Cape baseball mercy rules Laurel 15-5 on Selders homer
Cape senior Max Selders delivered a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning to propel the Vikings to a 15-5 mercy-rule victory over visiting Laurel April 23 at Chris Short Field.
The victory was coach Ben Evick’s 275th win at Cape.
The teams were tied 2–2 heading into the fourth inning before the Vikings erupted for 10 runs in the bottom of the frame to take control.
Just three outs away from ending the game, Cape saw Laurel respond with three runs in the top of the fifth to extend play. But with two runners on, Selders put an emphatic end to it, driving a pitch deep to left-center field for a walk-off three-run homer that sealed the 10-run victory.
“I took one big swing at it,” said Selders. “I settled my sights on it and drove it out. It was great rounding the bases and seeing my teammates cheering. It was a great day.”
Cape junior Jack Simeone earned the win on the mound, pitching four innings while allowing one earned run and striking out four. He also contributed at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a double.
Trizton Willey went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and two RBIs, while Dom Mangini and Trey Dickinson each added two hits. Joe Ruark also homered, blasting a two-run shot earlier in the game.
“We were confident going into the fifth inning,” said Evick. “Laurel doesn’t quit, and they kept playing hard. We got a couple on base, and Max came through with a big swing to finish it.”
Cape fell to Sallies 5-2 at Salesianum’s Fusco Fields in Wilmington. The Vikings are now 8-2 on the season.
Sallies outhit the Vikings 12-5.
The Vikings’ two runs resulted from a walk and a steal by Willey and then back-to-back hits by Simeone and Aaden Johnson in the fifth inning.
Cape travels to Smyrna Tuesday, April 28, to face the 6-2 Eagles.
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.
