HOME OF THE CHARGERS

By PAUL FRANKLIN STAFF WRITER paulf@thnt.com NEW EGYPT — Spotswood High School came up with baseball's trifecta Tuesday afternoon with hitting, pitching and defense. Now the Chargers go for the superfecta. Throwing a 13-2 five-inning knockout punch at Sterling in the NJSIAA Group II semifinals, the Chargers now look to run the postseason table by winning the group finals on Saturday against Indian Hills, an 8-4 winner over Hackettstown Tuesday. They have won the Greater Middlesex Conference Blue Division, the GMC Tournament title, the sectional title, and now have a chance to win it all in Group II. Their ultimate goal didn't look too encouraging at the start of the game, however. As home team on the New Egypt High School scoreboard, the blue and gray Knights grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning, tagging Spotswood pitcher Mike Hohman with a single and double. After an error left runners on first and third with a run already in, Hohman got out of the jam with a doubleplay ball to shortstop Cody Pace, who stepped on second and fired to first base. From then on, it was all Spotswood. "He did a great job with damage control," Spotswood coach Glenn Fredricks said of his senior pitcher. "He's been all guts this season. Nobody panicked, and that's why we're a championship team." Championship teams take advantage of opportunities, and Spotswood was all ready when the windows opened. Two walks and a misplayed fly ball to the outfield loaded the bases to start the Spotswood second inning. A walk to Brian Cucci tied the score, and then Hohman helped his own cause by walking as well, giving his team a 2-1 lead. Catcher Tony Addone then stepped to the plate, knowing that pitcher Jeff White had to start throwing strikes. He did. And Addone cranked it, a no-doubt-about-it shuttle into the trees behind the fence in right center. It was his fourth of the season. With Hohman settling into a groove, the game was soon on a five-inning track, as Spotswood continued to take advantage of opportunities. "That felt good,"Hohman said of the 6-1 lead. "I knew my team had my back." In the third inning, a two-out throwing error by the third baseman opened the door to four unearned runs. C.J. Mooney scored on the error, then after Hohman walked, Addone smacked a 3-2 pitch to right field for a two-run double. Another error plated Addone, then Hohman came in on a single by Joe Petosa. "I'm so happy for him," Fredricks said of Addone, the senior catcher. "He got the game ball. He had two fantastic at-bats." With the score 10-1 in the third inning, the Chargers were charging toward an early day with a chance at ending it all on the 10—run rule. Relief pitcher Collin McGowan was anything but sterling, issuing a leadoff walk (Spotswood had seven) to Mooney. Phil Spina, batting seventh in the order, then sent a high fly ball to right field. Aided by just enough wind, the senior recorded the first home run of his high school career. "He was probably thinking I was the No. 7 batter and that I (stunk)," Spina cracked about the Sterling pitcher. "It feels pretty amazing." So was the victory, Spotswood's 25th in 29 games and its eighth straight. "We're on the doorstep of achieving our goal of the superfecta," Fredricks said, his team in the background still enjoying the moment. "Every single person in that dugout believes we'll get it, and so do I."