LVBA catcher Kamron Kensecki unloads throw to second base.
By Sean Reilly
Ryan Miller brought his good stuff to Diamond Nation on Monday afternoon, and it brought his Triple Crown Baseball team an impressive victory.
Miller pitched a seven-inning complete game, scattering seven hits with nine strikeouts and one walk, as his Northwest Jersey-based team defeated the Lehigh Valley Baseball Academy Prospects National, 2-1, at the 16U Super 25 Showcase Series, Powered By Construction Risk Partners, in Flemington.
The score was tied, 1-1, when Zach Leto of Triple Crown hit an RBI double to left field with one out in the bottom of the sixth.
Miller was unflappable throughout his 108-pitch outing. He ran into two rough patches, in the fifth and sixth innings, and worked out of both by getting crucial strikeouts.
“I had command of my fastball and command of my off-speed, and let the defense do the rest,” he said.
Triple Crown took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Leadoff man Aiden Carlson doubled to left field on a 1-2 count, and C.J. Collins followed with a single up the middle. With runners now on first and third, Brayden Schappert hit a first-pitch RBI single to left.
LVBA tied it in the top of the fifth. Kamron Kensicki led off with a single through the middle. Brader Butz hit a fly ball that dropped near the left-field foul line for a single that put runners on first and second.
LVBA tried to sacrifice the runners into scoring position, but charging first baseman Leto fielded the bunt and fired to third baseman Tyler Haverstraw in time for a force out.
Miller’s lone walk of the game, to Gio Ferraro, loaded the bases. Ryan Rooney followed with an RBI single to center on a 1-2 pitch.
In a pivotal at-bat, Miller struck out the next batter looking at a 2-2 changeup. He then fanned the next batter swinging on another 2-2 count.
“It was pretty stressful,” he said of that recovery. “But I knew that I just had to find it in me to get out of it and do it for my team.”
Miller’s poise and trust in his teammates were rewarded again in the top of the sixth, LVBA got a one-out single from leadoff man John Phillips, who promptly stole second and third, causing Triple Crown to play its infield in.
A ground ball was fielded by Haverstraw at third, who threw home to catcher Leo Falce in time for him to make a tag for the second out. Miller then struck out the next batter.
Zach Leto (left) drove in the decisive run, and pitcher Ryan Miller (right) pitched a complete game.
Triple Crown broke the tie in the bottom of the frame. Schappert (2-for-3) led off with a single to left, and stole second. He was then bunted over to third base by Falce. Leto followed with an RBI double to left.
The ability to successfully move runners with a bunt was another separating factor between the teams.
“It doesn’t matter if you do small ball or whatever,” Miller said. “As long as you manufacture runs, that’s all that matters to help get the win.”
In the top of the seventh, the first two batters flew out to center before a single to center. But that runner was thrown out stealing by Falce, with second baseman Frank Pedone applying the tag to end the game.
This tournament is different from other events at ‘The Nation’’ because teams qualified based on their play in prior events this summer. The competition is elite, and college coaches are on hand to evaluate.
“It’s a big opportunity for all of us to get looks,” Miller said. “But on the mound, you just have to think of it as another game.”
Butz pitched the first 5⅓ innings for LVBA. He allowed both runs on seven hits, with five strikeouts and two walks.