Vineland's Kyle Lamanteer throws a pitch against Pitman in the baseball game played at Alcyon Park in Pitman, New Jersey on Friday, March 28, 2025. Collin Conway/D2 Sports Network
PITMAN - Hitting the road for a second consecutive day, the Vineland High School baseball team searched for its second successive win to start the 2025 season.
The Fighting Clan squeaked past Pitman, 4-3, with the help of some late offense from CJ Santiago.
Santiago drove in Rider signee Kyle Lamanteer with a single to center field in the top of the seventh inning to give Vineland the lead it would hold onto for the final five outs.
"I was just looking for a pitch to drive," Santiago said. "We kind of struggled on offense most of the game, but we eventually started to get into rhythm."
Both sides blanked at the plate for the first three innings. The Fighting Clan broke the ice in the top of the fourth inning with a three-run frame. Lamanteer drove in the game's first run with a bases-loaded RBI walk, which was followed by a Mario Toro two-run single, giving Vineland a 3-0 lead.
Pitman responded with a three-spot of their own with a two-run double by Rutgers-Camden commit Jake Sharrow and an RBI single by Messiah commit Hudson Rue in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Lamanteer toed the rubber in the bottom of the sixth, looking to hold Pitman at bay. The Rider-bound senior did just that, tossing a pair of perfect innings of relief and picking up the win on the mound as well. Lamanteer finished the day 1-for-2 with a pair of walks, a single, an RBI, and scored the game-winning run. On the rubber, the senior tosses two innings, picking up five strikeouts and didn't allow a single baserunner.
"I hope to see myself in more of a closer role this year," Lamanteer said. "The guys gave us a shot on offense, so I wanted to go out there and give us a chance to win on the mound as well."
In its first two games, Vineland has used five of its pitchers. Vineland coach Kyle Jones feels he's just reaching the surface of the number of arms he can rely on to give him quality innings.
"Our bats weren't there the whole game like we'd have liked," Jones noted. "Our pitching has been the key for us so far. I feel like we have so many pitchers we can use this season, and that'll be the backbone of our team for this season."
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