DELIVERING THE GOODS: Princeton High pitcher Mike Ramirez delivers a pitch in action this spring. Sophomore Ramirez emerged as a mound star for the Little Tigers this season. PHS posted a final record of 9-14 in 2016, ending the season with a 2-0 loss to eventual champion Hunterdon Central in the first round of the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional tournament. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

On paper, it looked like the Princeton High baseball team was in over its head as it played at Hunterdon Central in the first round of the Central Jersey Group 4 sectional tournament.

Even though PHS was seeded 15th while Hunterdon Central was a two seed, the Little Tigers didn’t see the contest as a mismatch.

“Going into it we though it was a good draw for us, they were a two seed but Monroe had the guy who could throw 90 and Montgomery had the guy who threw 95,” said PHS head coach Dave Roberts.

“We thought it was an easier draw for us to be competitive a little bit; we felt confident going in.”

That confidence wasn’t misplaced as the Little Tigers gave Hunterdon Central a battle in falling 2-0 to a squad that went on to win the sectional title.

“Mike Ramirez did a great job throwing the ball for us; he kept that offense off balance,” said Roberts.

“He went all six innings, giving up two runs, three hits so it was a good effort by him. He had a great year. We had a chance in the first inning to put up a run; we had a chance in the fifth or sixth when we had second and third but it just didn’t pan out. You have got to take advantage of those.”

In reflecting on his squad’s 9-14 season, Roberts would have liked more victories but he had no qualms with how his players battled.

“We could have won a few more, I think the Joaquin (Hernandez-Burt) injury changed the staff,” said Roberts, referring to his senior ace who was sidelined after getting hit in the face with a pitch against Steinert in early May.

“It was another good season. We kept plugging away and doing the best we could. Mike Ramirez held up the ship a little bit. When you lose Joaquin, it is difficult to replace that type of pitcher. We did the best we could. I think if he hadn’t got hurt, we might have got another one or two to be at 10 or 11 wins but it was a great year. Pitching and defense kind of carried the load for us this year; offensively we struggled mightily.”

PHS’s core of seniors, Hayden Reyes, Colin Taylor Matt Lambert and Micah Daley-Harris, along with Hernandez-Burt, carried the load for the program over their careers.

“We had Hayden for all four years and the other guys for three years; it is a group that put together 37 wins in four years,” said Roberts, who had two other seniors, Joey Studholme and Aaron Lichtblau, in the mix this year.

“It is awesome, it was a ton of fun. They were great to coach. They were great players, great leaders. They all led differently. I had a great time with those guys; they were competitive every day and you can’t ask for any more.”

Younger players showed competitive fire this spring for the Little Tigers as sophomores Paul Cooke, Alec Silverman, and Ramirez, along with juniors Dan Gross and Teddy Marttila, made valuable contributions.

“Paul has been a two-year player already; Alec was a full-timer this year, he got 10 or 12 innings last year,” said Roberts.

“Ramirez emerged as a tremendous kid on the mound. Dan came on strong at the end of the year, we hope to get him back in the mound next year. Teddy Marttila played great defense for us and he also came on strong at the end of the year.”

Roberts believes the program can keep getting stronger. “It was a great four years with the guys who are leaving,” said Roberts, noting that Hernandez-Burt has been cleared to play and has been selected for the Carpenter Cup Mercer all-stars. “We have a solid foundation coming back.”