By Paul Gotham
GENEVA, N.Y. – According to Dictionary.com the definition of efficient is “performing or functioning in the best possible manner with the least waste of time and effort.” In other words Dave Anderson’s pitching performance in game one of the New York Collegiate Baseball League Western Divisional Series.
The right-hander out of Muhlenberg College tossed seven shutout innings as the Geneva Twins defeated the Rochester Ridgemen, 7-0 at McDonough Park, Sunday.
Anderson hurled 79 pitches – 58 for strikes – surrendering just two hits and fanning four.
“He was hitting his spots,” Rochester head coach Brady James said. “Living low and working the ball in and out. It’s tough to hit whenever a guy’s throwing like that.”
After posting an 8-0 record in 15 regular season appearances, Anderson was the logical choice to open the playoffs for Nick Callahan’s Twins.
“He’s the guy who you know is going to go out there and no matter what day it is, could be the first game of the year or the first game of the playoffs, he’s going to do the exact same thing,” Callahan commented. “He’s going to throw the ball over the plate with three pitches and give you a great chance to win a baseball game.”
Anderson faced five over the limit (hit two batters and one reached on an error) retiring eight straight between the first and fourth innings throwing less than 10 pitches in the second, third and fourth. He lived on the paint of the plate working inside early to right-handed batters and keeping them off balance.
“It felt good,” Anderson said. “I’d run two-seams in and then just try and blow four-seam by ‘em. If they fouled it off, I’d go back to the change up.”
James and the Ridgemen knew what to expect. Anderson beat them twice this year. The last time he also hurled seven scoreless.
“They knew coming in it was going to be a challenge,” James said of his hitters. “You just hope he was off. He wasn’t. You gotta tip your hat to Dave. He was pretty much money today. Our hitters were not having fun.”
One year ago it might have been hard to imagine this outing from Anderson. He was coming off a 2-5 season for the Twins with a 5.69 ERA.
“I didn’t have a great year,” Anderson stated. “I knew I could throw like this. I just had to get there. It was just fine tuning things and figuring out I’m not a strike out pitcher and pitching to strengths.”
Callahan, though, saw signs of things to come. In his last outing in 2013, Anderson allowed one unearned run over seven as the Twins beat the in-house rival the Geneva Red Wings, 9-1.
“He kinda learned right at the end of last year,” Callahan noted. “That propelled him into this year. Just the confidence he took from last year knowing that he could pitch in this league and pitch well and bringing it back this year. There was no question about him coming back this year.”
Anderson threw 63 innings this past spring for Muhlenberg. He went 3-4 with an ERA of 3.14.
“I never lost confidence,” Anderson said. “Just focusing on not walking people. Especially with wood bats. People are going to get themselves out.”
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