Surprised AJ got the better of the matchup and lost the POY to the one who lost the matchup
oh well
Instant classic at Holman
High School Baseball: North vs. South
This is what you were waiting for, high school baseball fans. A Nashua North vs. South game that gave you everything.
True, last year's game, played at night, drew a raucous crowd, but it didn't contain the talent or the matchups that Wednesday's 1-0 South victory did at Holman Stadium.
Oh, the crowd was there, in excess of 500, and yes, it was lively. One fan even got ejected by the home plate umpire.
Why the intensity? Well, for one, it is now a rivalry. And two, you had two good teams who hope to make some noise in the tournament.
"You have two really good baseball teams now," outgoing Nashua Athletic Director Angelo Fantasia said. "This is what we've been preaching for the last several years, now that as we get into these cycles and get a little bit older, you're going to see some real great competition between North and South, and I think that's what you saw today."
But you won't often see anything like The Matchup – South pitcher A.J. Bazdanes vs. North hitter Brad Zapenas, the latter just named as this year's New Hampshire Gatorade Player of the Year.
These are two most talked about high school ballplayers in the area, and you were just hoping the confrontations would take place. It did, and Bazdanes, who tossed a three-hit shutout, striking out 13, won the battle all three times, twice in key situations. Zapenas, headed for Boston College unless enticed from any team in the upcoming major league amateur draft. Bazdanes, of course, is University of Maine bound unless the same thing happens.
The two played on the same Babe Ruth All-Star team a couple of years ago, and have competed against each other on the local youth level for a while now.
"It wasn't intimidating at all; I've been pitching against him all my life," Bazdanes said. "(Zapenas) started getting noticed in Babe Ruth and his talent level's really increased. But someone always has their weak point, know what I mean? And that's the inside pitch . . . I was straight fastball with him. I tried to back him off the plate a couple of times."
Zapenas flew to right to end a one-two-three first. With a runner on first and one out in the fourth, he grounded into a force out at second. But the key moment was the sixth when, in a 1-0 game, the Titans (12-7) had two on with two out and Zapenas grounded to second to end North's final threat of the day.
Brad vs. A.J. "It came down to it twice and twice the pitcher made him," Henderson said. "Obviously if one of those (ground balls) get's through, we're still playing."
No regrets from the level-headed Zapenas, that's for sure.
"It was fun, we got to face (Bazdanes)," Zapenas said. "We were hoping for that all season. He got the best of us today. I was looking forward to it. I was very confident going into it. He threw fastballs and I just tried to stay back and do what I was doing . . . Obviously I wanted to work the count and make him work a little bit, but if he throws me a fastball down the middle, I want to be aggressive. Key situation or not, I'm hurting my team if I don't go after that."
Indeed, great baseball.
"You had quality players up and down the lineup," North coach Will Henderson said. "The first two years I certainly didn't have the talent; last year, (South) had an off-year with some injuries and things and we were better. And this year I knew it was going to be a great game, and it was."
"It was fun," Zapenas said. "Great, great atmosphere. Last game of the season (for North, South faces Manchester Central today), and we treated it like a playoff game. It seemed a lot different because the (bulk of) the season really ended a week ago . . . It was a very good game, because I think we competed and it was nice to have people come out and support us."
Indeed, things got heated at one point, especially when the Titan fandom and coaches felt Bazdanes had committed a balk in the pressure packed sixth.
"I heard all the yelling in the stands," Bazdanes said. "The only thing that did was give me more adrenalin. It felt good. It felt good to finally get out here against a rival."
Indeed a great day for local baseball. Only thing better would be to have these two meet in a postseason game. With players like Zapenas and Bazdanes, you'd love to see it be this year.