Spring break has seemed to have ignited the Ponte Vedra High baseball team’s offense, or at least that was the case as they pounded Orange Park 11-1 on Monday, March 17 and followed it up with an 8-2 victory over Fletcher at Fort Family Regional Park in Jacksonville on Tuesday, March 18.
The Sharks (7-6) pounced on the Raiders (5-11) early and often with runs coming in all six of the innings they batted in.
Sophomore Maddox Tepper became the ninth Shark in program history to have four hits in a single game, as he was a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, including a double and a triple to lead the hit parade for the Sharks.
Max Mracek got the start for the Sharks fresh off being a member of the school’s state runner-up basketball squad and was sharp on the mound, as the Raiders managed just one unearned run in the contest.
Although it took a little longer to find their rhythm hitting against the Senators, the Sharks eventually found their stroke with four runs in the top of the fourth inning and three more in the top of the fifth.
Tepper reached on an error and made the Senators (8-6-1) pay by stealing second and then coming home thanks to a RBI double by Luca Candella.
A sacrifice fly by senior Jack Brady drove in a run and fellow senior Cole Rambler cleared the bases with an two-run double to give the Sharks a 5-2 lead in the fourth inning and the Sharks added to it one inning later with a two-run single ripped to center by James Salvati and an RBI double for Grady Hartman.
Sophomore C.J. McKenzie pitched shutout ball through the first couple of innings and senior Aspen McAdoo entered in relief and made quick work of the Senators in the innings immediately following the Sharks grabbing the multi-run lead.
The Sharks swept the season series against the Senators, having also beat them 4-3 on Feb. 20.
