By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor
This season has started out quite well for James Werosta and the Hun School baseball team.
Werosta opened the season on March 31 by tossing a no-hitter in the Raiders’ 16-0 win over Lawrenceville. He came back a few days later to limit Blair to two runs in a 5-2 Hun win. And on Wednesday he had a hit and scored a run as the Raiders topped Hill, 6-1, to improve to 4-0 on the season.
“It’s great to be 4-0,” Werosta said. “We felt like we could get off to a good start. Down in Florida for our spring training we were really hitting the ball. I think everybody started to believe that we could be a great team and now we’re starting to see it happen.
“(The no-hitter) was a great feeling. Everybody made their plays and everybody hit the ball, which made things so much easier. I had a few strikeouts but it was mostly everybody making the plays. There were a lot more plays in the field than strikeouts.”
Werosta allowed just one walk in the seventh on a 3-2 pitch to leadoff hitter, but otherwise was perfect against the Big Red. He has joined Rob Huselid and Michael Pedota in giving the Raiders four solid starts on the mound this season.
“It set a standard for the rest of the season,” Werosta said of the overall opening win. “Now everyone has seen what we can do when we all play together and we’re all still doing it. Everyone has been hitting the ball, one through nine. Everyone has been putting in the work in the cages. We’re doing what we need to do on the bases for the most part and it shows and is working for us.
“We have four guys that are solid starters. Almost everybody on the team is a pitcher and can come on in relief at any given time. (Pedota) pitched real well today.”
After allowing an unearned run in the first inning against Hill, Pedota settled in and tossed a two-hitter, striking out four as Hun improved to 4-0. That effort backed up the previous starts by Werosta, who is 2-0 and has allowed just two runs.
“He’s pitched two great games,” Hun coach Bill McQuade said. “And we saw it from last year, James just gets the ball and he battles. He gives you everything he has got and is normally right around the plate. Down in Florida he picked up a couple miles per hour. His ball moves more than it did last year. But he has that same bulldog mentality that says just give me the ball. We were up at Blair and the temperature is in the low 30s and there was no doubt he was going to get the ball because nothing bothers him.”
In the win over Hill, Blake Brown drove in a pair of runs, while Alex Mumme, Werosta, Matt Moore and Ryan Strype each knocked in a run. But in its 4-0 start the theme has been pitching and defense for the Raiders, who will face Peddie today.
“James has been a godsend with what he has done,” McQuade said. “And Huselid pitched a great game. And today, (Pedota), we know he has one of the best arms on the team. He pitched well for the JV last year and the year before so he knows how to pitch. He hit the first guy today and I think that was just opening game jitters at the varsity level. He settled down and threw strikes and let the defense play behind him.”
The Raiders have allowed just four runs in four games and are playing baseball the way McQuade likes to see his teams play — fundamentally sound.
“They are nice kids and that is the most important thing,” McQuade said. “We have been preaching that everyone has to pull the rope in the same direction if we are going to be good. We don’t have a (Steve) Garrison or a (Mike) Russo, but they have fun playing and that is huge. Apuzzi has been a great addition. Blake Brown is a hockey player who brings that mentality to baseball. It is fun being around kids who enjoy playing the game and playing the game the right way.”
And that has led to an impressive 4-0 start.
“With the way we are playing now and with the mentality everybody has I think we have a good shot against anybody in the state right now,” Werosta said.
