Diamond Classic: Andrew Gaines comes through again as St. Augustine tops Kingsway in semis

BUENA VISTA – Andrew Gaines looked a lot like Nuke LaLoosh last season.

LaLoosh, Tim Robbins’ character from the movie “Bull Durham,” had a live arm but battled consistency issues. He’d could mow down any batter in the box or bean the mascot in the head.

Gaines was never that wild, but the St. Augustine Prep right-hander didn’t always have a feel for where his pitches were going as a junior.

“He got into his head a lot,” catcher Austin Sofran said.

Gaines still went 3-2 with a 2.91 ERA, but that wasn’t good enough for him, which his why he decided to rebuild from the ground up.

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He went to the Baseball Performance Center in Pleasantville and reworked “all of my mechanics” during the offseason, he said.

The results have been astounding.

The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder gave up his first run of the spring on Tuesday, but still delivered four strong innings of relief for the victory as the top-seeded Hermits, No. 1 in the South Jersey Mean 15 rankings, downed fourth-seeded and second-ranked Kingsway 7-4 in the semifinals of the 48th annual Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic.

They’ll face seventh-seeded Lenape in the championship game on Wednesday night at Alcyon Park in Pitman.

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“Whoever wins it is the king of South Jersey,” Gaines said.

Gaines, an Iona recruit, has had a huge role in the Prep having a shot at the title as he’s picked up wins in two of the squad’s three tournament games.

He’s 5-0 with a 0.38 ERA, 0.750 WHIP and 31 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings this year.

“He’s got confidence and that’s the biggest thing,” Sofran said. “If you have confidence up there and trust your stuff, that’s all you need.”

Gaines stuff was never a question. He was up around 90 miles an hour last year, he just couldn’t consistently locate.

His fastball dropped down into the lower-half of the 80’s during his rebuild, but once his delivery was tuned up, it didn’t take long for the velocity to increase again. He topped 91 on the gun against the Dragons and his offspeed pitches were effective too.

Tuesday was his worst outing of the year, yet he gave up just 1 run on 3 hits and 2 walks while fanning 5.

His poise after that run showed his growth.

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Kingsway had the tying run on second base, the Hermits clinging to a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth, but instead of forcing the issue, Gaines threw four consecutive strikes for a punch out to end the threat.

“He’s a different pitcher this year,” Bylone said. “… He got up there and stopped thinking so much and used his God-given talent to throw the ball.”

Gaines has earned his coach’s faith and that’s a special feeling for him.

“When they put me out there, they expect a zero,” Gaines said, “and I expect one too.”

Controversy

Kingsway coach Bill Alvaro confirmed the Dragons played the contest under protest after a rules issue arose in the bottom of the second inning.

Marco Levari, St. Augustine’s starting pitcher and designated hitter, drew a walk to open the frame. Bylone called for Jake Ruchser as a courtesy runner. Ruscher got to the bag and Levari went to the dugout. That’s when Alvaro came out and said Ruscher couldn’t be used as a courtesy runner because Levari was the DH.

After a lengthy back-and-forth discussion with the coaches and the rest of the crew, it was decided the swap didn’t occur and Ruscher returned to the bench. He then came on as a courtesy runner for Sofran two batters later.

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“The umpire told me that yes, I could courtesy run for (Levari) because he was the pitcher at the time, and then the coach said I couldn’t do it,” Bylone said. “Basically, it was a no play.”

Alvaro felt Ruchser should’ve been out of the game, which is why the game was finished under protest.

“We can play tomorrow if we need to, absolutely,” Alvaro said.

He added later, “I walk off this field proud as heck of my team. I think we battled like heck today against two great pitchers and a great team. I don’t think you can say we let down at all. We battled to the last out and that’s what we want to keep doing.”

Sofran clutch again

Sofran had a magical stretch last week as he hit a walk-off double in the Diamond Classic quarterfinals against Cherokee, a seventh-inning, go-ahead double in a 1-0 win over Vineland and belted a homer in a triumph over Hammonton.

The No. 9 hitter delivered again against Kingsway with a pair of RBI singles.

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“I definitely have a lot more confidence in myself,” Sofran said. “Early in the season I wasn’t feeling my best and as it’s going on, I’m starting to hit the ball really well the past few weeks. I’m just seeing the ball and doing my job.”

Kyle Neri also had a pair of RBIs for the winners while Carter Williams paced Kingsway with three RBIs, which included a two-run triple.

By the numbers

5 – Trips to the Diamond Classic final for St. Augustine. The Hermits won the tournament in 2014 and 2017.

“Besides the state tournament, this is the greatest tournament in the state, top 16 teams in South Jersey,” Bylone said. “… I’m just proud of our guys and happy for ’em.”

14 – Runs scored by the Prep the past two games. It tallied 13 in its previous four outings.

“We kind of struggled a bit last week trying to do too much with the ball, swinging for the fence,” Sofran said. “It’s not a terrible thing, but sometimes you got to get back to the basics and I definitely think we’re on the right track again.”

What’s next

St. Augustine (19-1) squares off with Lenape in the Diamond Classic final at 7 p.m. at Alcyon Park in Pitman on Wednesday. Kingsway (19-4) hosts Deptford at 4 p.m.

Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: St. Augustine defeats Kingsway in Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic semis