Chase Rodriguez drills an RBI single in the first inning for the Outlaws.
By Rich Bevensee
No matter how well Alex Hoffman pitched in the first game of the Outlaws 2026-Picone doubleheader on Saturday morning, the coaching staff had already planned on putting multiple arms to work toward a combined effort in Game 2.
That speaks to not only the coaching staff’s confidence in their pitchers but also the depth of the Outlaws staff, which was showcased with an exclamation point at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
After Hoffman blasted away at the Hudson Valley Storm to the tune of a two-hit, complete game 5-0 shutout, the trio of Jake Hentze, Gavin Kelly and Duncan Siller combined for a two-hitter and quieted Hitmen Baseball Club 17U 2026 for a 4-2 victory and a doubleheader sweep in the Wood Bat Division in Week 2 of the Summer Finale at the Nation.
Recheck the box scores – four hits yielded in two games combined. That’s some impressive pitching.
“We’re so talented,” Siller said. “Everyone on the pitching staff works really hard. It’s the hard work that gets us here. We’re in the gym every day and we have a good community here. We’re behind each other.”
The third and final pool games for the Outlaws (2-0) and Hitmen (1-1) will come Sunday in the form of a quarterfinal game in one of two eight-team brackets.
In the second game of the doubleheader, the Outlaws scored four runs in their first at bat and then relied on their three right-handers to keep the Hitmen at bay.
Hentze, a rising senior at Hendrick Hudson in Montrose, N.Y., conducted two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and one walk and striking out one.
Kelly, a rising senior at Somers High in Lincolndale, N.Y., allowed two runs in two innings on one hit and two walks and he struck out three.
And Siller, a 6-4, 190-pound rising senior at Kennedy Catholic in Somers, used his 85 mph fastball to strike out three over two scoreless frames with no hits and no walks allowed. He faced just one batter over the minimum; Hitmen starting pitcher Brock Shaffer reached on an infield error.
“All three of those guys who pitched for us are nasty,” Ehrlich said. “And they could have easily gone three or four innings each.”
Siller said he reached 90 mph on the radar at a college showcase at Pace University earlier this summer; ironically it came against Outlaws teammate Justin Acevedo. Outlaws coach Ben Ehrlich purposely slotted Siller for the final two innings against the Hitmen.
“I love closing it out,” Siller said. “I love getting fired up toward the end, just throwing the ball as hard as I can, getting it over the plate and working with my off speeds, too.”
Siller said it’s hard to sit still on the bench when he knows he’s sharing the load and closing out the game. But that doesn’t mean he’s not locked in while his teammates are paving the way for his entrance.
Eric Foster Jr. goes the other way for a two-run double for the Hitmen.
“Sometimes it’s hard waiting for my turn but I’m fired up. I’m always ready to go so I just wait for the call,” Siller said. “But I’m also focused on what my teammates are doing, what’s working for them, focusing on the batters and their weaknesses so I can be ready when I go in. It’s about staying locked in and supporting my teammates whenever I can while I’m waiting to get out there.”
Thanks to outstanding pitching, the Outlaws’ offensive work in the first inning – in which they batted around – was enough to complete the doubleheader sweep.
In that inning, leadoff hitter Logan Verma walked, stole second and third, and scored on a throwing error to third to open the scoring.
Chase Rodriguez brought in Gavin Alvarado with an opposite field single to right, and Liam Lauth drove in Rodriguez with a single to left. Spencer Greyson forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk for a 4-0 lead.
The Hitmen scratched Kelly for a pair of runs in the third. Kelly issued a pair of one-out walks and hit leadoff man Max Hoopes to load the bases, then gave up a two-run double to Eric Foster Jr.
For the Hitmen, Shaffer went 3⅔ innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits and seven walks with four strikeouts. Hoopes held the Outlaws scoreless over his 2⅓ innings while giving up three hits and two walks and striking out three.
In the Outlaws’ first game, Hoffman used his high-70s fastball to strike out 11 while giving up two hits and four walks.
Hoffman’s closest scare to losing the shutout came in the top of the fifth when he issued two walks to open the inning and both runners advanced on a wild pitch with no outs. Hoffman responded by striking out the next three batters.
“Alex was electric,” Ehrlich said. “He is so locked in when he’s on the mound. He’s somebody who’s very intense, somebody who wants to win no matter whether it’s practice or a scrimmage or a game like this. He’s always locked in. He gave us the length we needed to throw the three guys today.”