Cape baseball defeats Milford 3-2 to advance to quarterfinals

It was a pitchers’ duel at the Milford diamond Saturday as hard-throwing right-handed gunslingers Chad Reichhold of the Bucs and Cape’s Luke Johnson battled with fastballs from the mound. After the pitch count was reached, Johnson picked up the 3-2 victory to advance the Vikings to the quarterfinals of the DIAA state tournament Tuesday with Dover.

“It was a pretty good matchup,” said Cape’s Johnson, who threw 106 pitches and struck out 11 batters in the win. Reichhold delivered 90 and struck out eight Vikings.

One the Milford starter probably wished he had back was a first-pitch fastball up that Johnson took over the left-field fence in the fifth.

“He threw me a fastball that was a little elevated and I made good contact,” said the Cape junior. “It felt good.”

A tense third inning had the home team hopefuls on the edge of their seats as the Bucs had runners on second and third with no outs and the hard-hitting Reichhold at the plate. The Vikings coaches put him on to fill the bases, and Johnson struck out Aydin Zimmerman, Dylan Layton and Shawn Saxon to cool down the Milford rally attempt.

“Milford did a good job putting pressure on us, and Luke did a phenomenal job shutting down any threat they started,” said Cape coach Ben Evick. “That was a huge situation with bases loaded and no outs that would have dramatically changed the game.”

“That was a pretty big moment for me,” said Johnson.

The Vikings had eight hits in the game. Mason Fluharty slammed a triple and single in the game. Luke Smailer and Robbie Baxley each doubled, with Smailer picking up an RBI in the second inning. Ryan Gibbons went 2-for-4 from the plate and Timmy Vitella knocked a single.

“It was a fastball right down the middle.” said Smailer. “It was right there.”

Senior Parker Brown came in from the bullpen and shut down the Bucs to secure the victory for Johnson.

“Our guys believe in each other and have each other’s backs when we need it most. Parker Brown came in a tough situation and did an amazing job for the last two innings picking up the save. There were runners on and in scoring situation, and he went about his business, throwing strikes and getting outs.”

“I knew I had the team behind me,” said reliever Parker Brown. “All I had to do was to get them [Milford] to put the ball in play and my team would get them out.”

“We’ve improved as the year has gone on, and we’re excited to keep this thing rolling,” said Evick.

Brock Hilligoss and Aydin Zimmerman each had RBIs for the Bucs.

Vikings beat CR

The Cape Henlopen baseball team moved into the second round of the DIAA State Tournament with an impressive 10-0 mercy rule win over Caesar Rodney May 23 at home.

What a difference a week makes. Pitcher Mason Fluharty’s last start at Saint Mark’s May 17 was below his standard, as he gave up six runs in two innings. But he was in command of all his pitches May 23, as the Liberty University-bound senior shut out the Riders for five dominant innings.

“Mason bounced back after a shaky start in his last outing,” said Cape coach Ben Evick. “He really puts all the pressure on the hitters when he is in the zone, and he can be overpowering.”

Fluharty threw five complete innings, allowing four hits with seven strikeouts.

“My fastball was working today,” said Fluharty. “I was painting corners, and I felt no pressure after we put up three runs in the first inning. I felt really good.”

The Vikings were also dominant at the plate, hitting five doubles.

“Our guys had a good approach in the box, sitting on fastballs and driving them all over the field,” Evick said.

Jackson Ostroski slugged two doubles, one with the bases loaded, knocking in four RBIs on the day.

“I felt pretty relaxed up there,” said Ostroski. “There was some pressure, but I didn’t even realize the bases were loaded, if I’m being honest. We were up by some runs and I had confidence in Mason on the mound, so I knew we were going to have a good outcome.”

He cleared the bases in the fifth, scoring Luke Smailer, Fluharty and Rob Baxley. Ostroski then scored on a double by Grant Evans to make the score 9-0. Evans moved up to third on a wild pitch and scored the winning run on another wild pitch.

“We kept our foot on the gas pedal and never let off,” said Evick.

Logan Dominick slammed a triple in the win. Fluharty and Smailer also doubled for the Vikings.