Yesterday afternoon, the baseball team improved to 5-0 in the PSAA with a 12-2 victory over Bay Ridge Prep.

Seamus Scanlon took the mound for the Brook and worked quickly through the top of the 1st, punching out two Tigers. The Bears struck first in the bottom half when T. J. Wachter singled, moved to second on an error, then scored on an error on a Tim Wozny ground ball.

Two great defensive plays kept the Tigers at bay in the top of the 2nd. Bay Ridge began the inning with a hit to right field, but a perfect relay from Malik Ulysse, to Wachter, to Joe Wozny gunned the runner down at second. After Scanlon notched his third strikeout, Aidan Mega ended the inning by throwing out a runner attempting to steal second.

After the Bears went quietly in their half of the 2nd, Bay Ridge struck back with a two-out, two-run single in the top of the 3rd. Facing their first deficit of the season, the Bears responded. With one out in the bottom of the 3rd, Joe Wozny hit an 0-1 pitch over the right field fence to knot the game at 2-2. Wachter singled on the next pitch before Tyler Smith hit a two-out triple that chased home Wachter and gave the Brook back a lead they would not relinquish.

Scanlon needed just 13 pitches to get through the 4th inning, inducing a groundout and registering two more strikeouts. In the bottom of the 4th, Dan Rueda walked and Scanlon followed with a bunt single, which left Rueda on third after some heady baserunning. Sacrifice flies followed from Joe Wozny and Wachter to push the Bear lead to 5-2.

Scanlon struck out the first two batters of the 5th, then worked around a one-out walk with a pop up. The Bears went down in order in their half.

In the 6th, Scanlon walked the first batter, then notched his 11th strikeout and a pop up before Mega came on in relief and ended the inning with a strikeout. In what turned out to be the final half inning of the game, the Bears hung seven runs to activate the mercy rule for the fourth time in their five games. Ulysse and Scanlon walked and Joe Wozny doubled on a line drive to center. 6-2. Wachter followed with a line drive to right. 8-2. A Tim Wozny single plated Wachter. 9-2. Mega walked and Forest Kaplan-Walbrecht followed with a single to score Wozny. 10-2. Sam Nuamah walked to load the bases and Ben Monforth was hit by a pitch to force home Mega. 11-2. Scanlon then reached on an error, allowing Kaplan-Walbrecht to score and enact the 10-run mercy rule.

Scanlon earned the win, allowing just 3 hits and 2 runs over 5.2 innings. Joe Wozny paced the offense with 3 RBIs and 2 hits. Wachter (2 RBIs), Tim Wozny (1 RBI), Smith (1 RBI), Kaplan-Walbrecht (1 RBI), and Monforth (1 RBI) rounded out the scoring for the Brook.

The Bears are back in action tomorrow in a home match-up with undefeated Portledge.

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