Boardman, St. Francis Prep hit bumps in road

When it comes to stuff, AJ Boardman fits the bill. His repertoire is led by an explosive tailing fastball that reaches the high 80’s, a pitch he can combine with a devastating breaking ball and complements with a biting change-up.
Of course, pitching is much more than high velocity. It also has to do with poise, composure and pitch placement.
Boardman, he freely admits, lacks in such areas on occasion. After three impressive outings to start the year - including a league opening eight-strikeout, two-hit performance in a win over St. Edmund’s - the 6-foot right-hander from Sunnyside struggled against Brooklyn power Xaverian in an 8-3 loss last Friday. Falling behind in the count early and often, he walked six Clippers, yielded six hits and six earned runs.
After a few of those walks, and as the hits started finding holes, Boardman said, he got down on himself. When he was finally lifted following his four innings of work, he sulked against the batting cage, his hat pulled over his eyes.
“He has to settle down and relax, get all his pitches over,” said Brother Robert Kent, St. Francis Prep’s Manager. “He’s trying too hard. He thinks the world is on his shoulders. He is a senior and he has been on the team since he was a sophomore so he thinks he has to throw a no-hitter every time out. He’s like [former Yankees firebrand] Paul O’Neill.”
“I have to keep my composure and keep my head,” Boardman added.
That fiery demeanor, senior shortstop Lucas Romeo said, can help their teammates, though. There are times it wakes them up, igniting rallies that lead to victories.
“You need guys like that,” Romeo said.
The talent is certainly there. Boardman shut down Moore Catholic - the best team they faced last year, Kent said - in the playoffs last spring. He has turned in two sterling one-inning relief outings and enjoyed a few fine moments against Xaverian despite the unimpressive result. There is a lot of pressure, Boardman admits, to live up to last year’s ace, Dan Forman, now at Manhattan, who led the Terriers to the city championship by tossing a no-hitter in the final.
“It’s kind of like the law of attraction - if you don’t put pressure on yourself, good things happen,” Romeo said. “He can be the Danny Forman of last year. It’s hard to expect that of anyone, but if anyone can do it, he can do it.”