MILLTOWN — Conrad scored six runs in a two-inning span, and Red Wolves pitching held Saint Mark’s to three hits in a 7-4 win on March 31. The game between two of Delaware’s perennial contenders drew a large crowd to the hillside at Saint Mark’s on a warm, sunny afternoon.
The Red Wolves took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, and that held up until the fourth. Conrad starting pitcher Nick Dello Buono worked out of trouble in the second, when the Spartans loaded the bases with two outs before the third out was recorded when a runner strayed too far from the base line.
Saint Mark’s starter Graham Clark retired eight straight batters to keep his team within a run going into their half of the fourth. Noah Thompson was hit by a pitch with one out, and he reached third with two outs. Jake DiGennaro walked, and Micah Nelson sent a double to left-center, scoring both runners.
Conrad answered immediately.
The first two hitters, Shane Wilson and Justin Johnson, singled, and after a wild pitch and a popup, they were at second and third. Mark Spoor knocked both in with a single to center, and he eventually scored on a fielder’s choice. They added three more in the sixth, all with two outs and without a hit. Four consecutive walks, the last to Spoor, brought in one run, and an error allowed another to score. Finally, Justin O’Connor walked to drive home the seventh run of the afternoon for the Red Wolves.
Saint Mark’s went quietly in the sixth, but the Spartans came out in the seventh with a comeback in mind. Conrad relief pitcher Jayden Mitchell, who had entered in the fifth, retired the first two batters, but he walked the next three. DiGennaro singled to right to score Matthew Saunders and Thompson, but Mitchell ended the game with a strikeout.
Conrad finished with six hits. The Red Wolves (2-0) will visit Appoquinimink on Saturday at noon.
The Spartans were limited to three hits as they fell to 0-2. They will go after their first win on April 7 at 4:15 p.m. at Sussex Central as they begin a five-game road trip.
Photos by Mike Lang.
