Gerald Urbaez of Hudson Valley scores ahead of the tag from Riverdogs catcher Camden Sochurer.

By Rich Bevensee

Baseball coaches want a bench full of players like Gerald Urbaez.

Urbaez’ Hudson Valley Select upper tier team was done playing for the summer, but when Urbaez got the call to play with the program’s developmental squad this weekend he didn’t turn his nose up at the opportunity. On the contrary.

“I’m on the other team, more like the advanced team, so when the coach texted me during the week, ‘Hey, we’re more developing but do you want to play?’ I was like, I‘m in,” Urbaez said. “I don’t care if we win, I don’t care if we lose. I’m trying to have fun. That’s all I’m trying to do. I hype up the boys. If I have to help the boys win, I’ll do it. I’ll do anything to help the team win.”

Urbaez helped the team scratch out a moral victory on Saturday morning with two out in the bottom of the sixth inning and his team trailing by two runs. His two-run triple to the right-center field wall lifted Hudson Valley Select into a 3-3 tie with the Potomac Riverdogs in the pool play opener for both teams in Week 2 of the Summer Finale on Saturday morning at Diamond Nation in Flemington. 

“There’s no one else we want in the box in that situation,” Hudson Valley coach Frank Demaro said. “He brings everything he has to the field. He’s a great motivator for the rest of the team.”

Hudson Valley, based in Newburgh, N.Y., was slated to play Berkshire Reign, and the Riverdogs were playing USG NY Carufe to close out pool play Saturday. Since all teams are guaranteed three games, the teams will advance to one of two eight-team playoff brackets on Sunday. 

While the Hudson Valley group is a developmental squad, the Riverdogs were facing a lofty challenge of their own this weekend. Potomac coach J.T. Kirkland said the Riverdogs are a 14U club playing up this week.

“It’s definitely a challenge but sometimes we do better against older teams,” Riverdogs pitcher Ben Mueller said. “It’s definitely enjoyable facing older kids.”

The Riverdogs, based in Ashburn, Virginia, didn’t show any jitters by playing an older team. Mueller, a 5-8 right-hander, pitched like a veteran for five innings, allowing one run on three hits and one walk before making a few mistakes in the sixth.  

“Definitely one of my better outings,” Mueller said. “The first and second innings I felt a little shaky and then I settled in. Guys got to third a lot but I managed to stay calm and get people out. I had to make sure to get strikes so we don’t walk anybody and don’t throw wild pitches. And don’t throw fastballs down the middle.”

Which is what happened in the bottom of the sixth inning. Mueller got the leadoff batter to pop out before allowing base hits to Jayden Brooks and John Harrington. Mueller retired the cleanup batter, A.J. Santacroce, before Urbaez came to bat. 

Mueller threw a 1-1 fastball to Urbaez, who smashed it into the right-center field gap, allowing Brooks and Harrington to score easily. Urbaez making it to third safely, however, was not so easy.

“I thought I popped it up first but then I said, oh it’s traveling,” said Urbaez, a 5-9, 200-pound rising junior at Valley Central in Montgomery, N.Y. “And then I thought I don’t care if I’m out going three, I’m going three. I’m making stuff happen. I actually have more triples than doubles even though I’m not that fast.” 

It was a tough way to wrap up the morning for Mueller, who while pitching with a 3-1 lead held Hudson Valley batters to 0-for-6 hitting with the tying run at the plate before the sixth began.

“In the sixth I got a little bit tired and threw the wrong pitches to the wrong people and they scored some runs,” Mueller said. “My arm felt good but I was getting a little tired. It’s very frustrating, pitching so well and then the game is tied. A tie for us is not that bad but we would have obviously preferred to win the game.

Moses Hafer takes a big cut for the Potomac Riverdogs.

“And I should have thrown a curveball instead of a fastball.”

Mueller’s impressive final line was three runs (two earned) allowed in six innings on six hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. Liam McFarlin pitched a scoreless seventh.

For Hudson Valley, Santacroce allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits and six walks and he struck out three. Brooks pitched three scoreless innings in relief and permitted just one hit, one walk and a hit batsman. 

In the seventh Brooks walked Mueller to lead off the inning but retired the next three batters, the final two with strikeouts. 

In the bottom of the seventh, McFarlin allowed a one-out single to Jorge Garcia but got a fielder’s choice out and a strikeout to end the game.

Camden Sochurer opened the scoring for the Riverdogs with a first inning sacrifice fly. 

Urbaez tied the game in the bottom of the second with some heads-up baserunning. With one out, Garcia popped up to shortstop Chris Suarez who then chased Anthony Pineda back to second. That’s when Urbaez broke for the plate and scored ahead of the tag. 

In the top of the third, Zach Neach stole third and headed home on an errant throw. The throw home was in time for Urbaez to tag Neach out but umpires ruled Neach’s progress had been interfered with at third and awarded the Riverdogs the run for a 2-1 lead. 

In the fourth, the Riverdogs extended their lead to 3-1. With pinch runner Campbell Drennen at first and Sochurer at third, Drennan raced to steal second base. The throw went into center field and Sochurer scored.