Solid opener starts Pilgrims in the win column
Courtesy of the Pilot News.
PLYMOUTH — There weren’t any jaw-dropping performances just rock-solid ones from top to bottom as Plymouth took a 10-3 opening day win over New Haven Saturday afternoon.
Fundamentally Plymouth couldn’t have looked much better as they gave up just two walks and allowed just eight baserunners total in the game while striking out nine. Defensively the Pilgrims had just two errors on the day, both of the aggressive variety, trying to make big plays.
“Our infield is the same we had last year across the board,” said Plymouth head coach Ryan Wolfe. “They are another year older, faster, and stronger, their arms are stronger, they just know what they are doing. It’s fun to coach guys like this that just go out and have fun.”
Plymouth started with Preston Wolfe and Ryan Jolly on the mound, each going two innings, striking out three, and allowing one baserunner that was quickly wiped out.
Caleb Bowling, Malachi Sieh, and Nick Manzuk followed with one inning each with a similar result.
“If we don’t put free guys on and make them put the ball in play we are going to make plays,” said Wolfe. “We didn’t get (Kaden) Milliser in there but he’s going to play a role in some capacity. How this all shakes out when it comes to conference play we are still trying to determine that which is why we wanted to get as many guys out there as we could and see what they could do.”
The approach at the plate for the Pilgrims was also solid from top to bottom.
“We would have loved to get one more guy on the mound but we got a lot of guys on the mound a lot of guys got on the field and we saw some pitches,” said Wolfe. “Their first guy (New Haven pitcher Mason Knoch) brought it a little bit and the first time around the lineup it kind of dawned on them that it’s the real season now. We woke up there in the third inning and were able to hit the ball pretty hard.”
Plymouth plated seven in that third inning with a triple by Preston Wolfe, a two-run double by Trey Delp, and another double by Milliser the big hits. Wolfe added a two-run double later in the same inning and the Pilgrims had all the cushion they needed.
“I thought we had some good at-bats,” said Wolfe. “The first time through the lineup you could see some nerves and excitement we had a great crowd here and they had all their friends here but I thought the second time through even some balls that we missed we hit hard. We are strong. We are very athletic and when you hit the ball hard it finds holes and that’s what we did.”
Delp added a third RBI in the seventh on a fielder’s choice that scored Sieh.
“I don’t if we are the deepest we’ve ever been but we are a very deep team,” said Wolfe. “They are only going to get better. It’s hard to make out a lineup.”
Plymouth will be on the road Tuesday at South Bend St. Joe and heads to Champions Park in Kokomo to take on Guerin Catholic and Western in a pair of games and then returns home to Bill Nixon Field on April 9 for a date with Rochester.
•PLYMOUTH 10, NEW HAVEN 3
at Bill Nixon Field
New Haven 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 3-4-2
Plymouth 1 0 7 0 0 2 x 10-6-2
WP — Wolfe (1-0). LP — Knoch (0-1). 3B — Preston Wolfe (P). 2B — Wolfe (P), Delp (P), Milliser (P), Sieh (P).
