Randy Davis stroked an RBI single for Zoned RedHawks in the 17U Garden State Invitational.
By Rich Bevensee
Devin Goldberg had not pitched in two years and he was about to shake off the cobwebs in stifling 90-degree heat – and the mercury was probably higher than that on the artificial turf at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
But the recent Bridgewater-Raritan High graduate didn’t fold under the heat or the unfamiliarity of the pitcher’s mound.
“Actually it was a lot of fun,” said Goldberg, a 5-9 righty who plays middle infield and the outfield. “I mean, I’m not a pitcher. I was just trying to throw strikes and get us off the field, and it was really hot out there so the sooner, the better.”
Goldberg’s two innings of work were a big reason why the Zoned RedHawks 17u ballclub was able to stifle the 17U Jays in a 7-1 verdict in the 17U Garden State Invitational Powered by Victus on Wednesday at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
Zoned closed out the week 3-1. It defeated Hustle Baseball, 3-1, and Locked In Baseball Expos Black, 11-0, and bowed to Santos 17U, 5-4.
The Jays (1-3) slid to their third straight loss. They defeated Valley Dogs Red, 5-4, and lost to Diamond Jacks Gold, 6-2, and the Morris County Cubs, 9-1.
For a combination of reasons, Zoned coach Nick Destio used an odd assortment of available arms on his pitching staff on Wednesday, with non-pitcher Goldberg actually getting the longest stint.
Hard-throwing lefty Zack Kucerka (83 mph) started and allowed one run on one hit and one walk with two strikeouts in his inning of work.
Goldberg threw two scoreless innings and permitted two hits and one walk and struck out one. Matt Park tossed one scoreless inning while allowing one hit and two walks while striking out two. Evan Laub gave up a run in the fifth on three hits and one walk and he struck out two.
Destio said deploying a gallery of arms wasn’t because he was trying to spread the wealth in front of the several college scouts who were present.
“Mostly we’re trying to save some arms,” Destio said. “Our second pitcher (Goldberg) was tired after two innings – he was dripping wet – and I don’t want anyone to get too overheated.”
Alex Payne is off and running to steal second base for the RedHawks.
While the Zoned pitching staff battled the heat and the Jays successfully, the RedHawks offense fired off a four-run first inning.
Goldberg, the ignition switch to NJSIAA Group 4 champion Bridgewater-Raritan’s high-powered offense in the spring, is headed to Tampa to continue his baseball career. He was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a Laub single to trigger the rally in the first. He then stole third and took home on an errant throw.
Randy Davis, a Westfield graduate who will play at the University of Rochester, dropped an RBI single into shallow right field, and he later scored on an outfield error following a Noah Brandt single. Kucerka walked with the bases loaded to force in a run and give Zoned a 4-0 lead.
“Both teams had to deal with the heat and I guess we handled it better,” Davis said. “A rally like that is important because once you put up four runs like we did, it kind of breaks them down and gets in their heads a little bit, especially with the heat. We capitalized on it and kept it going.”
The Jays got on the board in the bottom of the first when Chase Garrow drilled an RBI double to left center. With runners on first and third and one out, the Jays saw their budding rally squashed when Zoned right fielder Will Hunsinger caught a Colby Eisenbeil dying fly ball and threw to first to double off a runner for the third out.
Zoned scored once more in the second and two more in the third to build a cushion on the Jays. The RedHawks saw seven players score and six players pick up a base hit.
“You gotta love to see a team effort like that,” Destio said. “Everyone doing their part and moving the line everywhere you can.”
In the top of the second, Zoned leadoff hitter Kevin Burgess scored when Davis hit into a double play with the bases loaded.
The RedHawks added two more runs in the third inning. Alex Payne scored on an error on a Burgess grounder, and Goldberg drove in a run with an infield hit.
Cole Jacobus pitched the first 3⅓ innings for the Jays, allowing seven runs on six hits and five walks with two strikeouts. Eisenbeil worked 1⅔ innings of scoreless relief with a walk and two strikeouts.