Russo stays loose despite lethal Titus Baseball 17U bats

By DN WRITING STAFF | October 7, 2024

Hunter DiCarlantinio cranked a two-run triple for Titus Baseball.

By Rich Bevensee

Even when their teammates are generating offensive support in bunches, pitchers are weighing the pros and cons of sitting for an extended period of time while the bats are lighting up an opponent.

Just ask Joey Russo, who on Sunday was having one of those days a pitcher longs for. The 6-2 righthander for Titus Baseball Academy 17U was using an overwhelming fastball and some tricky offspeed pitches to send Tri-State Arsenal batters back to the bench with regularity.

His teammates thought they were doing him a favor when they sent 14 batters to the plate and scored nine runs in the second inning. But even when Russo – the benefactor of this offense – was on base, he was thinking about how he would retain command of his pitches.  

“I’d say it’s more so bad because you’re going to be cold,” Russo said. “In innings like that, I try to throw in the bullpen. I might throw some plyos or just throw, just to stay warm. But long innings like that, no, not good.”

Russo may have worried his effectiveness might waver, but it didn’t, not in the least. He pitched three scoreless innings of one-hit baseball and led Titus of Wilmington, Delaware to a 14-2, four-inning victory over Tri-State Arsenal 2025 South in the Wood Bat Championship Powered By Victus at Diamond Nation in Flemington.

Despite finishing its excellent tournament at 3-0 with a 27-5 run differential, Titus Baseball was still not one of the top five teams in the 60-team field’s final standings. Those five teams were invited to play in the Columbus Day Showdown on Oct. 14 at the Nation. 

Titus knocked off New Jersey Marlins American, 8-0, and Spartan Baseball 17U, 5-3 ahead of Arsenal to complete an undefeated weekend. 

Tri-State finished 1-2. Arsenal bowed to Spartan Baseball, 6-5, and defeated the Marlins, 5-2.

Russo, a senior at St. George’s Technical High School in Middletown, Del., struck out six and walked one in his three innings of work while primarily utilizing a high-80s fastball and slider. 

“Yeah I was feeling pretty good,” Russo said. “I feel like my offspeed pitches weren’t really hitting my spots today but when I was executing it was working really well. The curveball was struggling – I was missing up or down, it just wasn’t really there. And my changeup didn’t feel good in the bullpen so I just scratched it. Normally if I’m struggling to put a batter away I go to a changeup but not today.”

Cam Kelley pitched the fourth inning for Titus and allowed two runs on two hits and a walk with two strikeouts.

Gavin Miller tripled, singled, drove in a run and scored twice for Titus Baseball.

The Titus lineup was potent from top to bottom. Seven batters had base hits, nine collected at least one RBI and nine scored. Russo, Hunter DiCarlantonio (Delaware Military Academy, Wilmington, Del.) and Ryan McAllister (Concord HS, Wilmington) each had two RBI.

“I thought our guys did a good job hitting the ball where it was pitched,” Titus coach Chris Moxley said. “They got ahead early, put the ball in play, made them make plays and took advantage of their mistakes. A couple guys have been struggling a bit so it was good to see them put some balls in play and have some success.”

Even Russo did a good job supporting his own cause, going 2-for-2 with a triple, a walk and two RBI.

Russo, DiCarlantonio and leadoff hitter Gavin Miller (Appoquinimink, Middletown, Del.) each slammed a triple for Titus. 

Starting with No. 7 hitter Reid Mamula, Titus sent 14 batters to the plate in its nine-run second inning. McAllister was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in the game’s first run. From there, the lumber just kept swinging, whether Russo liked it or not.

Kelley had an RBI single. Miller had an RBI fielder’s choice, which could have been two runs were it not for an exceptional diving play by Arsenal second baseman Luke Whitmore. Whitmore stopped a grounder up the middle and flipped to shortstop Dave Dellarova for a forceout at second. 

C.J. Moxley made it 4-0 with an RBI single and DiCarlantonio blasted a shot to right center to drive in two more runs with a stand-up triple. Russo had an RBI single, Mamula walked with the bases loaded and Landon Johnson added a sacrifice fly for a 9-0 Titus lead. 

Both Russo and Moxley were thinking about Russo’s layoff while the runs piled up.

“Joey was on third and we were talking about him getting back to the dugout. He brought it up to me before I could get it out of my mouth,” Moxley said. “Either doing some band work or sneaking back down to the dugout, making sure he’s not getting stiff. So yeah, we were definitely on the same page, which is good.”

In the third, Miller tripled to left center and soon scored on a wild pitch.

In the fourth, Titus sent nine batters to the plate and scored four more runs. Russo began the rally with an RBI triple. Jack Bujnowski had an RBI single and later scored on an outfield error following a Johnson fly ball. And McAllister drove in the last run by beating out a two-out, infield single. 

Rocco Locivitica had both of Arsenal’s base hits, including one in the bottom of the fourth when Arsenal’s offense finally broke through.  Whitmore figured into the game again when he came up with two runners on and belted a two-run double to left.

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