Nick Manganiello connects on the game-winning hit with two out in the bottom of the 7th for Phoenix.
By Sean Reilly
The situation wasn’t exactly promising for Nick Manganiello.
His Phoenix Baseball team, shut out to that point, was trailing by a run with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning against Admirals Baseball at the 17/18U Fall Classic on Sunday morning at Diamond Nation.
Making it worse: The first two pitches in the at-bat were strikes. But on the positive side: He was hitting with the bases loaded.
Manganiello, who plays at Tappan Zee High School in New York, responded with a two-run single to left field that scored Jack Farley and Kaleb Hetzel with the tying and winning runs, respectively, for a dramatic 2-1 victory in Flemington.
“The first two pitches, I took a couple of bad swings,” Manganiello said. “It was very easy to doubt myself. But I didn’t let it get to my head. I stayed focused and knew my time would come. I got the curveball I was sitting on with two strikes and delivered. It wasn’t the greatest swing, but we got it done.”
Limited to four hits through six scoreless innings against Admirals pitchers Dom Cacace and Braden Cassidy, Phoenix Baseball sent up the top of its order in the bottom of the seventh.
Kaleb Hetzel dives home with the winning run after Nick Manganiello’s two-run hit with two out and two strikes in the bottom of the seventh.
The first man lined out to second base before Farley singled to center on a two ball, two strike pitch. Hetzel was then hit with a 1-2 offering. Haris Cucaj walked on a 3-1 count to load the bases.
Up until that point, Phoenix Baseball, from Wayne, N.J., had only two runners in the game get as far as second base.
The next man struck out looking, putting the pressure squarely on the shoulders of Manganiello.
“I believed anything was possible,” he said. “And I was able to get it through.”
The hit made a winner of Andrew Erickson, who was magnificent in throwing a 102-pitch, seven-inning complete game with 11 strikeouts and one walk.
That lone walk came to the first batter of the game, George Simou of Admirals Baseball, which hails from Lagrangeville, N.Y.
Simou advanced to second on a wild pitch before the next batter flew out to center. Simou then stole third when the play was compounded by an error.
After that walk, Erickson, a right-hander from Rutherford H.S., allowed only three baserunners through the sixth inning.
“I was just trying to do my thing and trust my defense,” Erickson said. “For me, it’s just throwing strikes. I’ve got eight guys behind me (including) a guy behind the dish. I’m just trying to throw strikes and get everyone involved and win the game.”
Admirals Baseball almost put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh, when Gianni Servideo led off with a single to left field and Nick Dyson followed with a double to left to put runners on second and third with nobody out, and the No. 5 batter coming to the plate.
Andrew Erickson pitched a five-hitter for Phoenix Baseball, with no ERs, 11 strikeouts and one walk.
Instead, Erickson buckled down and struck out the next three batters to set the stage for the winning rally in the bottom of the inning.
“Being behind didn’t matter,” he said. “I trust my guys to hit when we get in the dugout. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, as long as they do it, and they came through when it mattered.”
Erickson threw 70 of his pitches for strikes.
“The change up was working well today, so was the fastball,” he said. “The curve was a little shaky in the beginning, but I got it down towards the end.”
The win was part of a 3-0 weekend for Phoenix Baseball, which opened with a 5-0 win over the NJ Blue Jays 17U Red on Saturday and closed with a 9-1 triumph over Pro Skills 17U later on Sunday morning.
Admirals Baseball finished 2-1, after beating Pro Skills 17U, 8-7, on Saturday and edging NJ Blue Jays 17U Red, 2-1, later on Sunday.