He wanted the ball

Salem CC freshman Wilson asks to start, pitches six strong innings after rough start, leaves with lead, but Mighty Oaks can’t hold it

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CARNEYS POINT – J.D. Wilson has never asked for a start on the mound since he got to college, but this time he just seemed compelled to do it.

The freshman right-hander from Pennsville absolutely wanted the ball in Salem CC’s Tuesday series finale with Middlesex College. He was going to get it anyway, but he wanted it from the start.

After a rough adrenaline-filled opening inning that could have turned into a be-careful-what-you-wish-for moment, Wilson settled in and proved worthy of the ask. He left his first college start after six innings with the lead, but the Mighty Oaks couldn’t hold it and fell to the Colts 6-5 for their seventh straight loss.

“I went up to (coach John Holt) before the game and he was like you’re coming in in relief today (and) I was like I kind of really want to start because I don’t really want these kids to hit the baseball,” Wilson said. “It was the first time this year I’ve said that.

“They took two from us on the weekend, pissed me off a couple things they did. I just went out there angry. Wanted it more than they did.”

The way things started it looked like he might have bitten off more than he could chew. He threw hard as usual, but he walked six of the first nine batters he faced and walked in a run in the first inning. But once he settled down, he allowed only one hit – a single in the fifth inning – and struck out 10. He retired 14 of the last 15 batters he faced.

“J.D. pitched great, J.D. pitched his tail off,” Holt said. “He deserved a better result.

“He wanted the ball. (Ben) Foote was coming off a short rest and (Wilson) was a guy who wanted the ball. He’s never asked for it so I assumed he felt great. I figured let’s roll with it.”

Wilson blamed his early struggles on rushing himself after a short, 10-pitch warmup in the bullpen. Once he got comfortable – and got his slider working – he lasted through just about 100 high-velocity pitches.

The Oaks (8-19) gave their starter a 5-2 lead with four runs in the fourth inning. The first three batters all reached base and Nick Ciesielka’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly tied the game. Dane Thomas walked to reload the bases and Matt Murphy followed with a two-run double just inside the left-field line to give the Mighty Oaks the lead. Mike Ochmanski’s sacrifice fly made it 5-2.

“I just had a clear mind,” Murphy said of his at-bat. “When I get in my head I usually don’t hit well, but I had a clear mind up there. He threw a hanging curveball and I put a good barrel on it and got a double on it.”

Murphy, a freshman outfielder from Vorhees, changed his walk-up song just prior to the game from “Kashmir” by Led Zeppelin – the Chase Utley walk-up song – to “Knock, Knock” by Mac Miller and it seemed to help him. He’d had only one RBI in his previous eight games (since March 26).

“That kind of played in it, too,” he said. “I talked to my parents about it. My dad was like if you ever make it you can’t have that song when you go in because that’s his (Utley’s) song.”

The Colts put their rally together against reliever Ben Foote. Conor Drury’s two-out RBI single to left field gave them Colts the lead after Joshua Rodriguez’ two-run double tied it. Brett Lukachyk’s RBI double the game.

The Oaks threatened in the eighth. Thomas hit a leadoff double, but between Murphy and Ochmanski being hit by pitches, Thomas was picked off second and it drained the Oaks’ momentum. Colts reliever Sal Della Fave retired the next two batters to end the inning, then set Salem down in order in the ninth.

Both teams scored a run in the first inning. Middlesex scored on a bases-loaded walk to Drury. The Oaks matched it in the bottom of the inning when Yen Rodriguez raced home from third when the Colts had to play a dropped third strike to first.

NOTES: The loss was the Oaks’ 14th in the last 16 games after a four-game winning streak in early March that had them over .500 … Starting catcher Angel Velez left the game in the top of the first after taking a ball that bounced in the dirt in the neck. He’s likely headed to concussion protocol. Ochmanski replaced him in the lineup. Thomas was a last-minute replacement for an ailing Demetrius DeRamus.