Sagemont Bats Come Alive In Win Over Sheridan Hills

A pair of former district foes hooked up Monday afternoon at Sheridan Hills when the Sharks played host to the Sagemont Lions. The nostalgia wore off quickly for the Sharks as the Lions dealt them one of their worst defeats of the season, 16-1.

Sagemont has been up and down all season, but on Monday, it brought its offensive firepower to Hollywood. The Lions pounded out 10 hits on the afternoon and broke open the game with seven-run innings in the third and fourth.

The first two innings were scoreless as Sagemont starter Andres Vazquez was locked in what appeared to be a pitchers’ duel in the making with Sheridan Hills’ Eric Morla. In the third, the Lions finally got to Morla, sending 12 batters to the plate. Sean Iocono, Ashton Martinez and Brynn Martinez all had singles in the inning, but it was Brian McCarthy who delivered the big blow, a three-run homer to center that broke open a 2-0 game. By the end of the frame, Sagemont held a 7-0 lead.

“I was just looking to get a base hit,” McCarthy said. “It was my job to move the runners over, be a team player, and it just came off the bat right and went out. The last few weeks, coach has been preaching to us about our approach and putting the ball in play. Today we did that, and the result was a big win.”

What started as a possible one-inning aberration turned into a two-inning nightmare for the Sharks in the fourth. Sagemont this time sent 11 batters to the plate and scored an additional seven runs to put the game out of reach. Ashton Martinez and Vazquez had singles that were instrumental to the rally, and they were joined by Eddie Milian, who also singled in the inning. The big hit in the fourth was a two-run triple off the bat of Iacono.

On the day, Iacono was 3-for-4 with a walk and four RBI. Ashton Martinez went 3-for-4 with three stolen bases and two runs. Brynn Martinez, working his way back into the lineup after an injury kept him out for most of the season, went 1-for-1 with a walk and two stolen bases.

“The guys came out today and worked hard for this win,” Lions head coach Tommy Martinez said. “They were relaxed, and they took their hacks. I think they played with a lot of confidence today, and they really believed in themselves. We got a lot more hits than we normally do, and that was good to see from a coach’s perspective.”

Sheridan Hills was facing the prospect of having to play three games this week, and now it must put Monday’s loss behind it as quickly as possible as it prepares to face Calvary Christian and Pine Crest later in the week.

Sagemont will have off until Saturday when it will travel to face Monsignor Pace.

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