Ocean City has strong spring break Florida trip, beats Ranney on return
OCEAN CITY – The Red Raiders baseball team is heating up, having won six of their last seven games, the most recent a 19-4 thrashing of fifth-ranked Ranney High School.
“We went down to Florida and did well,” head coach Andrew Bristol said of the spring break trip. “We won all three down there. Some of the teams are pretty good there, one was really good, and Duke (McCarron) threw a no-hitter. Then we came back and he pitched against (Egg Harbor Township) and threw really well. He only gave up four hits but their kid threw a one-hitter so we lost 1-0 there. Thursday we beat Cape May Tech with Dylan Oliver. Then (Saturday) we beat Ranney, who’s No. 5 in the state, 19-4. So we’re starting to hit, which is nice.”
The Raiders have scored 59 runs in their last six games.
“I think it’d a combination of things,” Bristol said. “First of all, they’re new to varsity. We only have three guys back from last year so the starters are pretty new. We’ve really worked hard on approach, and we still work on it – what you want to do in different situations, moving runners, attacking fastballs early, understanding what pitcher is up there, grinding out at-bats. We’ve been preaching and teaching all those things. Then there’s just the weather. Going down to Florida and then we come back to our field, which is terrible in cold weather. All the fields are. But it’s warmer down there and we started hitting. We came back and it was nice yesterday, and we hit well. I think the weather has a lot to do with approach and confidence.”
Along with throwing the no-hitter, McCarron leads the Raiders in hits and RBI.
“I told him and Tommy (Finnegan) in practice the other day, when they hit we win,” Bristol said. “When Tommy and Duke hit, we win. They get on base, others get on base and they drive them in, they’re our 2 and 4. So when they hit the ball well, we do really well. When they’re held in check, we struggle to score runs. Then Jack Hoag is the table-setter; when he gets on he scores runs. He scored 4 runs (against Ranney). So he’s going to score if he gets on, he’s so fast.”
The Raiders have been aggressive on the base paths on the whole, with 15 stolen bags in 12 games.
“Once they got confident and just learned how to get on base, how to move runners, I thought we could put pressure on defenses,” Bristol said. “I thought we would have to manufacture some runs sometimes, especially with some of the new guys. We’re playing two freshmen a lot so that’s part of it. They put the ball in play, which is big. Put the ball in play, don’t strike out. Good things happen when you put the ball in play.”
The underclassmen are getting used to the varsity game and contributing, making the Raiders more dangerous.
“I think Colin Thompson and Evan Taylor, as freshmen, every at-bat they get more comfortable,” Bristol said. “Riley Gunnels looks so much more comfortable out there at the plate now, he’s driving in runs, getting on base. Then we have our veterans Tommy, Duke and Dylan Oliver.”
Those veterans have embraced their leadership roles and it looks to be paying off.
“Duke, Tommy, and Dylan are captains,” Bristol said. “After Florida I think they really started to bond, which is a big part of it. They’ve really taken on that role and the guys have really started to get to know each other. That’s huge.”
The week ahead will see the Raiders take on Middle Township and Holy Spirit as they try to keep the momentum going.
“It’s a grind now,” Bristol said. “We play Monday and Tuesday at St. Joe’s, then Thursday we play Middle, then Friday and Monday Holy Spirit. We have a full week but right now we’re just looking at St. Joe’s. We’re set up pretty well though. We have Tommy pitching (Monday) then Duke on Tuesday, so we’re hopeful and it’s lined up how we want it.”
The Raiders hope there’s yet another gear to hit.
“That’s the goal,” Bristol said. “That’s what we’ve done in the past – our starts are usually slower because of the weather, and them getting confidence and learning our approach and how we do things. They’ve stepped it up now and they just have to keep going. If they’re capable of it, that’s how we see it. We expect to win when we step on that field.”
By KYLE McCRANE/Sentinel Sports
