Justin Fisher made impression on J.V., bolsters Hartland pitching staff
HARTLAND — Hartland baseball coach Brad Guenther knew he had a good thing coming while watching Justin Fisher pitch last season.
Granted, Fisher was plying his trade at the junior varsity level as a sophomore, but some qualities translate to the next level.
“It was just like phenomenal,” Guenther said. “A lot of composure, a lot of that good bulldog on the mound. He just knew how to pitch and had a good attitude and a lot of personality out there.
“He kind of showed us he would be this guy. He was really good in the offseason. We kept saying, ‘You’re going to be the secret weapon nobody even knows about.’ We were just keeping quiet and flying under the radar.”
The Eagles would need reinforcements from the J.V. to bolster the pitching staff following the graduation of standout starters Gannon Grundman, Gavin Nash and Colton King, as well as lockdown closer Colin Farquharson.
Fisher has helped fill a void, working his way into a position where he started a big rivalry game Wednesday against Howell. He allowed one run on five hits in 6⅔ innings during a 4-1 victory over the Highlanders.
Fisher improved to 3-0 in his fourth start and seventh appearance of the season, lowering his earned run average to 1.42. Opponents are hitting .238 off him.
“It’s a huge honor,” Fisher said of the opportunity to start in a rivalry game. “I worked my way up to this. I’m just glad and blessed to be able to do that.”
He had no idea what to expect in his first varsity season, particularly after struggling with his mechanics during the offseason.
His role has increased as the season has gone along.
“To start, I was more of a reliever,” he said. “I worked my way up into a Saturday nonleague game starter and did well there. Then I finally got my big break at Northville and did well there. I got to start pitching league games. It’s been a blast.”
Against a Northville team that’s ranked No. 2 in Division 1, Fisher allowed three runs in 5⅔ innings. The Eagles won, 4-3.
“It makes me feel really confident,” Fisher said of his performance against Northville. “I can take on any team. As long as I hit my spots, they can’t hit me.”
The only run Fisher allowed came off a triple by Daniel Hampton in the top of the third inning. Hartland (16-7-1) was shut out through three innings by Howell’s Josh Soneral before scoring three runs in the fourth. The key blow was a two-run tie-breaking single by Lucas Frack.
Fisher came within one out of going the distance, but was pulled with two outs in the seventh after allowing a walk and single.
It was the longest outing of the season for Fisher, coming on the heels of Michael Zielinski’s longest outing Monday in a 6-4 victory over Howell.
“The later in the year we get, the more their arms are kind of tolerating this and built up,” Guenther said. “They’re going a little longer in the games. Early on, it was two or three guys in the game. Last year, it was Grundman to Farquharson or Nash to Farq or them pitching the whole game.”
Contact Bill Khan at wkhan@gannett.com. Follow him on X @BillKhan
This article originally appeared on Livingston Daily: Justin Fisher pitches Hartland past Howell in first rivalry start
