Alex Weingartner makes contact on a grounder that scored two runs for 9ers 17U Prime.
By Sean Reilly
Brady Jackson got his wish, and he made the most of the opportunity.
Jackson is an infielder, primarily at shortstop, for 9ers 17U Prime.
He’s wanted a chance to pitch, and it unexpectedly happened on Thursday morning at Diamond Nation.
The 9ers took a three-run lead into the bottom of the fifth inning against Triple Crown at the 17/18U Garden State invitational.
The game clock had expired earlier in the inning, so the 9ers needed just three outs to close out a win. That seemed almost a given after the first two batters were retired.
But the 9ers pitcher ran into sudden control problems, issuing four straight walks that made it a two-run game with the potential winning run on base.
Tyler Garbooshian scores a run for 9ers 17U Prime in Garden State Invitational on Thursday.
With pitching options limited in the midst of it being the third game of a four-game week at ‘The Nation,’ Jackson – a Class of 2026 player from St. Augustine Prep and an Old Dominion commit – was called on to put out the fire.
The count on the batter went full, but Jackson got a called third strike to end a 3-1 victory for the 9ers in Flemington. It was part of a combined no-hitter along with starter Jude Van Ooyen and initial reliever Jared Matejicka.
“I wasn’t expecting to come in,” said Jackson, who has pitched occasionally for his high school team. “That was my first time this summer. I’ve been telling coach that I want to, but I guess we were in trouble so he let me. I just wanted to throw hard, throw strikes and get out of the inning. The count got to 3-2 and I let one loose down the middle.”
The 9ers took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning, and Jackson played a role in that as well.
With one out, he hit a fly ball to right field that landed for a hit. The oncoming outfielder unsuccessfully tried to make a shoestring catch, which resulted in Jackson racing to third for a triple as the ball got away.
“It got by him, and I just kept going,” Jackson said.
Tyler Garbooshian followed with a full-count walk, and took second base before the next batter popped out to shortstop. Alex Weingartner then reached on an infield error which scored both runners.
Zach Leto leads off third for Triple Crown as Jude Van Ooyen delivers for 9ers 17U Prime.
The 9ers added another run in the fifth.
Ryan McCabe, who singled in his earlier at-bat, led off with a single to center. He advanced on a wild pitch before the next two batters were retired. A steal of third was followed by Matejicka lining an RBI hit past the third baseman.
Van Ooyen started and pitched the first three innings for the 9ers.
In the bottom of the fifth, Ryan Miller drew a two-out walk for Sussex County-based Triple Crown. Nick Zuzzio and Aiden Carlson also walked, and Kyle Morsell drew an RBI walk. Jackson then entered, and got the final out on the called third strike.
“We’ve got a good squad and we’re just getting started,” Jackson said.
The win moved the 9ers to 2-1 in the tournament, with a final game against Atlantic Reign (0-3) on Friday morning.
Triple Crown (1-2) concludes its tournament against the Diamond Jacks Gold 17U (1-1) on Friday.