Warriors Baseball Drops Rival Ludlowe

Just before the start of the game, with Kurt Marut warming up in the Warriors bullpen, it was tough to tell the difference between the thunder rumbling overhead and the pop of the ball in the catcher's mitt.

Then, three pitches into the game, a flash of lightning sent the Warriors players running for the tarps and suspended play for about 30 minutes. When the game resumed, Wilton wasted no time in handing Ludlowe only its second defeat of the year, winning 8-1 behind another solid pitching performance by their hard-throwing ace, Marut.

"Overall, it was as complete a game as we've played all year," said a pleased Coach Tim Eagen after the contest. "The pitching was dominant."

Marut tallied 12 strikeouts and allowed only one hit, a triple to Ludlowe's Tom Nagy that plated the team's only run. Marut did walk five batters but managed to avoid surrendering a big inning.

Wilton's offense, meanwhile, was driven mainly by a five-run sixth inning, including a two-run triple from Marut and a two-run single by Ryan Phillips.

"Ryan Phillips had two exceptional at bats today," Eagen said. "If you put the ball in play, good things will happen. And they did."

The win moves the Warriors (9-2) ahead of Ludlowe (8-2) near the top of a very competitive FCIAC field. Heading into Tuesday's game, only Greenwich (10-0) and Staples (9-1) were ahead of Ludlowe atop the FCIAC standings.

"Anybody can beat anybody this year," Eagen said of the division.

Eagen also lauded his team's two-out hitting and touted the convincing victory.

"We needed a big win and we got a big win today against a very good team," he said.

Wilton will take on Staples at home on Thursday at 7 p.m.