Evan Lagemann follows through on third-inning sacrifice fly for Wladyka 17U Continental.
By Sean Reilly
Alex Faust brought his good stuff to the pitching mound on Tuesday afternoon for Wladyka Baseball 17U Continental at Diamond Nation.
That was bad news for the opposing Tri-State Outlaws 15U.
The fact that Wladyka Continental also brought a multi-pronged hitting attack made things even more challenging for the Outlaws.
Wladyka Continental scored six runs in the top of the first inning, and Faust allowed no hits during his four-inning start in a 9-0 win at the Super 17 Invitational, Powered By Victus.
There are close to 90 teams participating in the tournament, and Wladyka Continental sits near the top after opening with two wins on Monday.
Wladyka Continental was bidding for a 4-0 finish when it played The Sports Yard 17U (1-0) on Wednesday morning. The top five teams at the conclusion of play on Friday qualify for the Super 17 Top 25 Showcase in August. Wladyka Continental also has a 21-2 run differential thus far.
Faust, a right-hander who worked 31 innings in the spring as a junior at Millburn High, threw 47 pitches (32 for strikes) in earning the win. He struck out six and walked one.
“Most of my pitches were fastballs,” he said. “I was keeping them on the outside corner, letting the other team hit it and having my defense make the plays.”
Being presented such a big lead also helped.
“I could go out there relaxed, and have fun,” he said.
Wladyka Continental generated five of its 13 hits in the opening inning.
Sam Dorian led off with a single to right field and Enzo Gurijala walked. Both runners advanced on a double steal before Zac Calveric hit an RBI single to shortstop.
Zachary Silberstein looped an RBI single beyond first base for a 2-0 lead. The Outlaws then turned an infield double play that almost got them out of the inning.
Instead, walks to Zach Barron and James Musco reloaded the bases, and Evan Lagemann followed with a two-run single to center field.
Alex Faust allowed no hits over four innings for Wladyka Baseball 17U Continental.
Peter Lawrence was up next, and he hit a two-run double to left-center for the 6-0 lead.
The other runs came in the third inning.
Matt Sabatella lined a first-pitch single to center with one out, and Barron reached on a single to center that sent Sabatella to third. Musco was hit by a pitch that loaded the bases. Lagemann hit a sacrifice fly to right field for a 7-0 lead, and Lawrence followed with a two-run double.
Dorian was 2-for-3, Lagemann ended 2-for-2 with three RBI and Lawrence went 2-for-3 with four RBI.
“My job is to get on base and be a sparkplug for the guys and put myself in scoring position and let everyone behind me hit,” said Dorian, a Class of 2025 player from Montclair High. “Getting a lead made it easier to make plays and keep a simple mindset at the plate.”
“We were clicking today,” said Lagemann, who just completed his junior year at Glen Rock High. “We were 2-0 yesterday, so we wanted to keep the bats hot and that’s what we did today. We drove in a lot of runs in some big spots, especially with two outs. It feels great to come in with a plan, and then to execute it.”
The Tri-State Outlaws did avoid the no-hitter, finishing with one hit, a leadoff single by Rowan Buresh against the bullpen in the fifth and final inning.