Sterling, Va. — The pitcher stood on the mound, his white jersey smeared with dirt. He settled himself and then went into his windup. His right leg rose into the air and as it landed, his entire body twisted, his torso turned square to the plate. His left arm came forward in an easy and almost effortless delivery, hurling a five-ounce white sphere towards a hapless batter at a speed of 94 miles per hour.
The batter flailed helplessly and missed the fastball, one of the many heaters Potomac Falls junior Nate Savino blew past the opposing batters in his season-opening, 18-strikeout shutout win, 5-0, over the Riverside Rams.
“I just threw strikes got ahead early, knew I could beat them,” Savino said. “I just go on the mound and do what I can do.”
[adrotate banner=”19″]With a major league scout in the stands, Savino was amped up and it showed. He hit 95 and 96 mph on the gun, and one fan in attendance with a radar gun claimed to see him hit 97.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, Nate Savino is one of the hardest workers we’ve ever had. When you are willing put in the work like Nate, you’re gonna get those results,” Potomac Falls head coach Joe Terango said. “Nate has command of three pitches, and when you can throw three pitches for strikes you can be effective in any game.”
There was no point in the game where it looked like any Riverside hitter looked comfortable in the batter’s box, baffled by Savino’s mid 90s fastball or his quick-moving breaking-ball that always seemed to either generate a swing and a miss or catch the backdoor.
“It’s not really a slider, it’s more a cutter, but it’s a big cutter. He was throwing that in the high 70s, and it looks like a ball until it hits the corner of the plate, and umpires just love to call that pitch,” long-time pitching coach John Pinkman said. “And the next pitch is 94 on the wrist. It’s hard for a pro guy to hit that stuff, let alone a high school junior.”
The man tasked with handling Savino’s electric pitches, catcher Andrew Gerhart, was similarly impressed.
“It was definitely one of his best,” Gerhart said. “He brings it all every game and that’s who he is, he does this every night.”
Riverside entered the game at 0-1 after a loss to Freedom, and their season became just a bit more frustrating after having to face Savino.
“He had three pitches going, and he completely overpowered us,” Riverside head coach Sam Plank said. “I’ve never seen Carson Swank have at-bats like he did today. Carson’s an unbelievable player, but Nate was just that good tonight. It was one of the best pitching performances I’ve ever seen since I’ve been a coach.”
The Rams were totally shut down by Savino, as some prominent members of their lineup failed to make any sort of impact. Riverside center fielder Sajon Belser and shortstop Carson Swank struck out in all of their six combined at-bats.
“He had all his pitches working. He’s hitting his spots, working everything,” Swank said. “I think he was sitting 94-95 on his fastball. When you got a pitcher like that you just gotta tip your cap.”
The starter facing off against Savino had much less success, as sophomore Wyatt Shenkman gave up five earned runs. In the bottom of the first, Savino made an impact with his bat, getting on base with a two-strike single. The next batter, Gerhart, lined a double over Belser’s head and into the gap, scoring Savino.
“I was looking for a fastball on the first pitch, and he left it where I like it. I took a nice quick swing, kept my hands inside the ball, and drove it back up the middle,” Gerhart said. “It went further than I thought; the wind was blowing out. I put a good barrel to the ball, and it carried out there.”
Potomac Falls sophomore first baseman Matthew Weber doubled to lead off the inning and scored on an RBI single by sophomore third baseman Liam Best. Two runs scored before the very first out was made to make it 3-0, and that out was a sacrifice fly by junior left fielder Julian Rivera that extended the lead even further.
“I couldn’t have done it without my offense,” Savino said. “I appreciate all them.”
One of the smaller yet impactful moments in Savino’s pitching performance was in the sixth inning when Belser worked a 3-1 count against him and he ended up striking him out.
“We work hard on mental preparation and knowing where you are at that moment, and when you lose that moment you have to do something to get it back. If you notice what he did, he walked on the left side and back. That’s what we train guys to do,” Pinkman said. “Don’t walk directly back; walk in the grass. The grass is clam, it’s soft, it’s green…except for tonight. What do we have to do? Stop screwing around. That’s it. I’m gonna throw a strike. Boom. I’m gonna throw another strike. That’s the mental confidence.”
Up next for Potomac Falls (0-0, 1-0) is a weeknight doubleheader at Loudoun County High School on March 18. Riverside (0-0, 0-2) will look to earn its first win of the season at home against Park View on March 22.
