Cape baseball delivers from the plate and the rubber
The Cape baseball team came back from a five-run deficit in the bottom of the second inning to garner a 17-9 win over Northern Division rival Dover March 31 at Chris Short Field.
Junior Dom Mangini hit a grand slam en route to a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Combined with an RBI single, Mangini collected six RBIs on the day. He also pitched the seventh inning, retiring Dover in order to preserve the win.
“I just wanted to help my team as much as I could,” said Mangini. “As soon as I saw I was coming up with the bases loaded, I got excited. I sat back and waited for the fastball and I got it. I also love pitching for this team.”
Freshman Trey Dickinson went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Junior Jack Simeone and sophomores Joe Ruark and Triztan Willey each had multiple hits for the Vikings.
Simeone picked up the win, coming in from the bullpen to throw three shutout innings, striking out three batters.
“We were happy with the grit our guys showed today,” said Cape coach Evick. “Christian [Cabello] had a tough first start, but he knows we have his back and we’re going to battle. We responded with nine runs in the second inning. Emmett [Wheatley] did a nice job coming in with no warmups to get us out of a bad situation. We’ve got a long way to go, but these guys are working hard every day [and] pushing each other. Everyone on the roster is involved in our first two wins, and they’re doing a great job.”
Dover was led by Carter Bean, Preston Byrd and Ryan Perkins, each going 2-for-4. Byrd had four RBIs, while Bean added three RBIs.
Cape travels to Delmar for a game Thursday, April 2. Cape will then take on Sussex Tech Thursday, April 9, at Sports at the Beach in Georgetown.
Dan has worked for the Cape Gazette for more than 30 years as a photographer and reporter, covering high school sports and happenings around eastern Sussex County. He won a photography award from the National Newspaper Association, and numerous awards from the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. Press Association. A Delaware native, Dan graduated from Cape in 1972 and returned as a teacher and coach in the 1980s. He retired from the classroom in 2016. He was inducted into Cape High’s Legends Stadium in 2016. In his spare time, Dan enjoys spending time with his wife, two sons, grandchildren and dogs.
