Dialog reporter
WILMINGTON – Sussex Tech traveled from Georgetown to Wilmington on April 27, and the Ravens made sure the trip was worth it. They scored three runs in the first inning, which proved to be all they needed in a 5-0 win over host Salesianum.
The Ravens got things started early against Sallies starter Andrew Sullivan. They scored their runs on four singles, a walk, a fielder’s choice that did not result in any outs, and an error.
Sussex Tech added a run in the second. Luke Oliphant was on second base with two outs, and Anthony Hitchcock brought him home with a single to left field. An insurance run scored in the seventh.
That was more than enough for Ravens starter Matthew Warrington, who scattered five hits, struck out seven and worked out of trouble a few times in a complete-game effort. In the first inning, the Sals had a runner at third with one out, but two strikeouts sandwiched around a walk erased that threat.
Warrington held the Sals scoreless, the first time Salesianum has been shut out this year. He was also helped by some nice defense, particularly in the second inning. On back-to-back plays, Ravens shortstop Justin Hill went far to his right to field a grounder in the hole and throw John Andreoli out, and second baseman Braydan Graham dove hard to his right to snare a line drive off the bat of Ryan Campbell.
The lack of an outfield fence may have cost Salesianum three runs in the third. Beck Million sent a two-out blast to left field, but the outfielder was able to drift back far enough to turn it into a very long out.
Salesianum played some defense as well. In the fourth inning, Sussex Tech loaded the bases with nobody out. The Sals brought Nolan O’Neill in to pitch, and under pressure, he struck out the first batter he faced, forced an out at home on a comeback grounder, and induced Colin Bergh to ground into an inning-ending out.
Oliphant, Bergh and Kyle Lux each had two hits for Sussex Tech, which improved to 8-4. Oliphant also scpred two runs batted in and walked twice, while Lux knocked in two runs. The Ravens take a six-game winning streak into their next game, which is Tuesday at Delmar at 4:15 p.m.
The Sals lost for the third time in their last five games and fell to 7-3. They host St. Elizabeth on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
