"We had solid pitching performances, good defense and timely hitting last week," St. Mark’s coach Matt Smith said.
Junior right-hander Chris Murphy gave up just three hits to give the top-ranked Spartans a 2-0 win over rival Salesianum (8-2) on Tuesday night in a game played at Frawley Stadium, home of the Single A Wilmington Blue Rocks.
St. Mark’s scored what would be the game-winning run in the bottom of the third when James Wilson’s groundout scored James Strum, who led off the inning with a double and was sacrificed to third by Nate Nowell.
Murphy did not allow a runner to reach scoring position until the sixth inning when Lincoln Lamberton doubled with two outs. Greg Rostick flew out to left field to end the Sals’ only scoring threat.
St. Mark’s followed up that performance with an 8-4 win over St. Elizabeth (7-2) on Thursday afternoon. Tyler Mahoney hit a three-run home run in the first for the Spartans and Jon Castro was 3 for 3 with two RBI. Chris Doherty accounted for three of St. E’s runs when he homered with two on in the seventh inning.
St. Mark’s closed out its week with an easy 11-1 win over Concord (3-9). Despite some lopsided wins and undefeated record, Smith says he is determined not to let his team rest on its laurels as they approach the state tournament. "I tell the players all the time, ‘How you handle success and failure determines your character.’ We will continue to work hard in practice and get better at the game. There are always ways you can improve your game."
2. Archmere edges St. Andrew’s: Archmere Academy (Claymont) used a balanced attack and solid defense to solidify its claims as one of the top boys lacrosse teams in the state with a 6-5 win over St. Andrew’s. Sophomore David Beatson scored twice and added an assist to pace Archmere (11-1). The Auks’ only loss was a 12-3 loss to top-ranked Salesianum (7-1) on Tuesday.
3. Cape Henlopen wins battle of two top girls lax teams: Top-ranked Cape Henlopen (Lewes) scored three consecutive goals with under 16 minutes to play to pull away from second-ranked Ursuline Academy for a 14-8 win. Jaci Covaleski and Caroline Judge each had three goals for Cape (9-0), while Hannah Cowan scored four for Ursuline (8-1).
4. Back-to-back homers power Caravel (Bear) to upset win over Sussex Tech: Alex Zwier and Kye Williams hit consecutive home runs in the top of the fifth inning to lead Caravel Academy to a 5-4 come-from-behind win over host Sussex Tech (10-3). Brock Niggebrugge relieved Adam Pugh and shut out the Ravens over the final two innings to earn the save. Caravel upped its record to 6-5 with the win.
5. More than just a game: Salesianum and Tatnall played in the second annual Lax Out Against Cancer boys lacrosse game Saturday afternoon. The game, which Sallies won 15-3, was held in honor of the late Savannah Pauley, who died last September after a battle against a rare form of bone cancer. The Sallies team adopted Hannah as their best friend and inspirational leader during their state championship run last season.
First-rate performances in the First State
* Christopher Murphy (St. Mark’s): Playing in perhaps the biggest game of his career, the right-handed junior pitched a three-hit gem to lead the Spartans to a 2-0 win over rival Salesianum.
* William Freeborn (Salesianum): In his team’s biggest game of the season to date, the junior attackman scored three goals to pace the Sals to an easy 12-3 win over Archmere.
* Haley Schweizer (St. Mark’s): The high-scoring freshman midfielder scored four goals in a 10-8 win over Tower Hill and five in a 19-3 win over A.I. du Pont last week.
Recruiting news
* Polytech’s Anthony Myles has signed a letter of intent to play basketball at Rider University.
* Middletown right-handed pitcher Chad Kuhl signed a letter of intent to play baseball at the University of Delaware.
* Sanford point guard Stephen Poarch will play basketball at Gettysburg College.
Games to watch
* Baseball: Sussex Tech (10-3) travels to Delmar (8-4) on Tuesday at 4:15 in a game between two of the top Henlopen Conference teams.
* Girls lax: Ursuline Academy (8-1) travels to St. Mark’s (8-1) on Wednesday at 3:45.
* Boys lax: Archmere (11-1) plays at Tower Hill (9-1) on Wednesday at 3:45.
The buzz
Cape Henlopen (Lewes) football coach Thomas Ott is in critical condition after jumping off a building in an apparent suicide attempt Thursday. Ott faces several charges, including rape, stemming from an alleged relationship with a now-16-year-old girl. He posted the $128,500 bail and was being monitored by a Global Positioning Device, according to Delaware Department of Corrections spokesperson John Painter. … When St. Mark’s and Salesianum square off in boys lacrosse action Tuesday night at Rullo Stadium, the goal will be to win, but the purpose will be far greater.
The annual rivalry game will benefit Lacrosse for Collin, a fund for Collin Zwickert, born with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. He is the son of former Sallies player and coach Christian Zwickert, currently head coach of the Poland national team. The junior varsity game starts at 5:30 with the varsity to follow at approximately 7:15. Admission is $5, $4 for high school students and $3 for youth wearing lacrosse jerseys to the game.
Jon Buzby is the sports columnist for the Newark Post, a freelance writer, and occasional color commentator for the 1290 AM The Ticket High School Football Game of the Week. You can reach him at
