Janniel Hernandez singles in the third inning to drive in a run for Allentown Legion.
By Rich Bevensee
Chase Pullen could not have picked a better time to introduce himself to the Diamond Nation High School Fall League.
Before joining his teammates on the Allentown Legion ballclub, many of them Allentown High classmates, coach Sahil Thakur admitted that team morale was low due to losing its last four league games. Making matters worse was that Allentown’s Monday night doubleheader featured a nightcap against an opponent which won by the mercy rule the last time they met.
After getting back on track with an 11-1 decision over Flemington Baseball Association Jays White in the opener, Allentown got a huge boost from Pullen, who pitched four shutout innings in an 8-0, five-inning triumph over Flemington American Legion Post 159 at ‘The Nation’ in Flemington.
On Sept. 28, Flemington beat Allentown, 9-1, in five innings.
Pullen, who spent September traveling to tournaments with South Jersey’s Seven Baseball Club, said he wasn’t quite sure he could be labeled Allentown’s good-luck charm, but he was pleased to help his friends get back on track.
“It was great getting out here with the guys,” Pullen said. “Honestly I think the guys had better approaches today, and no errors. That’s why we won the game.”
Allentown (4-4) is back to .500 for the first time since winning its first two league games of the season in mid-September.
“We came in today with the vibes a little bit lower because of last week. We were at that brink,” Thakur said. “We challenged them today to make the most of it, to go out there and battle. That’s all you can do.”
Thakur was quick to point out his defense was errorless in the doubleheader sweep. During the team’s four-game slide, Allentown committed 13 errors.
“When we don’t make mistakes defensively we’re a tough team to beat,” Thakur said. “That hasn’t been the case so far but hopefully this is a turning point for us.”
Pullen, a 5-6 righty, mainly used a fastball and curveball, with an occasional slider and changeup, to hold Flemington (6-3) to three hits and three walks in his four innings of work with three strikeouts.
Pullen danced through early-inning trouble in three of four innings but still managed to strand five runners in scoring position. He escaped the first inning after Flemington had runners on second and third with one out. Flemington began the third with a single and a walk and could not cash in against Pullen. Andrew Fisher led off the fourth with a triple but Pullen retired the next three batters.
Flemington’s Ben Annese leaps back to first base after his second inning base hit.
Not bad for a pitcher who had not thrown in a game in two weeks.
“My fastball may not have been as fast as I wanted but I kept it in the zone pretty much,” Pullen said.
“He’s a bulldog out there,” Thakur said. “He’s been on the travel circuit a lot so he knows how to get through trouble. He did that for us in the summer. He just pounds the zone.”
Scoring 19 runs in one night will do wonders for the team’s morale, and for momentum as well, said Damien Porras, an Allentown junior who went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI against Flemington.
“I think we were just seeing the ball well today, honestly,” Porras said. “Our guys came out hot, hitting it all over the field, getting guys over, doing all the little things right. We have momentum now and we’re going to get better before the playoffs.”
Allentown surprised Flemington by scoring four runs (three earned) in the top of the first inning against righty Ben Annese, who held Allentown to one run in five innings the first time these teams met.
Danny Ducalo doubled on a flare inside the left field line to score Matteo Pandolfini. Porras drove in Janniel Hernandez from third with one out on a ground ball error and Ducalo also scored on the error. Then Adam Tantum drove in Correa with a bloop single to right for a 4-0 lead.
In the third, Hernandez had an RBI single and Ducalo scored on a wild pitch for a 6-0 Allentown advantage.
In the fifth, Porras and Correa ripped back-to-back doubles to score one run and Connor Becker walked with the bases loaded to cap the scoring.
Correa pitched the final inning and walked two before retiring the side by inducing a game-ending double play.
Annese went three innings for Flemington and allowed six runs, five earned, on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Mike Parillo pitched two innings in relief and permitted two runs on two hits and five walks with three strikeouts.
In Allentown’s first game against Jays White, Alex Katana tripled, walked twice and had three RBI and Matt Hardcastle doubled to lead an offense which benefited from five hits and 11 walks. Correa, Hernandez, Tantum and Ethan Medili each drove in a run.