Tino Guidicipietro slides home safely in the fourth inning for the Diamond Jacks.
By Rich Bevensee
Playing their first season on a 90-foot diamond, the young men who populate the Diamond Jacks 13U Super ballclub roster have done an exceptional job understanding and executing their roles.
Julian Mendes, the team’s leadoff hitter, does nothing but get on base and utilize his speed to stretch singles into extra base hits. Lefty pitcher Gabe Reed-Melendez accepts that even when timing or mechanics are off, a slight correction can mean the difference between a crooked number for the opposition, and getting his defense off the field.
And Carter Cust, who’s playing up an age group, is simply taking everything in stride and digesting this level of play with a level of maturity not usually seen from a 12-year-old.
These ingredients and more are why the Diamond Jacks Super 13U extended their spring winning streak to 19 games after earning a five-inning, 10-2 victory over the BuxMont Hitmen in Best Show On Turf pool play on Friday evening at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Cust singled twice and drove in three runs, Mendes doubled, tripled and drove in two runs, and 10 of the 11 Diamond Jacks batters registered at least one hit.
It was an excellent show of offensive support for Reed-Melendez, who allowed two runs on two hits around six walks in four innings of work and he struck out two. Garrett Garlits pitched a scoreless fifth.
“These guys are awesome,” Diamond Jacks coach Luke Crawford said. “I’ve been with these guys since the spring and they just go after people. As long as their arms are throwing strikes and we’re making plays behind them, the bats will follow.”
The Diamond Jacks saw their 19-game win streak cut short in the doubleheader nightcap, as Morris County Cubs Navy rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and won, 11-10, on a walk-off single.
Regardless of the loss, the Diamond Jacks are an astounding 28-4 through 11 weeks of baseball. They will conclude pool play against the Locked In Baseball Expos Blue on Saturday.
The BuxMont (Bucks/Montgomery County) Hitmen, who reign from Warrington, Pennsylvania, lost both games of their Friday doubleheader and fell to 8-13-1 overall. On Friday they lost to the LIB Expos, 12-5. On Saturday they will face Morris County Cubs Navy.
Mendez possessed the most explosive bat for the Diamond Jacks on Friday. After a strikeout in the first inning, he sent an RBI triple into the right center field gap in the third and then drilled an RBI double into right in the fourth.
In his team’s loss to the Cubs, Mendez went 1-for-3 and drove in three more runs.
“This winter I was doing a lot of little tanks and a lot of weighted ball swings,” Mendez said. “I was looking for more contact, and I’ve done that pretty well this year. My job is still to get on base. I don’t want to do too much or too little and not think too much.”
“He’s a great leadoff guy,” Crawford said. “He’s explosive. He’s a spark plug. He’s the reason we have rallies.”
Reed-Melendez, who employed a fastball, curveball and slider, demonstrated he’s open to in-game correction. He got off to a rocky start in the first in which he walked two batters and the ball appeared to be sailing on him. In the third he surrendered two runs on two hits and two walks and escaped thanks to shortstop C.J. Scheier who initiated an inning-ending double play.
“My location wasn’t too good, but I got a bunch of ground balls which wasn’t too bad,” Reed-Melendez said.
Carter Cust was the Diamond Jacks’ top run-producer with three RBIs against the BuxMont Hitmen.
Crawford said he noticed his southpaw was rushing and, in the process, pushing his chest out during his delivery. Two mound visits took care of that.
“I had my chest out so I wasn’t throwing too many strikes,” Reed-Melendez said. “When I’m not throwing too many strikes, I take a deep breath and think middle-middle and throw a fastball first strike.”
“He struggled a little early on and a couple times I had to go out and talk to him,” Crawford said. “And every time after I talked to him he settled in, 1-2-3.”
Cust, who said he was looking forward to the challenge of playing in an older division, is becoming a standout. He possesses a fluid swing, a strong arm and terrific baserunning tools.
Cust’s RBI single in the second inning made it a 2-0 game. His RBI single in the fourth fueled a three-run rally which allowed the Diamond Jacks to forge an eight-run lead and earn a mercy rule ending after retiring the Hitmen in the top of the fifth.
“I think I’m doing pretty good. I’ve improved a lot over the last few weekends,” Cust said. “I’ve been hitting the ball better, seeing it better and getting lots of barrels. I like that the mound is further away and I can see the ball coming a little better.”
“He doesn’t care about the age thing,” Crawford said of Cust. “He works really hard, he’s a great baserunner and he just has fun.”
The Diamond Jacks notched a 1-0 lead in the first after Nick Penna belted a two-out double to drive in Garlits. The lead grew to 3-0 after RBI singles from Scheier and Cust.
The Hitmen inched back into the game after loading the bases with no outs. Connor Murphy had an RBI single and James Berboth drove in a second run with a fielder’s choice to get within 3-2.
The Diamond Jacks got those runs back and more in their half of the third on four straight hits. Reed-Melendez opened with a double, Mendez drove him in with a triple, Noah Komline had an RBI single to left, and Garlits brought home Komline with an RBI double. Garlits later scored after stealing third and taking home on a throwing error for a 7-2 lead.
The Diamond Jacks added three more runs in the fourth. Cust sent a ringing, two-run single to left and he later scored on a double steal.