Nick Colello avoids tag to score for the Orange County Smash in the third inning.
By Rich Bevensee
Nick Colello has a clear understanding of his role as an energy guy, and it is because of that fact that he has become a regular contributor from the bottom of the batting order.
He demonstrated as much on Saturday in back-to-back innings. In the third he made a mad dash home on a sacrifice fly and acrobatically avoided the tag to slide across the plate and forge a tie game. In the fourth inning he contributed to another big rally with an infield hit in which he flat out beat the first baseman to the bag, allowing a run to score.
Fueled by Colello’s hustle plays, Orange County (N.Y.) Smash 15U mounted two game-defining rallies and defeated the Around The Horn Yowies, 7-2, in the Summer Finale 15U Black bracket at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
“One thing about Nick, he’s always going to give you 150 percent on defense, on offense,” Smash coach Dan DeFilippo said. “His speed, combined with his willingness to go 150 percent, he’s all good. He’ll never complain about where he is in the lineup and he’s the perfect candidate to turn over the lineup.”
DeFelippo’s son Dan, a rising sophomore righty at Don Bosco Prep, scattered five hits over six innings and retired the last nine batters he faced to earn the win and help Smash finish pool play 2-1. DeFilippo allowed four walks and struck out three.
The Yowies, based in Edison, fell to 0-3 for the weekend.
Colello, a rising sophomore at Monroe-Woodbury in Woodbury, N.Y., reached on a walk to lead off the bottom of the third and promptly stole second and third. Aaron Vanetten lofted a shallow fly ball to center and Colello broke for home on the catch. The throw from center fielder Chace Sullivan was a bit up the line, and Colello managed to shift his weight to the left and back to the right to avoid the tag by catcher John Naleppa and cross the plate safely.
“My main thing was I wanted to see where the catcher was setting up so I could try to avoid the tag,” Colello said.
That run tied the game at 2-2 and sparked a three-run rally which gave Smash a 4-2 lead.
In the fourth, Colello struck again. One run had already crossed when Colello came up with runners on second and third and two out. He hit a soft grounder to first and won a footrace to first while Nick Knapp scored, giving Smash a 6-2 lead.
Colello said he has enjoyed growing into his role as an unsung contributor.
“I’m just trying to provide and get it back to the top of the order,” Colello said. “Sometimes they call it ‘second leadoff.’ Just get on base and get it back to the top.”
DeFilippo struggled with his control the first two innings, allowing two hits and four walks, but was fortunate to allow just one run.
“He came out of the gate and struggled a little with command, but once he settled in he found what was working for him and settled in nicely,” the elder DeFilippo said. “I went out there twice to visit him and we talked about straightening out his mechanics. He concentrated on his mechanics and that helped him with his control.”
Shayne Rooney had two hits for Around The Horn.
His father came out to visit the mound twice to offer advice, and it appeared his son got the jist, as he circled the mound and his father circled after him.
“I’ve been visiting him (on the mound) since he was 7 or 8, This is actually one of our last games together,” DeFilippo said. “I always try to keep it, not always comical, but calm. I know it’s a big job out there and he’s been receptive for a lot of years. He’s at that age where he’s like, I’m good, Dad.”
The younger DeFilippo, working with a fastball, curveball and changeup, did settle down eventually. He gave up a run on two hits in the third, he surrendered a leadoff single in the fourth and then retired the final nine batters he faced.
“I feel like I didn’t throw a lot of strikes,” DeFilippo said. “Especially with that team I could have left it up to my fielders more. I need to get my velo up and locate my pitches better. My catcher was calling for some high fastballs and I didn’t have them in the right location.”
Justin Smith came on to pitch the seventh for Smash and allowed a walk and a hit and struck out one.
The Yowies grabbed a 1-0 lead in their first at bat when Mason Cimini walked with the bases loaded. Smash came back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame when leadoff hitter Zach Hampton stole third and scored on an errant throw.
The Yowies took their last lead in the top of the third when Shayne Rooney scored from third on a smash up the middle by Cimini. Smash second baseman Ben Gould made a sliding stop of the grounder on his knees and fired to first to get the out, and probably saved a run in doing so.
Smash took control of the game in the bottom of the third when Vanetten drove in Colello with the tying run, Josh Konior had an RBI single, and Gould added a sac fly for a 4-2 lead.
In the fourth, Smith had an RBI groundout and Colello’s RBI infield hit made it 6-2. Konior added another RBI single in the fifth for the final score.