Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Nick Robino threw five innings of two-hit baseball as Salesianum shut out Newark, 6-0, in nonconference baseball May 12. The Sals scored in each of the first four innings as they snapped a two-game losing streak and improved their record to 9-5.
Salesianum was looking to get some momentum going, having lost three of its last five games. The didn’t wait long, striking in the first inning on an errant throw on an attempted steal. Errors would continue to plague Newark throughout the game; the Yellow Jackets committed five on the afternoon.
The Sals pushed three runs across in the second. Christopher Hammond led off with an infield single to deep short off Newark pitcher Clayton Hansen. After he was sacrificed to second, Brett Nordmeyer reached on an error, as Hammond went to third. A sharp single up the middle by Dante Cautillo scored Hammond as Nordmeyer reached third. On an attempted steal of second by Cautillo, the catcher’s throw went into shallow center field, allowing Nordmeyer to score. Cautillo, who had taken third on that error, came home with the team’s fourth run on a sacrifice fly by Joshua Maguire.
Newark picked up its first hit in the third when Nick Zegna sent a ball into right field with two outs, and Matthew McCormick, who had walked, went to third. But Robino got the final out on a fly ball.
Newark’s defense played a role in Salesianum’s fifth run. Zachary Miller reached on a Jackets’ error. His courtesy runner, Joshua Patrick, reached third base and scored on a Daniel Mersman fly ball to right. Another Newark error allowed Nordmeyer to reach to lead off the bottom half of the fourth. Hansen retired the next two batters before Joseph Cautillo beat out an infield single, bringing Nordmeyer home for the game’s final run.
Robino had more than enough cushion. He struck out seven, including getting the side on strikes in the second and having one strikeout in each of the other four innings he pitched. He allowed the first two runners to reach in the fourth, but he got the next three batters to end the threat. Second baseman Joseph Cautillo provided some nice defense in the fifth, reaching back to his right as he moved left on a bad-hop ground ball to the right side of the infield and throwing to Beck Million for the out.
Jackson Fiala and Nolan O’Neill threw an inning each in relief of Robino. The Sals travel to Indian River on Saturday for a 10 a.m. meeting with the Indians. Newark (8-9) hosts its season finale on Monday against Glasgow for Senior Day. Game time is 4 p.m.
