AUBURN – Even though they weren’t at the top of their game, the Saints made it look easy Saturday.
The undefeated St. Dom’s baseball squad had three different pitchers combine for a 10-0 shutout over the winless Waynflete Flyers.
The Saints (8-0) led just 4-0 after four innings, but closed out the Flyers (0-7) by putting a six-spot on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth.
“We approach every game the same,” said St. Dom’s coach Allan Turgeon. “We were a little flat today. We go out there and try to play with intensity and spirit. At least that’s the plan. Sometimes with high school kids that’s not always the case.”
With a busy schedule of three games in three days beginning this Monday, Turgeon wanted to make sure his rotation stayed sharp. Jon Rutt was the starter and gave way to winning pitcher Brent Cary (3-0) after two innings and 31 pitches. Cary worked the third and fourth innings. He yielded just one hit and pulled off the rare four strikeout inning in the fourth.
Sophomore lefty Andy Allen hurled a hitless fifth.
“We wanted to give them each a tune up,” said Turgeon.
The Saints picked up a pair of runs in the first with Rutt plating Jake Albert on a line single to center. Jimmy Moreau scored one batter later when Cary’s fly to left was dropped for an error.
They added a run in the third when John Emerson grounded a single into left with two outs to score Cary. Albert’s double into the left-field corner tacked on another tally in the fourth.
The fifth inning began innocently enough for Waynflete pitcher Alex Bonnin (0-3). The lefty had mixed his fastball and curve to scatter nine hits over the first four innings. He retired Rutt and Cary to start the frame but a walk and two infield errors put the Flyers in trouble. With runners on second and third, Waynflete coach Chris Haywood elected to intentionally walk Ryan Gilbert to load the bases for Peter Lewis.
Gilbert drove a Bonnin curveball over the head of centerfielder Joe Stockmeyer for a bases-clearing triple.
“I got a good pitch and took advantage of it,” said Lewis. “I was definitely looking for a curveball. Earlier in the game after he threw a fastball he came back with the slow curve.”
As Lewis strolled to the plate following the intentional pass, he knew the Flyers would rather pitch to him than Gilbert.
“It made me hungrier,” said Lewis. “It just added a little fuel to the fire.”
Two batters later the Saints invoked the 10-run rule when Brady Blackman’s double drove in Albert with the final run.
“We just need to make a higher percentage of plays,” said Haywood, “and make the outs we’re supposed to get. We’re working to get better. (We) work hard in practice. We’ll get better.”
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