Excellent pitching, clutch hitting, and some golden opportunities secured another win for the Stateliner Varsity Boys baseball team on Friday, May 8th, against the Pleasant Valley Bears.
Despite shaky 1st inning starts by each team, the Stateliner boys quickly felt at ease behind ace pitcher Nick Yaccarino. The senior standout dominated the Bears’ bats with several quick innings of play. Yaccarino pitched through 6 ⅔ innings, giving up five hits, six runs, and striking out nine.
The Liner bats were just as dominant. Senior Mike Bracco and Sophomore Brent Ott led the charge with 2 hits each. Clutch hitter Chase Pasmore was again racking up the RBIs for Phillipsburg with 3 on the day. After six innings of play, the Stateliner boys led the Pleasant Valley Bears 6-3.
However, things quickly took a turn in the top of the 7th. Yaccarino walked to the mound ready to close up the game for the Stateliners. After an easy grounder and a pop foul, all he needed was 1 more out. Having the next batter at a full count, Yaccarino gave up a walk followed by a dribbler to 3rd. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Pleasant Valley ripped a base hit to left center, and a runner scored. Tension began to rise both on the field and in the stands as the crowds from each team aired their taunts. A hit by pitch loaded up the bases for Pleasant Valley. The next batter got to 0-2 against Yaccarino, but found a way to battle back and crush a base hit to send in two more runs. With the score tied up at 6, it was time to make a switch for Pburg.
Fellow Senior Wyatt Garrison came into the inning and quickly ended it with a sharp throw out to second.
Now it was up to the Stateliner offense to do what they do best. But it didn’t take much to get the job done. With one out, Ott got the inning going with a base hit to center. An easy flyout and stolen base got Junior baserunner Donovan Samson over to third. What looked to be a routine groundout to first turned out to be a play the Pleasant Valley defense couldn’t secure, and Samson was easily able to score the winning run. Light work for the Stateliners after a tense top of the 7th.
Coach Mike Ciavarella had all the faith in his team heading into the last inning. “We were confident with Nick entering the 7th inning. He has pitched deep into games all season, and he handles the pressures of the mound really well.” With just as much confidence in his offense, Ciavarella added, “Seeing how the game was going, I was fairly confident that we could score if we had good at-bats, and focused on getting a good pitch to hit.”
Having confidence in his players was just the right magic for this game. The Stateliner boys move on to 11-7 in the Skyland Conference. They will take on the Franklin Warriors on Friday, May 15, at Franklin High School.
