He just kept throwing.
Poly Prep junior pitcher Ethan Ehrenberg didn’t worry about how tired he was, or if anyone got on base, he simply kept throwing, and lifted the Blue Devils to a 3–0 victory over Riverdale in the Ivy League semis on Tuesday. He tossed a complete game, striking out four, walking three and giving up just three hits.
“It felt great,” Ehrenberg said. “The important thing was just to get to the championship game for our seniors. They all want it and we want it for them. We’re just really happy to come out here and get this win.”
Ehrenberg was dominant on the mound, but he almost didn’t get the chance to pitch. Poly was originally slated to play on Monday, and planned to pitch senior ace Oliver McCarthy, but a rainout that day led to a change of plans. Suddenly, the Blue Devils were forced to start Ehrenberg, but Poly Prep coach Matt Roventini insisted the team’s mindset stayed the same.
“We knew with Ethan on the mound, we’d still be exceptionally confident,” Roventini said. “It didn’t concern us that we didn’t have Oli to start. We had Ethan and he’s done exactly what he’s done all year, which is pound the strike zone and give us a chance. You can tell he wasn’t fazed by the moment at all.”
Ehrenberg kept Riverdale on its heels for most of the postseason tilt, but got into a jam in the top of the fifth, putting two runners on with no outs. He didn’t panic, though, just kept throwing strikes until a 1-6-3 double play got the Blue Devils out of the inning.
“[Bryan Padilla is] a great shortstop, so I knew all I had to do was get it, just throw it over the bag and he’d make the play,” Ehrenberg said. “That was a huge moment for us.”
The play was enough to take some of the wind out of Riverdale’s sails, and jumpstart a late Poly rally at the plate. The Blue Devils padded their lead in the bottom of the frame, adding two runs, and effectively seizing the game’s momentum.
“I think that moment changed the dynamic of the game,” Roventini said. “All the sudden a little more energy, a little more pep in our step and our bats come alive. Once we got the three [runs], we felt pretty comfortable.”
Poly got production from its entire lineup, but the bottom of order grabbed a bit more of the spotlight, with the seventh, eighth and ninth hitters scoring all three runs.
“The majority of the pitches were early fastballs and I think that’s what led to the success,” said senior second baseman Nic Mulitz, who went 2-for-3 and stole three bases. “They weren’t going to blow by us, so we knew that swinging early, getting up on that fastball early in the count was vital to us getting on base.”
Seven out of nine Poly hitters reached base in the victory and the Blue Devils out-hit Riverdale eight to three. It’s another solid showing for a squad that now is looking to clinch yet another state championship. Winning is a tradition at Poly, but the Blue Devils aren’t getting too far ahead of themselves. Much like Ehrenberg, they’re just going to go out there and do their jobs.
“We’re used to being in this spot,” Mulitz said. “We know we need to come out on top and that’s what we’ve been doing recently. It’s not that different for us.”
