Millburn Freshman Baseball Heads into Final Week

As the Millburn High School freshman baseball team heads into its last week at 11-4 with three games remaining against Montclair Kimberly, Delbarton and Belleville.

Here's an overview on how the team got here over the last two months.

Last week, they beat Nutley 2-1, at home, on Monday, May 6, and Chatham 7-5 on Tuesday, May 7 at Chatham High School.

Dean Scwheinler pitched the complete game against Nutley, giving up only one run, allowing 4 hits, striking out 3 and walking only 2. The team pitched in by scoring one in the bottom of the 3^rd on a single to center by Daniel Antselevich, who stole two bases, setting Ryan Adelman up to hit the RBI to center field.  The winning run was scored by John Lacy, who singled and reached third on an error. He was brought in by Daniel Stern’s walk off single to second base.

In Chatham, Marc Lincer got the win for the freshman, allowing only three runs, from 4 hits, over three innings of work. Jake Sauberman put away the final 12 outs to record the save.

In the top of the 2^nd inning, Daniel Stern singled and stole 2^nd, scoring the teams’ first run of the game on Dan Antselevich’s double to left field. Two more runs were scored in the top of the third on hits by Matt Jacob and Stern, bringing in Minter and Adelman, who were both hit by pitches. Chatham tied it up in the bottom of the 3^rd, scoring 3 runs. However, the freshman regained their lead in the 4^th, with a hit from Max Lincer, bringing home Antselevich.  The top of the 5^th clinched it for Millburn with spectacular triples to center field by John Lacy and Jacob, bringing in 3 runs that inning.

The week prior, they fell in a close game with West Essex 3-4, on Wednesday, May 1 and then beat Montclair 4-1 on Friday in Montclair.

The freshman faced West Essex at home on Wednesday, May 1 and despite taking the lead in the bottom of the 3^rd inning, they ended up losing by one in the 8th.

Millburn gained their early lead in the 3^rd with singles from Dean Schweinler, Dan Antselevich and John Lacy, bringing in 3 runs. West Essex tied it up in the top of the 7^th and scored the winning run in the top of the 8^th.

Jake Sauberman pitched the first six innings, striking out 3 and was relieved by Dean Schweinler.

At Montclair, Brian Lannino’s nine strikeouts in six innings of shutout ball helped the freshman to secure the victory. Sam Nacht put away the final three outs to record the save.

The game was never in doubt after the third inning, when the freshman scored three runs on a sacrifice fly by Dean Schweinler, scoring Max Lincer, a single from Dan Antselevich, and a RBI double by Matt Jacob, bringing in Antselevich and Ryan Adelman.

Prior to that, they had huge wins against Dayton and Middlesex, winning 14-7 and 25-4, respectively.  They played Dayton on Friday, April 26 and Middlesex on Saturday, April 27. Both games were away.

 The Freshman grabbed an early lead against Dayton, scoring 10 runs in the first three innings. In the 1^st, John Lacy singled and Daniel Stern tripled, bringing in 5 runs to start. Then, with two outs in the 2^nd, singles from Ryan Adelman, Nick Minter and Matt Jacob brought in 2 more runs. In the third, hits from Max Kaps, Dean Schweinler and Brian Lannino scored an additional 3 runs. The last three runs were scored in the bottom of the 6^th based upon some walks and errors and a timely single to left field from Schweinler. Dayton’s rallies in the 4^th and 7^th were not nearly enough to best the Millers.

Matt Jacob recorded the win, pitching the first three innings, striking out two, giving up only 4 hits, and allowing only 1 run. Schweinler came in for the 4^th through 7^th innings for the save.

The Millburn freshman traveled to Middlesex to pound their pitching, as 8 hitters combined for 19 hits, 18 RBIs and 20 runs scored. Ryan Adelman went 4-4, doubling in the 1^st and hitting singles in the 2^nd, 4^th and 5^th. Matt Jacob went 3-3, singling in the 1^st and hitting 2 doubles in the 2^nd. John Lacy and Jake Sauberman went 2-2; Lacy with doubles in the 1^st and 4^th and Sauberman with singles in the 4^th and 5^th.

The 13-run explosion in the second inning started the game off right. The Millers piled on 10 more runs in the 4^th inning, shutting the door for Middlesex.

The first inning started with doubles from Adelman and John Lacy and a single from Matt Jacob. The second and fourth innings brought batters up multiple times, with singles from Max Lincer, Adelman, Daniel Stern, Brian Lannino and a double from Dean Schweinler. Dan Antselevich singled twice and Matt Jacob doubled twice in the 2^nd inning bringing in 13 runs. The 4th inning brought additional singles from Adelman, Sauberman, Stern, and Cole Paulson and doubles from Lannino, Antselevich, Lacy, scoring another 10 runs.

Sam Nacht got the win in relief of Brian Lannino for the Freshman.  Nacht pitched 3⅓ innings and allowed no runs.  Lannino pitched the first inning, striking out 2.

Recaps provided by Heather Adelman.