Baseball: Mariners Use Big Second Inning to Beat Classical

NARRAGANSETT – The Narragansett Mariners revived their offense just in time to avoid elimination on Thursday afternoon.

The Mariners defeated Classical 11-5, thanks to a six-run second inning that Classical’s offense couldn’t match later on.

Pat Stone went 2-for-4 with three RBI and pitcher Billy Byrne tossed a complete game with nine strikeouts.

On Wednesday, the Mariners (13-10, 11-7 Division II-South) had lost at Tolman, 6-4, and were looking to heal what ailed them at the plate.

“We were more disciplined today,” Narragansett head coach Keith Vellone said. “We focused more on balls being right in the strike zone. Don’t be afraid to take the walks. Make him throw strikes. I think that was the difference today.”

Narragansett had just eight hits to score its 11 runs. The team walked eight times and five of those eight runners ended up scoring. The Purple actually outhit the Mariners, nine to eight.

“You can’t defend walks,” Classical head coach Ken Wnuk said. “I give Narragansett all the credit, they did a good job.”

Byrne effectively shut down the Purple offense for most of the game. Vellone gave Byrne high praise following the game.

“He’s been pitching well for us,” Vellone said. “He didn’t start the year as a pitcher. He throws the ball hard and he’s a competitor. He can do it all. He gets some big outs in some big spots and we made some good plays behind him.”

Classical (8-13, 8-10 Division II-Central) would not go away quietly, though. Entering the fifth inning Narragansett held a 6-1 advantage. The Purple drew a walk, hit two singles and a double, and had a strikeout followed by a triple. The sequence resulted in a four-run rally.

However, Narragansett countered with four runs of its own in the bottom of the fifth, widening the lead back to five.

“Things like that can make it slip away in a hurry,” Vellone said. “You never have enough runs in high school baseball. We kept our composure. 

“There were a few plays that needed to be made that inning and didn’t happen. But the guys came in, they knew they were going to swing the bats.”

Eight of the nine Mariners in the starting lineup reached base at least once, which didn’t fare so well for the Classical pitching staff. The Purple went through three pitchers over the course of the game and ended up fielding eight players in the bottom of the sixth because Wnuk said had simply run out of players.

Classical’s season ended with the loss. Wnuk gave the team one final speech in the dugout after the game, and the coach hopes his players next year will make up the offense that will be lost by hot-hitting first baseman Apolinar DeLaCruz.

“He’s the best hitter and the best first baseman I’ve had in 32 years,” Wnuk said of DeLaCruz. Wnuk cited the two grand slams and 10 intentional walks DeLaCruz recorded this season. “Nobody wants to pitch to him.”

Narragansett’s postseason continues, as the Mariners travel tomorrow to play Tolman (14-8, 12-6 Division II-Central) in Pawtucket once again. Tolman lost its game to Prout Thursday night and both teams are facing elimination. Vellone thinks that the Mariners’ confidence at the plate will help.

“I think that we have a lot of confidence now, confidence with our bats,” Vellone said. “We believe we can come back in any inning.”

The first pitch is currently scheduled for 4 p.m. If the Mariners win, they will play 4 p.m. Saturday at Prout (17-3, 15-3 Division II-South). Narragansett would need two wins and can’t lose against the Crusaders to advance to the Final Four of the Division II playoffs.

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