Vinny Scuderi singles in the second inning for the Union County 13U Spartans.

By Rich Bevensee

The Union County 13U Spartans made the jump to the big field only last fall, and already, pitcher Austin Mulford is learning very quickly how to maintain his composure in high-leverage situations.

Not once but twice late in the Spartans’ game against the Zoned RedHawks on Friday night, Mulford faced especially tricky situations and somehow escaped both times. 

“I love it. It’s the best,” Mulford said. “I like the pressure. It brings me up and I like the feeling.”

Mulford pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings in relief and helped the Spartans to cling to a 6-4 pool play victory over the RedHawks and clinch a playoff berth in the Father’s Day Classic Powered by Pure Rush at Diamond Nation in Flemington.

The Spartans improved to 2-1 and won Pool A, thereby earning a berth in the four-team semifinals. The RedHawks dropped to 1-1 with one pool game remaining, against Diamond Jacks Gold. 

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Mulford took the mound with his team trailing, 4-3, and with just seven minutes remaining on the 1-hour, 30-minute game clock, meaning he had to retire the RedHawks quickly in order for his team to get one more at bat. 

Wasting no time between pitches, Mulford retired the first two batters. But perhaps with his mechanics being tested because he was rushed, he walked the next two. In a stroke of luck for the Spartans, the next batter, Kyle Rutherford, hit a liner into the right side for what looked to be a sure base hit. But the ball struck baserunner Sam Emery on the foot for the third out, just before the clock expired.  

“Pitching with the clock going down hurries everything up,” Mulford said. “Normally I’m a slow pitcher. I take my time, I take a breath. But when we were in a hurry, I had to be able to get the ball and pitch right away, and I found that I was still able to locate.

“I was nervous, but for me I’m good at keeping my emotions under control. I was able to pitch fast and stay under the time limit to give my team another chance to score runs and get the lead.”

Spartans coach Dan Orlando, who brought this same team to ‘The Nation’ last spring and won the 12U Mother’s Day Classic championship, highlighted Mulford’s maturity.

“He impressed me,” Orlando said. “Austin’s a pitcher who really takes pride in his craft. To go out there and change the way you do things –  he’s got to rush, he’s got screaming, he’s got fans going – that’s a lot to tune out for a 13-year old kid. This was a high school playoff atmosphere and he did a great job. He kept us in the game.” 

RJ Cordero of the Spartans leads off first with Zoned RedHawks first baseman Cole Izbicki holding.

In the top of the sixth, the Spartans earned three straight walks to load the bases before Mulford was hit by a pitch to force in the tying run. Brendan Klotz hit a squibber in front of the plate which allowed Will Sacchetti to score the go-ahead run. And Carmine Orlando’s sacrifice fly drove in Luke McGill with an important insurance run. 

With a light rain beginning to fall, the RedHawks sparked a rally in the bottom of the sixth when Cole Izbicki reached on an error and Kyle Chester singled. With the tying runs on base, Mulford bounced back to induce a pair of flyouts and a groundout to preserve the win.

“I was nervous about that one, too, because I don’t want to let my team down,” Mulford said. “I was trying to get ground balls, weak hits, maybe a strikeout to help the guys win the game.”

Orlando said the team also showed an extra amount of energy against the RedHawks. Apparently it was a level of enthusiasm they did not have in a 6-3 loss to Locked in Baseball Expos Black on Friday night. 

“I told the kids before the game that we didn’t come out here to waste an entire weekend to sit in the dugout when we have our couches,” Orlando said. “It’s Father’s Day Weekend. The fathers want to come watch their kids play but not sit here and watch a bunch of church mice. They did good today.” 

Mulford was the one who got the Spartans’ pot stirring with a sacrifice fly in the first inning for a 1-0 lead. The RedHawks tied it in the bottom half on an Izbicki RBI single.

The Spartans took the lead once more in the second when Simo’s infield single brought in Vinny Scuderi. 

The RedHawks took control with a three-run third inning for a 4-2 lead. Emery and Rutherford had RBI singles and Izbicki added a sac fly.

The Spartans cut their deficit down to a single run in the fifth on Lucas Blake’s RBI groundout.

Scuderi pitched 3⅓ innings for the Spartans and allowed four runs on four hits and two walks with six strikeouts. Mulford’s line was 2⅔ innings pitched, with two hits and two walks allowed and one strikeout.

Chester went the first 4⅓ innings for the RedHawks, permitting three runs on five hits and three walks with four strikeouts.