Aidan Cooper struck out five of the six batters he faced for Hillsborough Cardinal.
By Sean Reilly
The Diamond Nation Fall League exists for players like Aidan Cooper.
Cooper wanted to use the league as a way to get in some extra pitching, while working on certain nuances of his approach.
He made the most of his opportunity, capped by a two-inning start in the Round of 16 on Tuesday night for his third-seeded Hillsborough Cardinal squad against the 19th-seed Morris County Cubs 15U.
Cooper retired all six he faced, five by strikeout, and David Kandell pitched hitless ball over the final three innings to complete a no-hitter as Hillsborough Cardinal advanced with a 9-0 win in Flemington.
“The fall has gone really well,” Cooper said. “This league definitely helps in getting reps on the mound and looking forward to the spring. I’ve been getting a lot of innings, and doing a lot of work, and I’ve been enjoying it.”
The Cubs were one of the youngest teams in the league, and pulled off a first-round upset by ousting 14th-seeded Zoned RedHawks 15U Select, 9-3, on Monday night.
Beating Hillsborough Cardinal, featuring older players from the Hillsborough High School program, would be a very difficult task for the younger Cubs. It also played a role in how Cooper, a senior at the Somerset County school, approached his start.
“Against a team like that, I’m just throwing off-speed and looking to give them something low in the zone,” he said. “I’m not really looking to throw at them, but throw around them. I also trust my defense behind me.”
Cooper struck out the side in the top of the first, and it didn’t take long for an offensive tone to be set in the bottom of the inning.
Elijah Dawes leads off third base for Hillsborough Cardinal.
Elijah Dawes led off for Hillsborough, and he hit a grounder off the leg of the Cubs starter, which forced him to yield to a reliever.
After a walk to Drew Kapila followed by a foul out to the catcher, the next three Hillsborough batters – Cooper, T.J. Westlake and Brian Quabeck – all hit one-run singles. Samuel Malone added an RBI groundout for a 4-0 lead.
Two more runs came in during the second inning, as Kipila led off with a single and later scored on an error. Alex Reiling then walked and scored on a sacrifice fly from Westlake.
Brayden Fox led off the third inning by reaching on a two-base error. He moved to third on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.
Kipila, who went 2-for-2 with a walk, hit a one-out single in the fourth, stole second and scored on Kandell’s single to center. It was Kipila’s third run of the game.
Hillsborough Cardinal came within one out of a perfect game, but Myles Siedsma drew a two-out walk in the fifth for the Cubs. The game then ended on a ground out to third. Kandell ended with six strikeouts.
The win advanced Hillsborough Cardinal to the quarterfinals later on Tuesday, but they lost a 12-1 game to sixth-seeded Team Goon.
The Fall League playoffs will conclude on Wednesday at ‘The Nation,’ with the NJ Jays 18U facing Allentown Legion and Montgomery Superior opposing Team Goon in semifinals at 6 p.m. The winners will meet for the championship at 8.