Reed's arm, bat help Gehrig team advance
Area players help Hamilton advance to Eastern Zone
Tuesday, July 29, 2008 7:22 AM EDT
By Bob Nuse, Sports Editor

Kyle Reed finally got his chance to contribute with his bat as well as on the mound.

Reed, who was primarily a pitcher for the varsity team at West Windsor-Plainsboro North in the spring as well as with the WW-P American Legion team this summer, got to show he can also make an impact with the bat for his Hamilton Lou Gehrig team.

Reed and his teammates completed an unbeaten run through the Lou Gehrig/PONY Colt Division Northern Regional near Albany, N.Y., with a 2-2 tie on Sunday against a team from Massachusetts. Hamilton finished 3-0-1 and advanced to the Eastern Zone tournament, which will begin Wednesday night in Greensboro, N.C.

”It was very good competition up there,” Reed said. “The people who were hosting said it the best 15-16 tournament they had hosted in the 16 years they’ve been hosting. All of our games were close and well-played games. It was a real good tournament.”

Along with Reed, three other WW-P players will be making the trip to North Carolina. Andy Vogt and John Nabial of West Windsor, as well as Phil Trachtenberg of Plainsboro are also on the team.
Hamilton opened play in the regional with a 4-0 win over the Bethlehem Eagles as Vogt and David Gilsey combined on a three-hitter. Vogt also had a pair of runs batted in at the plate. In the second game, Reed tossed a complete-game four-hitter, striking out 12, in a 4-3 win over Long Island. Reed also drove in Nabial with a sacrifice fly in the seventh for the winning run.

After a 6-5 win over Amsterdam, N.Y., the team concluded the tournament with the 2-2 tie. Reed singled and scored a run, while combining with Casey Clark to do the pitching.

For Reed, contributing on the mound is nothing new for him. He served as the closer for the WW-P North team in the spring and was also a key player for WW-P during the recently completed American Legion season. But working seven full innings, which he did in his win, is a new experience.

”I don’t think I’ve pitched a complete game since Little League,” Reed said. “My pitch count has been getting higher this summer. In high school I was closing and didn’t work a lot of innings. I would pitch one or two innings, max. I had a couple games where I worked more, like the Sacred Heart game.”

Reed figured he would contribute on the mound. He was just as happy to get a chance to contribute at the plate.

”I had a hit in each game and finished with six RBIs,” he said. “It was a lot of fun and this next round is going to be a lot of fun. Our first game is on the stadium field and they’ve told us that they estimate 5,000 people may be at that game.”

Reed is one of three captains who will join manager Marty Clark and head down early for a captains meeting prior to the opening game in Memorial Stadium on Wednesday night.

For Reed, it will be another chance to gain some experience as he prepares for his junior year at WW-P North.

”It’s been interesting playing with the different teams,” Reed said. “In Legion I was playing against college players. In Lou Gehrig we’re playing against our own age. It’s been different.”

And successful. With Reed helping the cause at the plate and on the mound.