Share: 

Grit and heart move Cape baseball past Sallies 7-4

Vikings move to 8-1
April 22, 2018

Cape first baseman Mason Fluharty singled on an 0-2 pitch in the bottom of the fifth inning to score the winning run for the Vikings in a hard-fought 7-4 victory over visiting Salesianum April 21 at Chris Short Field.

David Erickson took the victory on the mound, striking out six and allowing four runs on three Sals hits over five innings. He also delivered at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double. Zack Gelof entered in relief in the sixth to get the save, allowing just one hit while striking out two and walking two.

“I thought we showed a lot of heart, determination and grit in winning that game,” said coach Ben Evick. “On Friday, coach Drew Johnson brought out a book entitled ‘Grit’ and read a passage from the book, and our kids played that way.”

Sallies drew first blood when Joseph Settings scored on a single. Cape tied the game in the bottom of the second when Grant Evans, who was running for Zach Savage, scored on a Sallies error.

After Sallies scored one in the third, the Vikings added three in the bottom of the inning to take the lead. Zach Dale slammed an RBI double to score Gelof; then Savage hit a sac fly and courtesy runner Grant Evans scored on a hard-hit ball by Lucas Johnson. Cape was in the lead 4-2.

“We responded each and every time something happened,” said Evick. “They tied the game with a big home run, and we came right back in and put up the go-ahead runs.” 

Sallies’ third baseman Joshua Maguire went yard in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.

The grit of the Vikings showed as they responded immediately again, retaking the lead in the bottom of the inning when Fluharty singled home a runner. The Vikings cushioned the lead when Johnson scored on a Sals balk. They added one more for insurance in the sixth.

“David [Erickson] never shows any emotion on the mound, and he battled against a very good team that has a lot of discipline at the plate,” said Cape coach Ben Evick. “Zack [Gelof] came in and had a hammer of a curveball that was very effective and kept their hitters guessing. He threw two strong innings of relief to get the save.”

Dale went 2-for-4, including a double and an RBI. Austin Elliott and Savage added RBIs in the contest.

Timmy Vitella was credited with a sacrifice. Gelof stole two bases, while Evans and Elliott each stole one.

“We have three games this coming week, and then we’re down to two each week for the remainder of the season,” Evick said. “The kids had a week off since our last game, which was a heartbreaking loss, and they remained focused. They’re playing very good team baseball, and everyone is contributing.”

Cape was set to host Woodbridge Monday, April 23.

Subscribe to the CapeGazette.com Daily Newsletter