TRENTON, N.J, November 15, 2017 (Newswire.com) - The New Jersey Thunder have started their 2017 Playoff Championship mission with a strong start.
Frank Lewsky started on the hill for the Thunder against Nova Scotia.Thunder benefited from a strong start to the game, with big hits from Mario Lopez and Nelson Valentin to score four runs in the first and second innings.
"We took that early success from the pitching staff filling in those losses and used it for the entire season,"
Robert Nelms
Robert Nelms came on to pitch to relieve Frank Lewsky in the top half of the fourth inning, where he was able to strike out eight batters during his outing. He also only gave up two hits in the Thunder's big win.
Nelms had an incredible performance on the mound in relief, showing an absolute dominance of Nova Scotia's hitters. Nelms struck out batters in every inning that he pitched, also only giving up two hits in his work on the mound.
In the fifth inning, Robert Nelms struck out the side, using a fastball and sinker to confuse Nova Scotia's hitters.
"I had an excellent command of my fastball today," Nelms said after the game. "I was able to hit my spots, moving the ball in and out. A ton of credit goes to my catcher Jerry Limaldi, who called one heck of a game. The scouting reports that had on this team were accurate. It was a great way to start postseason play."
The Thunder also won their second game against the Windy City Warriors, a team out of Chicago. They won the game by a score of 10-8 behind the pitching of Billy Vitolo.
It was a game that went back and forth until the eighth inning where Robert Nelms hit a key single to left field scoring Jeremy Brownlee, and Tony Naveudo for the Thunder winning runs. They now have two wins and are the only undefeated team left in postseason play.
Robert Nelms is not only helping the Thunder on the field but off it as well as a vital member of the coaching staff.
Since Nelms joined the coaching staff earlier in the season, the Thunder have managed to maintain an ERA below three, putting them second in the league.
The success is not new to the Thunder. Just three seasons ago, the Thunder led the league with an ERA of 2.22 and followed with a 2.45 ERA for the 2017 season.
The Thunder's brilliance on the mound led to winning 33 games for their season. The win mark has not been topped for the past three seasons by any other team in the league.
Robert Nelms had to overcome some adversity before experiencing such success with the Thunder as a coach. Three critical pitchers from the Thunder's starting rotation were lost for the season or traded to other teams after the 2016 campaign.
They also lost their leader in saves for the franchise. But the Thunder were able to overcome these losses and stay competitive in a league that has many great teams.
Robert Nelms has been able to build his resume and has been able to create success over the past few seasons speaks highly of the talent he gets to coach. The Thunder have been able to take home the 2017 Myrtle Beach Classic Championship earlier this season, making that now three years in a row. Only a few teams around the league can tout that success over the league's history.
The success at such an early part of the season jumpstarted the Thunder's successful campaign, leading to this Roy Hobbs World Series Tournament. The momentum was used to silence many critics around the league, and any notion that the Thunder would not be able to overcome the losses and be competitive for the rest of the season.
"We took that early success from the pitching staff filling in those losses and used it for the entire season," adds Robert Nelms.
If you are interested in seeing the New Jersey Thunder in action, here is their next week's schedule.
Source: Web Presence, LLC
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