Cerda’s mature approach, timely hits guide NY Grays in Super 16 Showcase

By DN WRITING STAFF | August 14, 2024

The Grays’ Daniel Walker leaps back to first on a pickoff attempt in the fifth inning.

By Rich Bevensee

Elias Cerda is slowly but surely learning the art of self control.

It’s not an easy task for a pitcher, especially when things are going wrong all around and when your stuff isn’t your best stuff. But Cerda is learning how to cope with all of that. And it’s working.

Cerda, a right-hander with the 16U New York Grays, displayed how much he’s matured during a solid four-inning stint in which he allowed one run on three hits and three walks in a 5-1 triumph over Tri-State Arsenal 16U Victus-Kowal in the Super 16 Top 25 Showcase on Tuesday at Diamond Nation in Flemington.

“Loved his body language,” Grays coach Steve Hudek said. “He got in a couple jams early and got out of it. It’s something we worked on. He’s got the stuff, it’s just keeping control, pitching out of jams and relying on your defense.”

The victory moved the Grays to 1-1 in the showcase but short of the four-team playoff. It was an important rebound win for the Grays, who wanted to head into their season-closing weekend tournament in Long Island on a high note after losing, 10-0, to 9ers Baseball Club on Monday.

Arsenal fell to 0-2 in the showcase after it lost, 5-4, to Atlantic Reign on Monday.

Cerda admittedly didn’t have his best stuff on Tuesday evening but he kept damage to a minimum. In the first inning with runners on first and second, he was the beneficiary of an inning-ending strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out, with catcher Mehki Valle gunning down a runner at third.

Cerda didn’t surrender a base hit until the fourth when Brian Tulli, Chase Kowal and Mike Kamper reached on consecutive singles to drive in Arsenal’s first run. With the Grays leading 3-1 and the tying runs in scoring position, Cerda induced a fly ball to right and got a strikeout to end the threat.

Cerda, who employed a four-seam fastball, slider, curveball and changeup, finished with five whiffs.

“I can do a lot better than this. I’ve had games way better than this,” said Cerda, a rising junior at St. Raymond’s in the Bronx. “Today was about staying positive, throwing strikes and helping out my teammates.”

Hudec said Cerda’s fourth-inning effort was the kind of performance he’s been waiting to see from his young righty – tough under pressure.

Max Kleinz takes a cut for Tri-State Arsenal.

“I’d love him to be,” Hudec said. “His last few outings have been hard luck – a couple errors, a couple bad calls, whatever – and he was getting down on himself. We had a long talk about it. When it gets tough, he has to get tougher.”

Cerda said the coach-player chat stemmed from a game two weeks ago when things fell apart on the field. 

“I was upset at myself, upset with teammates because they made a couple errors,” Cerda said. “When I went home after the game I told myself, this has to change because it’s not me, and it looks bad. And you gotta recognize it’s not easy to make plays in the field. I realized maybe if I play well maybe they’ll play well, too.”

Arsenal got the tying runs on base once again in the fifth, but the same defense which supported Cerda came through for reliever Frailyn Capelan, turning a 6-3 double play to end the inning. Capelan pitched two scoreless innings, he yielded one hit and two walks and struck out two. 

The Grays provided immediate offensive support for Cerda in the top of the first inning with a three-run rally, which started with two out. With two on, Jean Hernandez slugged the first pitch he saw into left for an RBI single. Valle scored from third on an infield error after some pitcher-catcher miscommunication. And Ethan Jiminez then stroked an RBI single up the middle for a 3-0 Grays lead.

Arsenal got on the board with Kamper’s RBI single in the fourth, but that was all it could muster against Cerda and Capelan. 

The Grays added two more runs in the sixth with two out when Daniel Walker drew a bases-loaded walk and Jiminez scored on an infield error. 

For Arsenal, Jared Kligerman pitched five innings and allowed three runs on five hits and three walks with five strikeouts. Bob Betler pitched an inning of relief and permitted two runs (one earned) on no hits and four walks with two strikeouts.

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