The Rye baseball team beat Pelham 6-2 on Thursday, the Garnets’ fourth-straight win since returning from spring training.
Rye’s 8-3 record speaks for itself, and much of its consistency in the win column as of late can be attributed to the reps and playing time the team gained last week at ESPN Orlando.
“Anytime you could play a lot of baseball, [your game is] only going to improve,” Rye coach Mike Bruno said of the team’s success since Florida. “We played eight scrimmages and games down there, so you’re ahead of anybody else who hasn’t been doing that.”
Rye opened the scoring with a two-run single by sophomore Luke Ontaneda in the first inning. Pelham pulled within one run, making it 3-2 in the third, but a three-run fourth inning for the Garnets was too much for the Pelicans to come back from.
Production at the plate has been strong across the lineup for Rye. Junior third baseman Jamie Morris and Ontaneda each collected two hits for the Garnets. Ontaneda led the squad with three RBIs, with Morris, junior shortstop Nolan Hutson, and junior catcher Jackson Pineault each contributing one of their own.
Junior Lucas London and senior Peter Davies split the matchup with 3.2 and 3.1 innings on the mound, and London earned the official win. Davies struck out four of the 11 batters he faced, including all three outs in the sixth.
“London’s just getting healthy, and then Davies just threw strikes — that’s pretty name of the game,” Bruno said. “I think [Davies] was fantastic.”
Next week’s slate of games include a rematch Tuesday against Pelham and two contests against Edgemont on Monday and Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. for all three games.
“We just want to keep putting good bats together,” Bruno said. “They just have to stay even keel — not get too high or too low — and just keep grinding out.”
