Cape baseball shuts out CR 7-0
Cape junior pitcher Brad Marks picked up his second win of the season in a 7-0 victory over Caesar Rodney March 26 at Cape’s Chris Short Field.
Marks struck out eight batters and scattered three hits to lead the Vikings to a 4-0 record.
Junior Jacob Smith came in from the bullpen in the seventh to shut the door with two strikeouts.
“We played a solid game of baseball on both sides of the ball,” said Cape coach Ben Evick. “We made our plays defensively, and our pitching was outstanding. Brad Marks threw six solid innings with eight strikeouts, and Jacob Smith threw a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts. Offensively, we were led by Brian Fleming with three hits. We were able to string hits together when we needed them, and we were able to capitalize on mistakes CR made.”
The Vikings got started quickly, scoring two runs in the first inning and two more in the third. Three more runs in the fifth added insurance.
Senior Brian Fleming went 3-for-3 and scored two runs on a CR wild pitch and a passed ball. Designated hitter Aaden Johnson went 1-for-3 with two RBIs. Jaxon Clampitt went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Gage Joseph had a hit and a walk, and scored two runs.
“We kept the pressure on them all game,” said Fleming. “Our bats were hot, and we took advantage of their mistakes to score some runs. It’s always nice to get a Northern Division win.”
“Any Henlopen North game is a tough game,” Evick said. “We feel like all of those games will be battles, just like every other year. We are working hard to find the right level of energy. To quote coach [Dave] Vitella, ‘If you tune the ukelele too tight, it sounds bad. If you tune it too loose, it sounds bad. You have to tune it just right.’ We’re getting close to finding the right spot. I haven’t been surprised by anyone at this point; everyone is playing well. Jacob Smith has shown serious maturity on the mound so far, and freshman Aaden Johnson has shown a high baseball IQ and is very calm in the situations he has been in.”
Teegan Monroney, Caden Heritage and Anthony Hatch each had hits for the Riders.
