ITZ College Prep Team’s Adam Goldberg delivers a pitch during Super 17 World Series.
By Luis Torres
Adam Goldberg might’ve just finished up his freshman year, but he looked well beyond his years when he toed the rubber on Tuesday.
Pitching against players who are years older than him, Goldberg showed on more than one occasion that his maturity on the mound matches his peers that have more experience than him.
Behind Goldberg’s complete game and stellar defense, In The Zone (ITZ) College Prep Team defeated PS2 Academy, 8-2, in six innings in Super 17 World Series play at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
The game was cut short because of a severe storm that forced the premature end to the contest and Goldberg’s day on the mound.
But that didn’t take away from the fact that he was efficient and found ways to get outs when he ran into trouble.
Dylan Fitzsimmons went 2-for-3 with 3 RBI for ITZ College Prep on Tuesday.
Goldberg needed just 80 pitches to get through his six innings of work, scattering six hits, striking out four and walking none.
“I think he did a good job,” ITZ College Prep Team coach Jeremy Duran said. “I think early on he struggled a little bit with his command. His curveball and his cutter are his best pitches, and he really couldn’t find them, but he found a way against a good lineup to just hit spots with his fastball and let them get themselves out.”
Goldberg allowed PS2 Academy’s first two hitters in the bottom of the first inning to reach on singles but limited the damage to just one run because he got out of the frame by getting a double play.
That ended up being a theme during his outing. Goldberg induced three double plays, including two 5-4-3 twin killings.
“Our defense was pretty stellar today,” Duran said. “We’ve had a good defense all year, but today we really showed it. We turned a 5-4-3 double play twice in big spots and that was big for Adam and the rest of the team.”
The lineup provided Goldberg with plenty of run support.
Evan Rodriguez opened the scoring in the top of the first with an RBI single, scoring Dylan Fitzsimmons. Fitzsimmons had a big day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, including a two-run single in the sixth inning, and he also stole three bases.
Blake Duddy went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs and put ITZ College Prep Team on top for good when he ripped an RBI double in the second inning after PS2 Academy tied the game at 1-1.
Blake Duddy of ITZ College Prep Team gets set to take a cut against PS2 Academy.
ITZ College Prep Team scored three runs in the second inning, and Goldberg took over from there, getting stronger in the middle innings.
He needed 49 pitches combined to get through frames three, four, five and six.
“He knows what he has in that arm. He knows what he has in the tank,” Duran said. “That’s kind of been him all year. He knows he’s not an 85, 90-mile-per-hour guy. But he’s 75 to upper 70s, and he just gets outs. He’s gotta command the zone and let his defense work behind him.”