Tyler Groblewski singled in a run in the third inning for 5-Star National NY.
By Rich Bevensee
There was a time in the top of the second inning, albeit brief, when Van Johnson was struggling with the humidity, his mechanics, his temperament, or maybe all three combined.
Johnson surrendered three straight walks to start the inning and allowed the first five batters to reach safely, a very uncharacteristic showing for the right-hander from the 5-Star National NY 2026/27 Mafia Boys.
But just as fast as that rally’s happened, Johnson quickly snapped out of it and recorded three straight outs to halt the damage. That was all Wladyka Baseball National could muster against the 6-2, 215-pound righty, who pitched three scoreless innings thereafter.
While Johnson regained his control, 5-Star used an 11-batter, six-run third inning to overtake Wladyka and claim a 6-3 pool play victory in the Garden State Invitational Powered by Victus on Wednesday morning at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
“I tried throwing strikes but obviously the second inning didn’t go as planned,” said Johnson, a rising junior at Miller Place High in Long Island, N.Y. “I had to remember that I’m better than three walks in a row. Just throw that first strike and trust the guys behind me. Throwing strike one is all that matters.”
The Mafia Boys improved to 2-0 this week, having routed Centercourt Showcase, 14-0, on Tuesday. 5-Star will play TCS Blackhawks White and the South Jersey Young Guns on Thursday.
Wladyka, which began the week with a 4-1 victory over Santos, fell to 1-1. Wladyka will play the Out Of The Park Cyclones Futures and Hustle Baseball on Thursday.
Using a steady mixture of fastballs, changeups and curveballs, Johnson pitched all five innings for 5-Star and allowed three runs on two hits, three walks and two hit batsmen and he struck out 12. He had Wladyka batters so flustered that seven of the 12 strikeouts were looking.
“As the game went on I changed speeds,” Johnson said. “It’s all planning the next move. You want to be two or three steps ahead of the hitter.”
Wladyka got only two more baserunners into scoring position against Johnson – one in the fourth inning and another in the fifth – but were left stranded.
By the end of the game, Johnson’s second inning troubles seemed like a mere blip on the radar screen.
“He’s a bulldog on the mound – always,” 5-Star coach Heath Terry said. “I’ve had him for three years now, and every time out, it doesn’t matter what’s going on, he’s in control of the game.”
Terry said he trusted Johnson to find his own way through the mess in the second inning.
“I didn’t say anything to him,” Terry said. “I try to stay out of their heads during the game. You want them to figure it out themselves, and he does. He’s a student of the game.”
Wladyka starter Luca Rastello, a rising junior at Wallkill Valley, seemed on course for a stellar outing as well, setting the Mafia Boys down in order in the first two innings.
In the third inning, Rastello retired the first batter before the next three reached on an outfield error and two walks. Rastello had only given up one hit to that point, but because Wladyka had a prescheduled program for its pitchers, Rastello handed the ball over to Brendan Kearns.
Landon Laguna of Wladyka National slides home safely in the second inning.
The Mafia Boys scuffed Rastello for three runs, and they roughed up Kearns for three more runs on three walks and two hits before getting a double play to end the 11-batter inning.
“I thought he (Rastello) was starting to get a little frustrated with the zone,” Wladyka coach Brian Chapman said. “I also have to be a little bit of a clock manager here because we need to get Kearns his work, too. Our original plan was to go three innings each but then I saw that wasn’t going to happen with the (1-hour, 30-minute) clock.
“If I’m coaching that straight up and there’s no chart to follow, yeah, I might let him (Rastello) try to work it out. He had thrown well, his velocity was up, and they had one hit the whole game.”
Wladyka struck first in the second inning when – after those three straight walks Johnson gave up – Tristan Frank lashed a bases-loaded, two-run single up the middle and Cole Wiecenski scored on a wild pitch.
In the third, the Mafia Boys took over, batting around and scoring six runs on two hits, five walks and two errors.
No. 11 batter Gary Zwicken got 5-Star rolling with a bases-loaded walk. Logan DiLorenzo scored on a bases-loaded error on a Chris Ragone ground ball. Tyler Groblewski knocked an RBI single into left to tie the game at 3-3.
Tyler Plugues earned another bases-loaded walk for 5-Star. Reese Smith’s slow roller to third turned into an RBI single. And Michael Buonagura earned the team’s third bases-loaded walk of the inning.