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A perfect Friday night saw Gar-Field play host to Cardinal District opponent Hylton. The Indians would jump out to a 5-0 lead before hanging on to win by a final score of 5-4.

The game got off to a slow start offensively as both starting pitchers put up zeroes in the first two innings. Hylton junior Riley Arndt benefited from inning-ending double plays in each inning to put his blank frames up. Gar-Field senior Marty Neal (Harford CC) was overpowering for much of the game. He would strike out 9 of the first 11 hitters he faced.

In the bottom of the third, a leadoff walk got the Indians rolling and a pair of errors on sacrifice attempts would load the bases with no outs for Neal, who singled to deep left, driving in the first run of the game. Dominic Hoyle would follow that up with another ball to deep left that got lost in the low sun and allowed two more runs to score. Arndt would escape the inning without any more damage but the score after three was Gar-Field 3, Hylton 0.

Neal's dominance continued, and he was the story of the game. The Indians got tack on runs in the fourth and fifth off of Hylton reliever Ethan Marotske to open a 5-0 lead. Hylton didn't manage much offensively until the top of the sixth, when Marotske drew a one out walk and then came around to score as three pitches went to the backstop. After junior catcher Nicholas Ericsson drew a two-out walk, Neal was replaced on the mound by Hoyle. Ericsson stole second and then would score when he stole third and the throw went into left field. Hylton got another double play to end the bottom of the sixth, and the game went to the seventh with Gar-Field leading 5-2, and the Bulldogs still without a hit.

Ethan Semones led the seventh off getting hit by a pitch. Two batter's later, Zach Atencio picked up Hylton's first hit of the game, a swinging bunt up the third base line. Semones would score and Atencio would advance to second when the third baseman's rushed throw in an effort to keep the no-hitter alive went up the rightfield line. After a balk, Atencio would score on a groundout to cut the Hylton deficit to 5-4 with two outs in the inning and the lineup turning over. Marotske kept the inning alive with a double to right center, putting the tying run in scoring position. Hoyle would end the game with a strike out and the Indians hung on to win, 5-4.

For Hylton, Ericsson was 0-1 with 2 BB and 2 SB. Marotske was 1-3 with a BB and a 2B.

For Gar-Field, Neal went 5.2 IP, 2 R, 0 H, 3 BB, 14 K, while also going 3-3 with a 2B, BB, and RBI at the plate. Hoyle was 1-3 with a BB and 2 RBI. 

 

 

Scouting Notes

Hylton

-Ericsson looked good behind the plate receiving and throwing, good approach at the plate and some strength

-2021 Diego Barrett looked smooth at short and has some twitchiness that is intriguing.

-Arndt was 73-77, CB 64-67

-Marotske was 73-76, touch 77

Gar-Field

-Neal was 89-91 in 1st, touching 92 three times. Held 87-89 the rest of the game. Curveball was 70-74

-2020 Drew Early showed some athleticism at short and some batspeed at the plate

For full scouting notes and videos, watch for the VA/DC Scout Blog post for this game later this week.

 

 

More 2018 HS Notebook