This weekend we are covering the “Division-II vs Cancer” Tournament at the beautiful Team USA Training Complex in Cary, NC. First off, the facility is unbelievable. I am shocked that I have never experienced it yet, and I encourage everyone to. As soon as you get off the bus, you see the rich tradition of high-quality ballplayers that have entered the gates. On the window of the Team USA team store are photos of Chris Archer, Kris Bryant and Carlos Rodon. Three players that showcased themselves on the global scene representing Team USA. Really breathtaking scenery as well for a first-time visitor.
I was in attendance for NYIT vs. Franklin Pierce and Franklin Pierce vs. St. Thomas Aquinas. Below are much observations from each game.
Franklin Pierce vs. St. Thomas Aquinas:
This was the game I looked forward to the most, as it was a match up of two Div-II powerhouses. Additionally, the reigning ECC Pitcher of the Year, Frankie Moscatiello, toed the rubbed for the Spartans against a potent lineup.
Moscatielll was equal to the task. He carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning and you can just tell by his body language that he was amped up for this game. Every ground ball in play caused him to hop off the mound attempting to make the play , he showed plenty of emotion and he was fully invested.
He was sharp with all his pitches, primarily his fastball which sat 88-91 MPH (with a few 93s sprinkled in) plus his 80 MPH hammer curveball which wrecks havoc on opposing hitters. Moscatiello has superb mechanics, he works all quadrants of the strike zone and every pitch is with a purpose. He rarely misses his spots by much and he induces plenty of swings-and-misses and weak contact (infield pop outs and ground balls). He showed his athleticism on a couple of slow dribblers. I have no issue with that, I prefer pitchers to be aggressive even if they don’t ultimately record the out–he even tried to do the “Jeter” jump-throw but the runner beat it out.
In the sixth inning, his no-hitter was gone and his team led 7-1 with the bases loaded. Technically, the game was not hanging in the balance but they had just relinquished a 7-1 lead in the previous game and this was no joking matter for the reigning East Region champs. Moscatiello dug deep and wound up striking out the last batter on a nasty 12-6 curve in the dirt. To me, it showed his competitiveness because there was no way he was giving way to a reliever in that situation.
Their offense was aggressive and they capitalized on every miscue by Franklin Pierce. Specifically in the second inning when they put up four runs and absolutely performed some textbook hit-and-runs. That is the sign of a well-coached veteran team. That’s exactly what they are.
Franlin Pierce is a strong team, but they showed some blemishes, specifically in the infield defense as their shortstop made several poor throws on routine grounders while St. Thomas Aquinas converted all the plays.
St. Thomas Aquinas won this one by the score of 14-3.
NYIT vs. Franklin Pierce:
The biggest story in this game was really John Amendola. The senior RHP was impressive once again. I watched him last week at Adelphi and it’s clear he’s a tough customer. He was 88-89 MPH with a few 90s. He threw an 80 MPH slider. He throws strikes, works quick and he’s aggressive–especially early in the count where he gets ahead with fastballs.
He didn’t really allow NYIT any opportunity to score a run. He did walk a few batters but always made the big pitch when necessary.
From my opinion, he is a professional caliber pitcher because he throws hard enough to generate swings-and-misses, he works down in the zone to limit hard contact and he is tough enough to bear down when the opposition gets into run-scoring situations. I also like the swagger that he carries, I think he knows he’s an ace and he doesn’t expect anyone to score runs on him. That’s fine as long as you have the acumen to back it up, which he clearly does.
NYIT’s starter, Chris Nappi, danced around trouble in the early innings but ultimately his command issues came back to haunt him. He walked five over 3.1 innings to go along with five hits in his collegiate debut. There’s no denying that butterflies factor into debuts and that is exasperated against that lineup in that stadium. His fastball was 85-86 MPH and he had a sharp curveball but it was inconsistent for much of the day, and in the third inning his command issues finally cost him as he walked in a run. The real damage occurred in the fourth inning put up four runs, with the big hit being an RBI double off the wall by Jack Duffy, just missing a two-run shot. Catcher Stephen Octave broke it open with a two-run single to left field past a diving Ben McNeill.
Offensively, the Bears didn’t get much going but they did get two hits from Jake Lebel. He smashed two singles; one to right and one to left. The 6’8″ 270 lb slugger can certainly handle the bat and the Bears will be hoping he has plenty of magic in that bat this season.
The other bright spot was catcher Joe Kelly. Unbelievably, he threw out all five attempted base stealers against him. Why would Franklin Pierce continue to run? Kelly showcased a lightning-quick release and accurate arm. It was a once-in-a-lifetime afternoon for him behind the plate, but it wasn’t enough for the Bears who were shutout by the score of 7-0.
Today will be another full sleight of action, as LIU Post will arrive so I am looking forward to some more high-level baseball.
