BERLIN- Stephen Decatur’s varsity baseball team got its 2017 campaign off to a good start this week with a 3-0 shutout of Queen Anne’s on the road on Tuesday.
The Seahawks blanked the Lions with a winning formula of strong pitching and defense and just enough offense on a blustery season opener against Queen Anne’s on Tuesday. Decatur returns a solid lineup with plenty of varsity experience as they attempt to improve on last season’s highly successful campaign during which they went 16-4 overall and reached the 3A-East sectional title game before falling to Chesapeake.
Decatur did lose some players to graduation from that team, but returns a solid nucleus that includes do-it-all Tristan McDonough, last year’s Pitcher of the Year in the Bayside South and offensive catalyst. Also returning is pitcher Will Sass, who is bound for Salisbury University after his senior season at Decatur. Rounding out the solid starting nucleus are players Wyatt Church, Jake Shockley and Ryan Duncan, for example. Top newcomers include Zach Pilarski, Stephen Bontempo and Mitchell Orf among others.
In a bit of a scheduling anomaly, Decatur’s win over Queen Anne’s in the season opener on Tuesday was the first of five road games to start the season. The Seahawks will play South River on the road on Saturday, followed by road games next week at Holly Grove, Bennett and Wicomico. Decatur won’t play its first home game until April 3 against Bayside South rival Parkside.
