When the two best teams in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association get together, one would normally expect a close, nail-biting affair.
A blowout is normally thought to be the least-likely outcome. But that’s exactly what happened as the first-place St. Joe’s Marauders dominated the second-ranked Bishop Timon-St. Jude Tigers 9-0 on Saturday.
“I thought we did a good job of getting into a rhythm, getting some timely hits, and doing a good all-around job at the plate,” Marauders coach Paul Nasca said. “We’re pretty pleased with the outing our guys gave us today.”
After a walk and a hit-and-run the Marauders got runners on the corner bases to kick off the contest. Will Carlone took advantage of the leadoff man on third by driving him in on an RBI single to get his team on the board first. Another walk, a hit batter, and another RBI single increased St. Joe’s’ lead to 4-0 by the end of the first inning and the rout was on from there.
In the second inning, the Marauders’ large lead went up by two when Connor McKendry and Sam Murphy drove in runs of their own. Tino Turello batted in a run one inning later and McKendry and Nick DiCarlo chipped in to cap off the scoring in the bottom of the fourth.
Pitchers Elliot Widenor and Patrick McCann each had solid outings on the hill for St. Joe’s by recording a combined ten strikeouts and giving up only a handful of hits.
“Elliot and Pat were definitely focused out there today,” Nasca said. “They gave us a good boost because they were very efficient on the mound and we were able to get after them pretty quickly and give them some great run support. They did a terrific job.”
A nice outing against the team that was closest in the standings to them was able to put a smile on the Marauders’ faces on Saturday afternoon. Yet despite being 11-7 overall and 7-2 in league play, Nasca knew that it would take a lot more than just that showing for his team to continue to have future success.
“I think we’re doing pretty well right now, but I know we can improve in a lot of areas,” Nasca said. “We need a lot of work at the plate. As a matter of fact, I don’t think we’ve played a complete game yet offensively.
“We’ve played some very good defense and I’ve liked our pitching so far. We can definitely build upon those areas. But I think we need to put together better and more consistent at-bats throughout the course of a game in order to reach our ultimate goal.”
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