Landon Perez of Centercourt Baseball 13U Mejia dives back to first ahead of pickoff throw.
By Sean Reilly
One day made quite a difference for Centercourt Baseball 13U Mejia at the Diamond Nation 13U Northeast Classic.
After opening play at the tournament with a lopsided loss on Monday, the Morganville-based team turned the tables with a 14-2 triumph over the Connecticut Wolfpack Red on Tuesday afternoon in Flemington.
Matthew Bookman pitched a four-inning no hitter for Centercourt, and also went 1-for-1 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch at the plate.
“This was a nice bounce back for us,” he said.
Bookman walked five and hit two batters for Centercourt, which dropped an 11-1 decision to the tournament-leading Morris County Cubs on Monday.
Centercourt had nine hits and also benefited from 12 walks and two hit batters against the Connecticut Wolfpack.
Three of those walks loaded the bases in the top of the first, but Centercourt did not score.
The second inning, however, resulted in 11 runs for an 11-0 lead.
The keys in the inning and in the game were the bottom three hitters in the nine-man lineup.
Jacob Lerner, the seventh batter, led off the frame with a single on a pop that dropped between the pitcher and shortstop. He finished 1-for-2 with two walks and three runs.
Eighth hitter Braden Elnagger followed with a walk that was part of his 3-for-3, three-run game.
Ninth man Landon Perez singled home Lerner with the first run, and ended 1-for-1 with one run and three walks.
The huge second inning continued with leadoff man Ryan Lasko reaching on an error which scored the second run and Ryan Jensen hitting an RBI single for a 3-0 lead. L.J. Ferraro was the batter when the fourth and fifth runs scored, on a balk and wild pitch.
Ethan Woelfing had an RBI single and Lerner drew a bases-loaded walk. Elnagger had an RBI single and Perez walked with the bases loaded. The first outs were finally recorded on back-to-back sacrifice flies, from Lasko and Jensen, for the final two runs of the inning.
The Wolfpack scored a run in the bottom of the inning when three batters walked before Aidan Cocca was hit by a pitch.
Ryan Jenson of Centercourt 13U scores on a wild pitch.
Centercourt scored its other three runs in the third. Lasko came up with the bases loaded and one out, and a run scored on his grounder that resulted in a force out at second base. Jensen reached on an error that scored a run, and Bookman hit an RBI single to center field.
The Wolfpack added a run in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI groundout by Kenny Beranbom. It scored Cocoa, who reached on a one-out error.
For Centercourt’s Bookman, his approach was to keep things as simple as possible.
“We had more energy in this game,” he said. “I was just going with a straight four-seam. We had to be more patient at the plate and stay back on the ball.”