GETTING UP TO SPEED: Princeton High baseball player Chase Hamerschlag races to first base in a game earlier this season. Last Friday, Hamerschlag starred in a losing cause as 12th-seeded PHS fell 2-1 in eight innings at fifth-seeded Hightstown in first round of the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament. Senior Hamerschlag went six and 1/3 innings on the mound with 11 strikeouts and six walks and was also 1 for 4 at the plate. The Tigers, who edged Manville 4-3 on Monday in a regular season contest to move to 7-13, play at Delaware Valley on May 13 and at Ewing in May 15 before hosting Seneca on May 16 and Notre Dame on May 18. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)

By Bill Alden

Chase Hamerschlag realized that he faced a big challenge when he took the mound for the Princeton High baseball team last Friday as it played at Hightstown of the first round of the Colonial Valley Conference (CVC) Tournament.

“I knew all of them could hit first off,” said senior right-hander Hamerschlag. “Coming into the game, they are basically hitting .360 as a team. They are a very good hitting team. I respect every single one of them.”

In order to deal with the potent Ram lineup, Hamerschlag focused on command and velocity.

“I just planned to pound the zone and use my fastball to my advantage and make a couple of breakers and changeup to lefties,” said Hamerschlag.

Executing that plan, Hamerschlag produced a mound gem, going 6 1/3 innings, striking out 11, walking six, and yielding just two hits.

“My slurve [was working] and my fastball was very effective,” said Hamerschlag. “I thought that after I threw a fastball for a strike and I broke a slurve off of that, they didn’t have much shot of getting a bat to it.”

Hamerschlag also helped himself at the plate, legging out a single in the sixth inning.

“[Anthony] Benitez is a great pitcher, he was throwing a lot of fastballs and changeups,” said Hamerschlag. “I was thinking just find one and get on in any way. I beat out the throw to first.”

Hamerschlag, though, didn’t beat out a throw at home as he was thrown out trying to score on an overthrow with the teams locked in a 1-1 tie. The game went into extra innings and the Rams pushed across a run in the bottom of the eighth to prevail 2-1.

While the loss stung, Hamerschlag liked the way the 12th-seeded Tigers battled against the fifth-seeded Rams.

“I was feeding off the boys, every single one of them wanted it,” said Hamerschlag. “Hightstown is a great team, they are probably the two seed in states. Every kid on our bench and every kid playing wanted that game. Each one of these boys played their butts off. That is the biggest thing, especially as a pitcher. You see one of your players make a play, you are like they have got my back. When [Matt] Brophy knocked down that line drive, that is probably a run right there if he doesn’t make that play. He made it for me and I was just so happy.”

As Hamerschlag heads down the homestretch of his PHS career, he is looking to play his best.

“I am not doing the best I feel I should have, the biggest part of my game is my mental game and I need to continuously work on that,” said Hamerschlag, who will joining the Elon University baseball team this fall. “I am trying to get the most out of this before I head to Elon. I am trying to work on my craft. I am trying to end the season strong.”

PHS head coach Dom Capuano credited Hamerschlag with producing a strong mound effort against Hightstown.

“He pitched well, he had 11 strikeouts and six walks, would we like the walks to be less, yeah,” said Capuano. “He gave us everything he’s got. He gave up two hits so he kept us in the game. The last time he pitched wasn’t his best so the response was really good. That is what we expect from him at this point. He doesn’t have the best numbers in the county but he has the best stuff and he had it today. They are hitting .350, .360 as a team. They have two or three guys hitting .500 and we outhit them so that shows you how well he pitched.”

Although PHS pounded out five hits in the loss, it didn’t produce in the clutch.

“When we need a run or we need a bunt, you have to get that stuff down especially when you have got Chase and we know what he is giving us,” said Capuano. “We knew what was going to happen for us but then we have to get that second run across.”

Freshman shortstop Asa Collins scored the lone run of the contest as he came home after belting a lead-off double in the top of the fourth.

“That was a great double, he has come along,” said Capuano, of Collins who is now hitting .283 with 17 hits and 11 runs, “He is a freshman so the first six, eight games, he had to get his feet wet. He has come along hitting and he has come along tremendously at short.”

Capuano was proud of the way his squad competed against Hightstown.

“In our game on Wednesday we were fortunate to win on a walk off,” said Capuano, referring to a 6-5 victory over East Brunswick Magnet. “We should have lost. The team was dead and came out as flat as all can be and didn’t perform to what we should. Today, everybody 1 to 22 was here. If their role was on the bench, they did a great job. Charlie [Baglio] coming and pinch hitting, he was asked to bunt and he got it down. It was little things like that.”

With PHS on the bubble to make the state tournament, Capuano believes his team is heading in the right direction as it is 5-3 in its last eight games and could make a run if it gets in.

“We are definitely playing better, we know who we are are,” said Capuano, whose team edged Manville 4-3 on Monday to move to 7-13 and plays at Delaware Valley on May 13 and at Ewing in May 15 before hosting Seneca on May 16 and Notre Dame on May 18. “In a state game, if we can make it, this is the game we are going to have. We are going to see a good pitcher, we are going to be in a one-run game because Chase is going to pitch well. If he throws his A-game we are in it and it doesn’t matter who the other team is.”

Hamerschlag, for his part, believes that the performance against Hightstown is a harbinger of good things to come for PHS.

“It is definitely a confidence builder,” said Hamerschlag. “I think all of the boys are looking at this game and we are going to work off of it, build on it and try to improve each day for states. We have got four games next week so hopefully we can win a couple of games and qualify for states.”