By Tim Shoemaker
Bushkill Blue Jays left-hander Nate Fritzinger knew what it was like to throw a no-hitter before he stepped onto the field Saturday afternoon for his start against the Nazareth River Otters at Tuskes Park.
He had thrown several over the years, but none this season.
He now has one no-hitter this season.
Fritzinger helped the defending Lehigh Valley Baseball League AA Division champion Blue Jays get off to a good start in this year’s playoffs, allowing no hits and striking out eight in a 13-0 win over the Nazareth River Otters.
Bushkill (16-3) will host Nazareth (11-8) in Game 2 of the North Division semifinal series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Bushkill Township Field. A third game, if necessary, will follow. The winner advances to the next round weekend against either the Landsharks or the Pilots.
Fritzinger said that he prefers to feature his curveball and changeup over his fastball, and on Saturday he preferred the curveball. He did not pitch when Bushkill and Nazareth met in the regular season because he was on vacation.
Fritziner (4-1, 0.84 ERA in the regular season) said that he knew ahead of time that he was going to get the start. Once he found his curveball while warming up, everything fell into place. He allowed only two walks in five innings.
“(Manager) Adam (Recker) told me prior that I was going to be throwing today,” Fritzinger said. “I do my job on the mound as best I can. My teammates back me through the process. Once I got (the curveball) dialed in, I took it from there. I usually start coming around in the playoffs.
Bushkill gave him all the support that he needed in the second. Brandon Robinson’s two-run double and Recker’s three-run home run highlighted a seven-run second inning.
Recker said that Nick Terleski (4-1, 2.13 ERA) will most likely be Bushkill’s Game 2 starter.
The playoff format presents an unusual difficulty for those involved. After playing on mostly Sundays all year long, teams can rely on one or two pitchers. Now, a team must have at least three in order to have the best chance of advancing.
“We wanted to throw Nate today to win the first game,” Recker said. “You always want to win the first game. … The playoffs are totally different. when you get to the playoffs, you definitely need three pitchers or more.”
