MIDDLETOWN — Ryan Flasinski threw five innings of no-hit baseball, striking out 9, and the Saint Mark’s offense blew open a close game in the final two innings as the Spartans defeated Appoquinimink, 16-0, on April 5.
Flasinski, a junior, worked around some wildness in the early innings to keep the Jaguars off the board. He walked two in the first, and a double steal put those runners at second and third with one out. But Flasinski got out of the jam with two strikeouts.
Over the next three innings, Flasinski hit two batters and walked two others, but he finished both innings with a strikeout. He pitched his only clean inning in the fifth.
The Spartans threatened on offense in the first two innings, including loading the bases with one out in the second, but the game was scoreless going into the third. Shawn Satterfield singled to open the third, with Tyler Sinko coming in to run for him. Michael Smyth reached on a fielder’s choice, but an errant throw to second resulted in two men on with no outs.
After a sacrifice bunt, Aidan Lehane chopped a ball over the mound. Sinko did not run immediately, but he was able to come home with the game’s first run. Cole Sims drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, and two more singles, the second by Chase Thornton, brought Lehane home to give Saint Mark’s a 3-0 lead.
The Spartans had one on with two outs in the sixth when they began to pull away. They scored five runs in the inning. Lehane had two RBI with a double to left field, and Sims drove in a pair with a single.
The sealed the win in the seventh, scoring an additional eight runs. Sims added a two-run double, and Joseph Papili knocked in a pair with a single.
Ian Keane worked out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth for Saint Mark’s, then retired the Jags in order in the seventh.
The Spartans improved to 4-0 and will visit Delmar on Saturday for a noon start. Appoquinimink (0-3) will attempt to get into the win column when the face Cape Henlopen on the road, also Saturday at noon.
Photos by Mike Lang.
