Sussex Tech baseball beats William Penn 2-0; plays CR in semifinals
Delaware Co-Player of the Year Jeremy Vest proved his worth May 28, tossing a complete-game shutout to help No. 2 Sussex Tech advance past No. 7 William Penn 2-0 in the quarterfinals of the state tournament.
“We knew it was going to be a knock-down, drag-out, high-intensity, high-stakes game, and we were able to pull it out,” said Sussex Tech coach G.L. Jefferson.
Vest was dominant in the outing, striking out seven while walking three and giving up four hits. The senior went right after the high-powered Colonials offense, throwing 68 of his 103 pitches for strikes, silencing bats that had produced 11 runs in the second round.
After two frames of benign offense, the Colonials worked two walks to start the third, but Vest got Shawn Roy to line out to left before striking out Noah Currier. Justin Weidner attempted to steal third, but he was thrown out by catcher Kade Hall to end the inning.
Ravens sophomore Braydon Hazzard led off the third with a single and was sacrificed over to second before junior Gavin Hudson ripped a screamer to center. Hudson reached second safely, but Hazzard was thrown out at the plate following a William Penn relay that began at the fence with centerfielder Hassan Turner.
Before the game, Jefferson told his players something bad would probably happen, and they would need to have a positive reaction. A two-out Rosnell Lewis single advanced Hudson to third before Kobe Tindley’s double plated the latter and put the former on third. An error on Kade Hall’s grounder to third allowed Lewis to score, doubling the Ravens’ lead to 2-0.
The Colonials threatened in the top of the sixth after a sacrifice bunt put Currier on third and Turner on second with only one out.
“Vest is the ultimate competitor; you can bring out a radar gun to see how fast he is throwing, or check his spin rate and look at his movement, but you cannot judge the amount of competitiveness in that kid’s heart,” Jefferson said. “That’s what makes him the Delaware Co-Player of the Year.”
Vest took a moment.
“Breathing helps out tremendously for me when I feel like calming myself down in the moment and not letting it get too big,” Vest said. “I’m just playing a game I’ve played for 13 years.”
The senior collected strikeouts six and seven to end the inning.
Following an eight-pitch, one-out walk in the seventh, Vest settled in to deliver proof of his belief in his defense.
William Penn junior Peter Wilson jumped on Vest’s first pitch, sending a grounder to Kameron Tindley at third. The junior whipped the ball to second, where Hazzard was waiting to turn and fire the ball over to Brock O’Day to send the Ravens into the semifinals.
“I’m ecstatic; it’s something that doesn’t feel real, but we put a lot of hard work into this season and we deserve this one,” Vest said. “I feel really good.”
No. 2 Sussex Tech will take on No. 6 Caesar Rodney at Frawley Stadium in Wilmington at 11 a.m., Thursday, May 30, in the semifinals. The state championship game will be played Saturday, June 1, also at Frawley Stadium.
