ALLENTOWN — No matter what divisions of the Colonial Valley Conference the Steinert and Allentown High varsity baseball teams are in, they always give each other a battle, like they did Thursday at Dan Venet Field. These two CVC foes, now both in the Colonial Division, have had different starts to the season. The Spartans started a little later than most and split their first two contests. The Redbirds struggled early despite having talent back in their lineup from a year ago, but have been showing life of late. The key for both is to keep building, and surely that is what they will do after A’town held off Steinert, 6-4, yesterday. “We’re young, but we have tons of talent,” said Redbirds senior third baseman Aaron Freud, one of eight seniors who saw head coach Brian Nice’s squad win the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III title in 2024. “It’s a matter of keeping our energy up and communicating. We have to bond and grow as a team.” With Freud’s help, Allentown (2-3) continued taking those strides Thursday. Though the Redbirds have not been out of a game yet this year, they pulled out their first seven-inning win yesterday after being tied with the Spartans in the first and fifth innings. That’s where No. 5-hitting Freud came up big. After singling to center field to start a rally which gave the home team a 3-1 advantage on junior Jordan Rey’s two-run double in the bottom of the fourth inning, Freud found himself in another key situation an inning later after Remy Feniello’s infield hit with two outs plated Joey Ditta (RBI double) knotted the game at 3-3. Sophomore shortstop Dan Ducalo (3-for-4) opened the bottom of the fifth with an infield single and advanced to second base on an overthrow. Cleanup-hitting catcher Dom Inzilla then singled to left to put runners at the corners. With one out and runners at second and third base, Freud ripped a ball to center field. Earlier in the game, Steinert sophomore outfielder Dom DeFrancis had robbed Freud of a hit with a nice diving stab. This time around, Freud’s bullet was just high enough to get over the young center fielder’s head. It carried to the fence, and Freud chugged around to third base for a two-run triple. “We’re going to face adversity, so we’re working on finishing games. This was big for us,” said Stockton University-bound Freud, who also crossed the plate that inning following a two-out error. “That was what I was trying to do in that situation, I wanted to put the ball in the air. I thought it was going to be a sacrifice fly, but I’ll take a triple.” With similar gutsy efforts from their pitchers – sophomore starter Chase Pullen, winning pitcher R.J. Davis (another sophomore) and freshman right-hander Matt Laurinaitis, who picked up the save – the Redbirds will take the win, especially against a proven pitcher like Spartans’ senior righty Mason Grant. Grant went the distance for head coach Brian Giallella’s club to keep the visitors in a game they led 1-0 after Joey Ditta opened the game with his first of three doubles and scored two batters later on Feniello’s fielder’s choice (for his first of three runs batted in). But the home side tied the score in the bottom of the frame after a double from Ducalo and a sacrifice fly from Inzilla. “We’re not really all in the game right now,” Immaculata University-bound Ditta, Steinert’s veteran shortstop, said. “We need to focus at all times and stick in games longer. We could obviously do better offensively and defensively.” There will be time for that since both teams are just beginning this season’s climb. Steinert (1-2)          100    020    1    —    4    9  3 Allentown (2-3)       100    230    x    —    6  10  1 2B: JDitta 3 (S), Ducalo, Rey (A); 3B: Freud (A); RBIs: JDitta, Feniello 3 (S), Inzilla, Freud 2, Rey 2 (A). WP — Davis (2-0); LP — Grant (0-1); S — Laurinaitis (1). ...read more read less