NEWARK – Doron Griffin settled down after a rough start, retiring 14 of 15 batters at one point as Newark Charter defeated Saint Mark’s, 6-2, in midday baseball on April 18 at Bob Hannah Stadium at the University of Delaware.
Griffin withstood some challenges in the early going, allowing the two Saint Mark’s runs in the second inning. He escaped trouble in the first after Noah Thompson led off the game with a triple to the center field wall and Aiden Collie walked, getting out of the inning without allowing a run. But the Spartans got on the board in the second.
Owen Duffy chopped an infield single off the field turf to lead things off, and Ben Quinn followed with a walk. Both runners scored when the next hitter, Joey Santoro, lined a triple to left-center. Griffin got out of the frame with no further damage on a groundout to third, a strikeout, and a fly ball to deep right.
Those three outs were the beginning of his dominant stretch. After a leadoff walk to Collie to start the third, the Patriots retired the next three Spartans, then got Saint Mark’s in order in the fourth and fifth. They were one out away from doing that again in the sixth before Duffy and Quinn stroked consecutive singles. A fly ball ended the threat. Griffin took advantage of the spacious outfield at Hannah Stadium as the Spartans sent balls skyward for much of the game.
Newark Charter went to work on their 2-0 deficit in the bottom of the second. Shane Connor doubled, moved to third on a Patrick Bigliani single, then scored on a throwing error that allowed Bigliani to get to third. Courtesy runner Justin Benninghoff scored on another error. Shahid Hinton and Tristan Tynan added run-scoring singles before Spartans starter Graham Clark got out of trouble.
The Patriots added two more in the third. Connor singled to right-center, stole second and came around after a Spartans miscue. Austin Ledoschuk, who reached second on that error, advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on a suicide squeeze bunt by Jonathan Pray. Newark Charter then loaded the bases with two outs, but Saint Mark’s reliever Brett Russell got out of trouble with a strikeout.
Shane Connor was on base three times with two hits for the Patriots, and he scored twice. Tynan also reached three times. On the mound, Griffin struck out four in six innings, and Tynan pitched a one-two-three seventh. Newark Charter (5-2) visits Wilmington Charter on April 21 at 3:30 p.m.
For the Spartans, Duffy had two hits and scored a run, and Quinn was on base twice with a run scored. Russell pitched four hitless innings in relief, retiring the last eight Patriots batters. Saint Mark’s (4-3) begins a stretch of four straight at home on April 23 against Middletown.
Photos by Mike Lang.
