By Andy Loigu

Hackettstown High School graduate Jake Hall, playing baseball for County College of Morris this spring, earned National Division II Player of the Week recognition with a prodigious hitting display.

As the Titans of CCM went 6-0 between April 16 and 22, Hall led the way with 10 RBI, a .750 batting average, and 10 extra base hits.

His 19th double of the season, on May 1, put him third on the Titans’ all-time list for doubles in a single season, with a program which has produced over 50 professional players.

Team-wise, CCM had a big 8-0 win on April 30, as the Titans eliminated Lackawanna (PA) in the Region 19 Division II Tournament.

A homer by Hall, captured in a You Tube video, sailed an estimated 450 feet over the tall trees behind the outfield fence at the CCM field in Randolph. A voice from among the spectators asked, “Where did that go?” The fielders simply looked around in baffled amazement while Hall calmly ran around the bases, a trot he made many times during his Hackettstown Tigers career.

Having lost Hall and his thunderous bat to graduation, the rebuilding Tigers stand 8-6 record wise as of this writing, after a 12-3 win over visiting Belvidere High School on May 5.

Winning pitcher Kyle Strossenroether helped himself at bat by hitting a homer and driving in three runs, going 2-for-2. He pitched five innings, allowing three hits and five walks, while striking out three County Seaters. Tyler Kirkpatrick and Michael Sorge each pitched a hitless inning in relief to finish the game.

The Tigers put on a Saturday matinee hit show, taking a 5-0 lead in the second inning and putting the hack into Hackettstown with 13 base hits. Joey Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with an RBI, James Carkhuff drove in a pair of runs, and Kirkpatrick, Sorge, Mike Danza and Nick Dresher all drove in runs.

Casey Sena drove in two runs for Belvidere and had their only extra base hit, a double.

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Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.