Generals catcher Leo Ronca tags out runner after handing relay throw from Mason Barlow.
By Sean Reilly
Harrison Carter figured that he might be called on to pitch for the Bucks County Generals 12U Black on Saturday afternoon at Diamond Nation.
He didn’t, however, expect it to happen in the top of the first inning.
The Generals, coming off a lopsided victory in their first game of the 12U Fall Harvest tournament an hour earlier, had a much more difficult time in the early going against Millburn-Short Hills Youth Baseball.
In almost the blink of an eye, Millburn-Short Hills, playing immediately after an impressive win over the Diamond Jacks Gold 12U, had its first six batters reach base while scoring twice against the powerful Generals.
A pitching change followed, and Carter was the new man on the mound with bases loaded and one out (a runner was out at the plate trying to score earlier in the inning).
The results weren’t immediate – Millburn’s Dylan Dieckman hit an RBI single to third base and Reed Kelley drew a run-scoring walk on a full count.
But the next batter hit a grounder back to Carter, who initiated a pitcher-to-catcher-to first base doubleplay.
It was the break the Generals needed, and with a full six innings to chip away at the deficit, that’s exactly what happened, as Bucks County rallied for what became an 11-4 victory.
Coupled with the win over the LIB Expos Blue in the earlier game, the Generals also earned the top seed in the four-team playoffs on Sunday.
And thanks to the work of Carter, the Generals will start off in good shape pitching-wise. He threw 5⅔ innings, allowing four hits, with 11 strikeouts and two walks without being charged with any runs.
For added measure, he went 2-for-2 with a walk at the plate, with two RBI and three runs.
“It felt good,” he said. “Coach trusted me and I just went out there and did my job, which was to throw strikes and let my team hit. I’ve been in these situations before. It’s happened against good teams, and we had six innings to come back.”
Millburn-Short Hills, after its 11-8 win over the DJacks, received an RBI single from Ryan Hado in the opening inning against the Generals.
The Generals comeback wasn’t immediate. There were no base runners until Jake Stephenson doubled to right field with two out in the bottom of the second.
Carter was up next, and hit an RBI single to center. Walks to Marc Geiger and Chase Rowand loaded the bases, and Leo Ronca also walked to bring in the second run.
Carter struck out the side in the top of the third, and the Generals scored another run in the bottom of the frame after Evan Corrado led off with a single to second base, and eventually scored after three wild pitches.
Carter pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, this time with two strikeouts, before the Generals took control with a five-run bottom of the inning.
Will Crofton reaches low to connect on a single to right field for Millburn-Short Hills.
Carter launched the rally by drawing a one-out walk. Geiger, who finished 2-for-2 with a walk, hit a single to center.
The next batter struck out, but a passed ball advanced the runners to second and third with Ronca at the plate. A wild pitch scored Carter, before Ronca walked and moved to second.
Henry Kephart followed with a two-run double to left field for a 6-4 lead.
Kephart moved to third on a wild pitch before Corrado walked on a full count. Leadoff man Kyle Hunt was up next, and hit a two-run double to center for a four-run advantage.
Carter’s streak of eight straight pitching outs ended with a one-out hit batsman in the fifth, but that runner was then thrown out trying to steal by catcher Kephart. Another strikeout followed.
The Generals added three more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Larry Scheetz hit an RBI double, while Carter and Geiger added run-scoring singles.
Lucas Shao, the leadoff batter for Millburn-Short Hills, hit a one-out single in the top of the sixth to complete a 3-for-3 performance.
Carter then struck out the next two to end the game in fitting fashion.
“I was throwing curveballs, changeups and fastballs,” he said. “I threw more curveballs than changeups today. I felt Iike I was in a groove with those multiple 1-2-3 innings. It was also one of my better games hitting.”