RD 3 Qtrs - Cape @ St Marks

[oldskool42]

#8 Cape Henlopen (14-5) @ #1 St Marks (17-2).

This is a rematch from last week where St Marks and Billy Sullivan held Cape to 3 hits, beating Cape 12-0. Cape committed 7 recorded errors in addition to allowing 13 hits in that game. That was with Elliott starting. Cape is coming off a 2-1 victory over Sallies, where David Erickson threw a complete game, 4 hitter. We all know that Cape was last years runner up, losing in the championship to Appo. Last year Cape had to take down Sallies and Caravel to get to the championship game. This year its Sallies and now St Marks if they want to get to the Semis. Cape and St Marks have never met in the post season, but they are familiar with each other in the regular season. St Marks has beaten Cape at the end of the season in each year since 2012, all by big margins. St Marks is coming off a 5-2 win over Newark in their first matchup of the post season with Gilardi on the mound. They are riding a 6 game winning streak where they had 4 shut outs and outscored their opponents 41-7, and that included 4 tourney teams (Milford, Cape, Sallies and Tech). St Marks will be looking for its 83rd playoff win since 1970. (that’s just about the same number of playoff wins as all the remaining teams COMBINED). Just saying….I expect a closer game this go around and I wouldn’t be surprised if Cape wins it…but my money is on St Marks. They are the clear favorite to win the whole thing.

 

[oldskool42]

Sullivan pitching for St Marks

 

[oldskool42]

St Marks gets an unearned run and another run on a wild pitch...up 2-0

 

[SussexBaseball]

Gelof 2 RBI single ties game 2-2

 

[oldskool42]

8-2 after 2innings...yikes

 

[oldskool42]

9-4 after 4

 

[oldtimer22]

Who?

 

[pksundevil]

Twitter says 12-4 Spartans... And they only have 4 hits!!!??? Top of the 5th.

 

[amp34]

St. Marks 12-4 top 5 ...Ludman now pitching for St. Marks

 

[spartakos]

@yaz
You on board?
hahaha

 

[DEsportsfan82]

12-6 St marks. Final.
Stat guy was asleep at the wheel. Hits were understated all nite.

 

[spartakos]

Sparty asking Yaz if she would be his guest at Frawley ....
hahaha

 

[Batdoctor]

Sparty asking Yaz if she would be his guest at Frawley ....
hahaha

Hilarious

 

[TouchThemAll]

I thought I saw Cape make a bunch of substitutions in the 5th when it was 12-4. Maybe getting some seniors in? It almost seemed like they were conceding the game. Too early for me. Anyone know what happened there?

 

[oldtimer22]

I thought I saw Cape make a bunch of substitutions in the 5th when it was 12-4. Maybe getting some seniors in? It almost seemed like they were conceding the game. Too early for me. Anyone know what happened there?

Better than what St Marks would do.They do not play seniors on senior day during the regular season. Even when the game is meaningless.

 

[Batdoctor]

Senior day is for recognizing a senior that has been a part of the program. Most teams would not put a none starter that is a senior into a game just because he was a senior that didn't start for that team if the team had a chance to make the playoffs and that game meant something in relation to rankings. Coaches try to recognize effort and ability. It is a hard decision to not play players sometimes. Most of the time, just the best players get to play. It's not little league anymore.

 

[oldtimer22]

They would have been #1 seed last year win or lose. Even if it did matter why would you care about being the 2 seed instead of a 1? You are in the playoffs regardless. I watched other programs start their seniors all the time for senior day. St Marks program is not like most schools. Second team players would start and star on most other teams in the state.

 

[Batdoctor]

Agreed on what you are saying, but it can make a difference sometimes as to which side of the bracket you come in to a tournament. I was actually speaking more in terms of the teams more at the bottom or possibly being eliminated by playing a senior that just wasn't quite as good as the junior or sophomore in front of him. Coming in 17th is worse than coming in 16th with this format.

 

[oldtimer22]

Who cares what side of the bracket? No one knows exactly where everyone is seeded until it comes out anyway. I watched Newark start their seniors on senior day last year when it was the 15th game of the season and they needed to win out to even have a chance to get into the tourney. They won the game and won last 3 to finish 12-6 on the season. Still did not get in the tournament. The Newark coaches did the right thing. My point is most of these young men in fact 99.9% of them will never play competitive baseball again. Winning or losing is not what is important. These young men put in 4 years to a program and were still good enough to be on the team. They deserve a start and the recognition on their day even if it is 2 innings and one at bat. What some coaches don't get is it is actually very good for team morale and creates a great atmosphere. Everyone feels like part of the program. It is good for the team!

 

[amp34]

Interesting debate, I do know that the St. Marks coach gives Seniors who have been on the team for 4 years a choice to be or not be on the team, he will not cut them, but he also tells them up front they will not play from my understanding. So as a senior in that program who has not played for 4 years, you have a choice. Most hang on because St. Marks is always in the hunt for a state title. I agree this is not Little League anymore

 

[Batdoctor]

The goal for most coaches and players is to win ever game by giving the best they can have at the moment against who they are playing that day.

I guess it just depends on the team concept that each player buys in to depending on what team they play on. Every coach is different, it doesn't mean that one is right and one is wrong, they just have different in their approaches.

 

[SussexCountyFair]

This really shouldn't even be an argument... It's embarrassing that you don't let a Senior play a few innings on their Senior night. Most of these coaches don't think about any of their players unless they're superstars. I get St.Marks is a powerhouse and makes a deep run every year but that's more a reason to let them play because they have the talent to beat anyone.. And honestly no way their Seniors can't handle a few innings they are baseball players they know how to play.

 

[Batdoctor]

Interesting debate, I do know that the St. Marks coach gives Seniors who have been on the team for 4 years a choice to be or not be on the team, he will not cut them, but he also tells them up front they will not play from my understanding. So as a senior in that program who has not played for 4 years, you have a choice. Most hang on because St. Marks is always in the hunt for a state title. I agree this is not Little League anymore

I know Coach Smith (St. Mark's) actually cut a kid a few years ago and the young man asked to just stay on and just practiced knowing that he will never get a chance to play. He stayed on and got into 3 different games and had several hits. Class act for a young man and a coach that let him stay and improve/prove himself.

 

[Batdoctor]

Who cares what side of the bracket? No one knows exactly where everyone is seeded until it comes out anyway. I watched Newark start their seniors on senior day last year when it was the 15th game of the season and they needed to win out to even have a chance to get into the tourney. They won the game and won last 3 to finish 12-6 on the season. Still did not get in the tournament. The Newark coaches did the right thing. My point is most of these young men in fact 99.9% of them will never play competitive baseball again. Winning or losing is not what is important. These young men put in 4 years to a program and were still good enough to be on the team. They deserve a start and the recognition on their day even if it is 2 innings and one at bat. What some coaches don't get is it is actually very good for team morale and creates a great atmosphere. Everyone feels like part of the program. It is good for the team!

Bracket does not matter as much as seeding does, and this tournament proves that fact. Only 22.2222% of the games were won by a lower seeded team in the tournament. All of the rest of the games that were played were won by the higher slated seed. 77.7778% were higher seed winners. No lower seeded team (head to head) won a game after the first round.

 

[truestatements1]

No one player is bigger than the Team. On Senior night, you continue to play for the goal you set forward at the beginning of the season which is to make the state tournament to give the Team a shot at winning a championship. If a coach can get a non starting senior in the game on Senior night then hats off to the coach. What ever game situation it may be (pinch hit, courtesy runner, ect) A good non starting senior teammate understands the Teams needs come first and should be happy to be a part of it. Putting themselves first is just pure selfishness. If the Team has clearly no shot of making it then an exception should be made.