Yesterday afternoon, on a mild day on Jeff Adams Field, the baseball team matched its season-high for runs scored in a 16-0 drubbing of John Jay. It marked the sixth time the Bears have scored double-digit runs in their first seven games as they remained undefeated on the season.

Boston College commit Leo Vitarelli took the mound for the Bears and struck out the first batter before using a line-out double play to work around a one-out single. Jordan Serrano reach on an E6 error in the bottom of the 1st, but was stranded at second as the game moved to the 2nd. In the top half of the 2nd, the Wolves put two on with a single and a walk with one out, but Vitarelli battled back with a ground out and a strikeout to keep the score knotted at 0-0. It would not stay that way much longer.

Juju Martinez led off the bottom of the inning with a towering fly ball that hit the left field scoreboard as the eighth-grader motored into second base with a double. Following a strikeout, Travis Stroud II and Mateo Lopez drew walks to load the bases for Alex Baaden. On the third pitch of the at bat, the senior Head Prefect sent a line drive into the right-center field gap to send all three base runners home for a 3-0 lead. On the same play, Baaden was erased attempting to leg out a triple, but the Bear attack was far from over in the 2nd. Aiden Ruiz singled up the middle on the very next pitch. Larry Hotaling followed and lifted a high fly ball to center that carried over the wall for a two-run home run and a 5-0 lead. On the very next pitch, Serrano slammed his own long ball over the center field wall to send the Bears streaming out of the dugout again. The back-to-back homers chased John Jay’s starter from the game and gave the Bears a commanding 6-0 advantage.

Vitarelli looked strong in the 3rd, inducing a pair of ground outs before working around a two-out walk with a strikeout. After the Bears went scoreless in the bottom of the 3rd, Vitarelli needed just 10 pitches to sit down the Wolves in order in the 4th before the Bears put the game away with a big inning.

The Bears hung 10 runs in the bottom of the 4th, the second time already this season they’ve accomplished that feat, using their patience at the plate to fuel their offense. The Bears registered eight of their 11 walks in the inning along with five run-scoring hits to bury the Wolves. The inning began with a line out, but walks to Baaden and Ruiz followed before an RBI single from Hotaling. 7-0. A walk to Serrano loaded the bases, then another walk to Anthony DeCesare plated Ruiz. 8-0. Martinez then sent a sacrifice fly to left field for another run (9-0), but The Brook wasn’t done in the inning despite the two outs. Shea Corona worked a walk to load the bases again, then Seth Laureano singled for a 10-0 lead. Josh Diaz followed with a line drive to left (12-0), and Baaden kept the line moving with a single to swell the margin to 13-0. Ruiz walked to load the bases before Hotaling continued his outstanding day at the plate with a three-run double to give The Brook a 16-0 lead. Walks to Serrano and DeCesare followed, but the Bears did no more damage in the inning.

Matthew Ramirez was called on to get the final three outs of the mercy rule-shortened game. The junior ran into a little bit of trouble when he loaded the bases with one out on a pair of walks and a hit by pitch. Facing a full count, he dug deep and induced a 5-4-3 double play to slam the door shut on the Wolves and give the Bears their third shutout in the last four games.

Vitarelli earned the win, allowing just 2 hits and 0 runs over 4.0 innings while striking out 5. Hotaling starred at the plate with 3 hits and 6 RBI, while Baaden added 2 hits and 4 RBI.

The Bears are back in action this afternoon when they travel to St. John the Baptist for an afternoon tilt.

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