Travis Maloney of Warehouse Indians makes contact on a pitch from JoJo Rivera of Heavy Hitters.
By Sean Reilly
Jamari Whitley couldn’t wait to make an impact for the Heavy Hitters 16U on Saturday afternoon at Diamond Nation.
He was the starting pitcher for the South Jersey team, and he knew going in that his assignment would only consist of two innings on the mound.
He made the most of it, by throwing two hitless frames.
Likewise, he’s the number three hitter in the lineup, and was eager to have a good plate showing in his team’s final game at the Super 16 Invitational, after two losses in its prior games on Friday night.
That goal was accomplished as well, as his two-run double in the bottom of the first propelled his team to a 6-1 victory over the Warehouse Indians Purple.
“We didn’t start off well, so this was a good way to end it,” he said of his team’s weekend.
Kevin Coleman leads off third base before scoring a third-inning run for the Heavy Hitters.
The Heavy Hitters added four more runs in the fourth inning to close out the six-inning win over the Warehouse Indians Purple, who also entered the game with a 0-2 record.
The Heavy Hitters began the home half of the first with Kameron Fiorani reaching on an error and Ricky Watt moving him to second with a single to right field.
Whitley was up next, and after taking the first pitch for a ball, he ripped a two-run double to the gap in right-center.
“I had two runners on, and had a lot of energy and wanted to get them home,” he said.
He also pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, striking out the final two batters. He retired the last six he faced after allowing a leadoff walk in the first. He also fanned two in that inning.
“I knew I only had two innings, and wanted to get the best out of them,” he said.
He was relieved by JoJo Rivera, who also pitched two hitless innings, with two strikeouts and two walks.
The Heavy Hitters padded their lead to 6-0 in the fourth.
That surge began with Evan Glaspey reaching on a one-out error and Kevin Coleman following with a walk. J.D. Rivera was then safe on an error that scored Glaspey.
JoJo Rivera walked to load the bases, and Jonathan Rossi also walked to score Coleman.
The Indians made a pitching change, and a strikeout followed. Travis Snodgrass then hit a one-run single to right field, and Rhys Kang drew a bases-loaded walk.
The Heavy Hitters went to another pitcher in the fifth, and the Indians responded with their first three hits of the game, as infield singles from Robby Senape and Jack Whitlock were followed by a one-out RBI single to left field from Aarush Patel.