Team Steel presents yet another example of a strong team of young players, who are playing up in age division to improve on their overall game. According to their head coach, former MLB catcher Keith Osik, every player in the nine-man lineup (each team only brought nine players) is graduating in 2020. Brookhaven’s varsity division is the highest one they offer and players can be as old as 18.
The young team, however, came out on top off a strong pitching performance from their starter, Thomas Verga. The incoming sophomore at William Floyd went five innings allowing three earned off five hits with five strikeouts and three walks. The young RHP also had a strong day at the plate finishing 1-for-4 with a double, a RBI, a walk and a run; proving to be a well-rounded talent.
The nine-on-nine games are a cornerstone of summer ball, and this was a close one as the teams were tied for a couple innings before Team Steel tacked on three runs in the fifth. That would be the last inning for Steven Napurano, the hard throwing RHP starter for Huntington, who struggled to find the zone but displayed high velocity with some run on his fastball.
Team Steel scored in four of the seven innings, and SWR incoming sophomore TJ Wachter was the catalyst of the Steel offense finishing 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and two runs. The first of his RBIs came in the third when he roped a line drive over the jumping Blue Devil’s shortstop off Napurano. Early on Steel jumped ahead, but Huntington chipped away and stayed in the game.
“I just try to see the ball out of his hand, get ahead in the count so I can get a fastball and then drive the fastball so you don’t get stuck behind with a curveball.” said Wachter.
Huntington scored half of their runs in the third, where catcher Tyler Grunthal smoked a fastball that was just a little too high for a 2-RBI double. Grunthal would bring in Huntington’s fourth run of the night as well with an RBI double in the sixth; he finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs.
Wachter saw his best at bat in the sixth when he crushed a fly ball that almost left the field off the relief pitcher for a RBI double. The relief pitcher, Christian Gallagher, based his arsenal of pitches around a strong but very off speed curveball.
“[When facing a pitcher with good off speed] you just have to keep your hands back and drive the ball to left-center.” Wachter said.
The 6’3 sophomore did just that with his towering fly ball that really secured Team Steel’s victory as a part of a three-run sixth inning. Team Steel presents a promising group of strong players that even while playing up in age recorded 11 more plate appearances than their opponents, who mostly consisted of 17-18 year olds.
Both teams are set to pick up play on Thursday night at 8:30. Steel is scheduled to face East Hampton, and Huntington is scheduled to play the Pat-Med Raiders.
Marcelo Luc
Is this the same Team Steel that did not want to play Storm Team for Championship a few weeks ago.
Sal Mignano
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