Hillsborough into District 52 12s baseball finals

After allowing a first-inning single to BRS shortstop Jack Lang, Chesnosky set down the next 10 batters he faced. Of those 10 outs, nine of them were settled in five pitches or less.

“I like to get quick outs so I can preserve my pitch count and make sure I’m available for another day,” Chesnosky said.

BRS countered with Jacob Shinseki for a splendid pitching duel. Shinseki featured some dazzling stuff in his own right, controlling his high-velocity fastball and four-pitch repertoire to trade zeroes with Chesnosky through the first two innings.

“He’s always a strong pitcher,” Belmont-Redwood Shores manager Ernie Chan said. “I always have a lot of faith in him on the mound. So, this was definitely par for the course.”

The difference between the two hurlers was the pitch count. Shinseki consistently got ahead in counts but would then pitch to the corners in an attempt to get Hillsborough hitters chase his pitches. Chesnosky, on the other hand, pounded the strike zone relentlessly, no matter what the count.

Chesnosky threw just 55 actual pitches, though his official pitch count was 50 — as per Little League rules, the number of pitches he had after the first pitch to the final batter he faced — making him available to pitch again on two days’ rest in the championship-round if needed in the if-necessary game.

“He’s usually pretty good at locating his pitches,” Hillsborough manager Mike Chesnosky said. “He’s got command of all his pitches. So, today was just one of those days where he was definitely hitting his spots. He likes to keep the ball down on guys. Obviously, he’s not going to overpower people, but he will locate and utilize that to his advantage.”

The two pitchers also took two of the most interesting at-bats of the game against one another, both in the first inning.

The first two BRS batters of the morning hit the ball hard. Lucas Chan jumped on the first pitch he saw and hit a screaming liner to right, but Hillsborough right fielder Fran Batarao was positioned perfectly to glove it on a fly. Jack Lang followed with a sharp single to right.

Then Shinseki came to the plate and worked an eight-pitch at-bat, the longest of the game against Charlie Chesnosky, fouling off several two-strike pitches.

“It’s a big part of my game,” Shinseki said. “As a two-strike hitter I feel like I get better contact because when I’m not at two strikes, I swing more for power.”

Charlie Chesnosky won the battle though, striking out Shinseki by getting the big left-hander to chase a changeup below the zone.

“I really had to dig deep,” Charlie Chesnosky said. “And I just threw a few fastballs, and I changed his eye level a little bit. Then I came down with an off-speed and he just swung at it.”

In the bottom of the first, Charlie Chesnosky returned the favor, working an eight-pitch at-bat against Shinseki. Not only was it the same number of pitches as Shinseki’s at-bat, it was the exact same pitch sequence of strikes and balls. The difference was Charlie Chesnosky finished his AB with a line-drive single to center.

“I was just trying to battle, trying to get my pitch and get a base hit and get my team going,” Charlie Chesnosky said.

But Hillsborough wouldn’t break through until the bottom of the third, rallying for all four of its runs. The big blast came after Shinseki departed, when Hillsborough cleanup hitter Dom Barulich capped the rally against the BRS bullpen by blasting a solo home run to left-center, his first homer of the tournament.

“It was a low curveball and it felt good off the bat,” Barulich said. “And then I just watched it go over the center fielder’s head. Then coming back to home plate, I felt really good and happy that we were winning the game.”

Scotty Cornelius got the rally started with a booming double to left field. Two wild pitches later, Cornelius crossed the plate with the game’s first run. After Shinseki got the first out of the inning, BRS went to the bullpen. Colt Crawford then drew a quick walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Ryan Duffell followed with a two-out single, moving Crawford to third and advancing to second on an error.

Then a wild pitch allowed both runners to score. In a play that has become a familiar sight at Middlefield Park, with its spacious distance between home plate and the backstop, Crawford darting home on a wild pitch, and Duffell scored all the way from second when the catcher’s throw to the pitcher covering the plate sailed high.

“It’s actually the second time that’s happened for us in our favor,” Mike Chesnosky said. “The San Mateo American game (to open the tournament), we had the same thing where a guy went, and the guy at second went on the overthrow. So, the guys, obviously, since they’ve seen it before, they were aware of it and it was … a good read there by our base runner, he saw the throw was overthrown and just continued on home. So, it worked out in our favor.”

Hillsborough right-hander Pat Bala entered in relief of Charlie Chesnosky in the fifth inning. Bala worked 1 1/3 innings to close out the game, the only blemish being a solo home run by Lang in the sixth to get BRS on the board.

“I think we were able to save a few pitchers, obviously, today,” Mike Chesnosky said. “There were a few guys we didn’t have to throw, so they’re rested, and they’ll be ready to go. So, I think from a pitching standpoint, it was huge that Charlie was able to go as far as he did, and then we were able to finish with Pat Bala there. … So, I think pitching wise, we’ll be OK.”

Hillsborough now advances to the championship round, slated for Tuesday at Middlefield Park at 5:30 p.m. An if-necessary game would be played Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.