LC Smith spins gem, Cinnaminson baseball upsets Cherry Hill East in Diamond Classic
CHERRY HILL – He prefers “LC.”
Charles Smith is the fourth Charles in his family. Smith’s dad is known as Big Charles and he’s Little Charles, but he likes “LC” the most.
“It has a nice ring to it,” he said.
The Cinnaminson High School junior could’ve been asked to be called anything Wednesday afternoon and his teammates likely would’ve obliged.
The right-hander put together the best performance of his season and one of the top two of his scholastic career, striking out 12 over 6 2/3 innings of one-hit baseball to lead the 19th-seeded Pirates to a 3-1 upset of No. 14 Cherry Hill East in the opening round of the 49th annual Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic.
Diamond Classic: Cherry Hill West baseball shows grit, upsets Lenape in first round of Diamond Classic
“Oh God, been a while,” Smith responded when asked when’s the last time he pitched that well.
It was last June actually, when he fanned 12 in 6 innings as the Pirates bested West Deptford in the South Jersey Group 2 quarterfinals.
This wasn’t a playoff game, but the Diamond Classic is as close as it gets, and Cinnaminson was making its first trip to the prestigious event since 2017.
“It means a good amount man,” said Smith, who also walked three batters and hit a pair. “… It felt good to win it and for sure feels good to be the team to get it back for us.”
Smith didn’t look like he’d shine through the drizzle in the opening inning. He walked the first batter he faced and was called for going over the 20-second time limit for pitches and issued a ball on his third batter.
Mean 15 rankings: There's a new No. 1 in the South Jersey High School Mean 15 baseball rankings for April 30
Ironically, that ball should’ve resulted in a walk to Ethan Haddock, but it wasn’t tabulated, and Haddock took a 4-2 pitch to the right-field gap for an RBI double to even the score at 1-1.
That was the only hit Smith gave up.
“As he progresses in games and feels out his pitches, very much like dominant pitchers can be, once you let them get in rhythm, it becomes very tough to put the ball in play against them,” head coach Eric Teesdale said.
Smith locked in with two outs in the fourth inning. He’d been called for his second balk of the day, and catcher Jackson Peacock came out to talk.
“I don’t know if I should say what he said to me, but it was, I was just mad,” Smith said.
He took that anger out on the Cougars, retiring the next nine batters he faced, six on strikeouts.
“He was the star of the show,” Teesdale said.
It’s common for Smith, who’s known as a bit of goofball on the team. He put the Pirates in a good mood by wearing a ski mask, which they called a shiesty, on the mound, and he threw his hands in the air in celebration when he came off it after hitting his 110-pitch limit.
Stars of the Week: South Jersey high school baseball players and teams of the week for May 1
Don’t think Smith isn’t focused though. He enjoys the moment, but he also knows what’s important.
“Up here,” he said, referencing the clouds when talking about Cinnaminson’s confidence following the victory. “But when we go into the next game, it’s like we never played.”
Jackson Peacock breaks slump with big hit
Cinnaminson has been alternating catchers this season.
The Pirates like both of their backstops – Kyle McDonough and Jackson Peacock – and it keeps them fresh.
It was Peacock’s start Monday. The junior had been struggling at the plate, going hitless in his previous five games, a stretch he was 0-for-10 at the plate.
However, Peacock put that in the rearview mirror with his 2-out, 2-strike, 2-run single in the fourth inning to put his team up 3-1.
“I was fired up,” he said. “It was awesome. It felt so good to get that.”
Thrilling finish: Yoan Feliz powers up, leads Vineland High School baseball past rival Millville
Game notes
Cinnaminson will visit No. 3 St. Augustine in the next round. Date and time are still to be determined.
Brandon Warner’s RBI double put the Pirates on the board in the first inning. That run was unearned though after Daulton McDonald reached on an error to start the contest.
Cherry Hill East pitchers kept the Cougars in it as they allowed only two hits on the day. Starter Ethan Gwara gave up 3 runs (2 earned) on 2 hits, 3 walks and a hit batter. He struck out three. Reliever Michael Schulke fanned five of the six hitters he faced in two shutout frames.
This was Cherry Hill East’s first appearance in the Diamond Classic since 2003.
“It meant a lot to get back here,” head coach Jason Speller said. “… One of the goals we set was to definitely make the Diamond Classic. It didn’t work out for us today, but we’re definitely happy to put out the effort and get in there.”
The last word
“For any South Jersey baseball fan, being in this tournament is awesome. It’s got a lot of history. … Today we fought hard against a good team at their field. You’re happy for this program to get a win in the Diamond. I feel last year and this year, with the group of guys we have, we’re very much trying to reshape what Cinnaminson baseball means, and a win in the Diamond is a step in the right direction.”
– Cinnaminson coach Eric Teesdale
Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cinnaminson tops Cherry Hill East in first Diamond Classic since 2017
