Hunter Kephart slides into third base with a triple in the second inning for the Generals.
By Rich Bevensee
When Diamond Nation is shrouded by grey skies and chilly rain, control issues are the primary concerns for a pitcher.
Cooper Fontaine had bigger issues to consider.
Making his first appearance in a baseball game for the first time in 18 months following UCL injury to his left arm, the Bucks County Generals 14U Black southpaw wanted one thing to go smoothly, and that was to feel no pain in his pitching arm.
Saturday was Fontaine’s first step back toward feeling normal again. After a stem cell treatment and four months of rehabilitation, Fontaine made his season debut by pitching an inning of scoreless relief in the Generals’ 11-2 pool play decision in five innings over Smash It Sports in the Memorial Day Classic at The Nation in Flemington.
“It felt amazing to be out there again,” Fontaine said. “I thought I wasn’t going to be able to pitch forever, like, I thought not until 16U would I be back. I thought my arm was going to hurt but when I got on the mound it felt great. The good thing is I didn’t lose any velo.”
Fontaine surrendered a walk and a single to start his debut, then got a strikeout and a fielder’s choice to get back on track.
He even recorded the final out of the game. With runners on second and third, a wild pitch to Jayden Hoad sailed over catcher Joey Bruce’s head. Bruce retreated to the backstop and flipped the ball to Fontaine in time to tag Aidan Farrell at the plate.
“I know the conditions aren’t ideal and asked him if he’s okay throwing in the rain and he said he was fine,” Generals coach Pat Devlin said. “Hey, you gotta start somewhere. I know the guys were fired up for him. He’s put a ton of work and effort into it to come back from it. I’m very proud of him.”
Generals starter Zach Knorr, who battled less than ideal conditions while limiting Smash It Sports to two runs over the first four innings, enjoyed seeing Fontaine make his return to the field.
Zach Knorr allowed two runs on four hits for the Bucks County Generals 14U.
“It was really nice to see because I know he’s been working hard to get back on the mound,” Knorr said. “That inning probably felt good for him and to get us out of that game.”
Fontaine said he first injured his pitching arm during 12U ball. He tried to battle through the pain and by his own words, he overcompensated and made the injury worse.
He suffered a 30 percent tear of his UCL, and the diagnosis was stem cell treatment.
“They extracted a bunch of blood from where my UCL is and they mixed it with new blood cells and they put it back in for a faster recovery,” Fontaine said.
He resumed pitching workouts four months ago, and last month he was given the “all clear” by the facility which performed the procedure, Epic Sports Biomechanics in Newtown, Pennsylvania
“About a month ago they told me my arm is back to its original strength, so when you’re ready to go on the mound, go out there,” Fontaine said. “I decided this weekend I was ready.”
Knorr pitched three scoreless innings before Smash It Sports, a Rochester, N.Y.-based program making its Diamond Nation debut, finally caught up with the right-hander in the fourth.
Knorr struck out seven while yielding two runs on four hits and two walks as the rain alternated between misty and heavy.
“Personally I try not to think about the weather and live in the moment,” Knorr said. “I try not to overthink being in the rain, and just treat it like any other day. The mound was definitely slippery so I was wearing turf cleats, for sure. The ball was slippery and made it difficult, but I adjusted to it. I didn’t have my velo today but I think I did pretty well.”
“He seems to find a way to get it done. He’s Steady Eddie,” Devlin said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s raining, it doesn’t matter if it’s sunny. He goes out there and competes. That’s the way he is.”
The Generals (9-5-1) jumped on top with five runs in the bottom of the first inning, then scored two in every inning thereafter to put the game out of reach
In the first, Generals leadoff hitter Hunter Kephart walked, stole second and eventually scored on a two-base throwing error. Bruce belted a two-run double down the left field line. Knorr drove in a run with a groundout, and Frank Kern forced a run home with a bases loaded walk.
In the second, Ryan Sanocki had an RBI groundout to drive in Kephart, who tripled, and courtesy runner Danny Santora scored on a wild pitch for a 7-0 lead.
In the third, Cam Wakely scored on a balk and Kern scored on a wild pitch for a 9-0 lead.
Smash It Sports broke up Knorr’s shutout in the fourth when Ian Kazmark and Bennett Patton had RBI singles.
The Generals countered with two more runs in the bottom of the fourth when Knorr had a sacrifice fly and Gabe Gustafson was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.