the winter, so it’s great to have these kinds of moments,” he said. “I just had to trust the defense and throw my best stuff, which was to attack with my fastball and get them to swing and miss. When it comes to my best stuff, it’s really what’s right in the moment.”
The Clippers may have had their best start of the summer by scoring four times in the top of the first.
Jon Starvatow led off by reaching on a dropped fly ball, and David Gittes walked. The runners advanced on a wild pitch and Domenico Fanelli hit a two-run double to left center. Fanelli scored on a wild pitch with Alvaro Capellan at the plate. Julian Cervantes, who had walked, scored the fourth run when Alejandro Pena hit a sacrifice fly to center.
Henry Hoffman leads off first for Nor East Clippers 2027 while Apex’s Ethan Frank guards the base.
Apex Academy scored once in the bottom of the first, after Ardolino walked with two out, stole second, and then scored on Donovan O’Brien’s double that dropped in near the right-field line.
Apex Academy added three runs in the second for a 4-4 tie.
Ethan Frank led off with a single and one-out walks to Papalambro and Asa Brown loaded the bases. Liam Anderson hit a one-run single to right, and after a strikeout, Fusco lined a two-run single past the first baseman.
The Clippers took a 5-4 lead in the third. Fanelli led off with a walk, and Capellan walked with a one-out. Jake Rothenberg then hit an RBI single to center.