NEW CASTLE — Salesianum baseball scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to break open a tight game and picked up a 7-3 win over Appoquinimink on April 20 at Wilson Field in New Castle.
The Sals had taken a 3-2 lead in the fourth when a Jude Swift single scored Matt Speicher, but the Jaguars came right back in their half of the fifth. Chase Fleming led off the fifth for Appo with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on an Andrew Pierce single.
Pierce, the Jaguars’ starting pitcher, struck out the first Salesianum batter of the fifth, but Jack Rossi doubled to left-center before being lifted for pinch runner James Gray. He moved to third on a wild pitch, then beat the throw home on a high hopper to second base by Brandon Baffone.
After another strikeout, Speicher walked and Aidan Moore singled, driving Baffone home. That brought Swift to the plate, and he delivered a double to the fence in left-center to score both Speicher and Moore. Swift went to third on the throw home, and when the ball got past the catcher, he continued toward the plate. Appo catcher Wyatt Uhde raced to the plate and tagged a sliding Swift out, but the damage had been done.
Sheridan, the Sals’ starting pitcher, allowed a two-out single in the sixth. Rossi came in to pitch the seventh. He allowed a pair of singles sandwiched around a strikeout, but third baseman Moore got the second out when he was able to tag the lead runner on a slow ground ball to his left. The game ended on a popup into shallow left field that was caught by shortstop Chris Moxley, but not without drama. Moxley lost his footing as he caught the ball but held on as he rolled on to his back.
Final statistics were not available late Thursday night. The Sals improved to 4-5 at the season’s midpoint. They are scheduled to play Delmar on Saturday at 2 p.m. at Frawley Stadium, weather permitting. The Jaguars (4-5) host Cape Henlopen on Saturday at noon in a game already rescheduled once because of rain.
All photos by Mike Lang.
