By Rich Bevensee
He doesn’t cut much of an imposing figure, nor does he overwhelm batters with velocity, but Chase Pullen’s command and determination has been more than enough to make opposing teams take notice this year.
Case in point: Pullen was handed the ball for the 17/18U Fall Brawl championship game, and all he did was pitch a two-hit shutout and propel Tri-State Arsenal Marucci Scout 17U to the title after a 8-0, five-inning victory over Complete Performance Baseball Academy on Sunday afternoon at Diamond Nation in Flemington.
“It’s about carrying myself and trusting my ability to throw the ball,” said the 5-5, 145-pound Pullen, who allowed two walks and one hit batsmen while striking out three and earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award.
“I know people look on the board and see a lower number (on the pitching radar), so working backwards and throwing strikes is the name of the game for me,” Pullen said. “I was in the zone today.”
Tri-State coach Bobby Missovoulos, who has coached Pullen all summer and fall, called the performance one of the best he’s seen from the Allentown (Pa.) High junior.
“That’s one of his better ones for sure,” Missovoulos said. “He pitched with confidence after the first inning. All he does is pound the zone, hold runners on well, he trusts the defense, and throws a lot of strikes. Quick innings is the name of his game.”
Pullen allowed just two Complete Performance baserunners to reach scoring position. Leadoff hitter Eugenio Roman was left stranded at third in the first inning. No. 10 hitter Anthony Avolio – who pitched well in the loss – singled and was stranded at third in the third inning.
Pullen’s fastball peaked at 73 mph in the first inning. He received an errorless effort from his defense, and a web gem in particular from right fielder Skyler Garcia, who made a sliding catch on a dying liner hit by John Galka in the fourth inning.
“I was focused on hitting my spots,” said Pullen, who also employed a curveball, a changeup for lefties and a few sliders. “I knew it was cold today so my velo was down, but I focused on relying on my defense and staying ahead in the count. I was consistently in the zone and not trying to overthrow. I was definitely hitting the outside corner. The ump was lenient on the outside corner so I was working on that.”
Pullen was a bulldog with a two-run lead until Arsenal added some insurance for him in the fifth. Matt Lawless’ two-run double, which touched down just inside the right field line, broke the game open to make the score 5-0. He later ended the game by scoring on a balk to enact the mercy rule.
“I was trying to catch his offspeed,” said Lawless, a junior at Franklin Towne Charter in Philadelphia. “He was choosing offspeed more than fastball so got up in the box and figured I’d put it into right field and get it going, and I got it down the line.”
Chase Pullen of Tri-State Arsenal was named MVP of the 17/18U Fall Brawl.
The top two teams in pool play, Diamond Jacks Super 17U and Diamond Jacks Super 16U, opted out of the playoffs after going 3-0 in pool play, enabling Tri-State (3-0 in pool play) and Complete Performance (2-1) the opportunity to play for the championship.
Arsenal finished the weekend 4-0 and outscored its opponents by a combined 30-13.
“To be honest, whether the teams opted out or not, we’re still dogs,” Lawless said. “We probably would have gotten there and finished the job anyway.”
Jack Laughlin sparked Arsenal’s offense with a two-run single in the bottom of the first inning.
The score stayed that way thanks to some solid pitching by Complete Performance starter Avolio, a Paramus Catholic junior who went 3⅔ innings and allowed just two runs despite giving up five hits, five walks and a hit batsman.
Vinny Caruso came on in relief for Complete Performance and got the final out of the fourth inning before Arsenal roughed him up in the fifth with six runs on four hits and two walks.
In the fifth, J.R. Brovak walked with the bases loaded, Lawless smacked a two-run double down the right field line, Justin Mangano had a sacrifice fly, Zach Brodsky tacked on an RBI groundout, and Benjamin Faigan scored on a balk to end the game.