Sports
Wilton's Marut Shuts Down Stamford With Arm and Bat
UConn-bound pitcher tosses six solid innings and belts two-run homer in 13-3 win.
Kurt Marut is back to his dominating form.
The UConn-bound Wilton ace struck out nine en route to his fourth straight victory as the surging Warriors routed Stamford, 13-3, Wednesday afternoon.
For good measure, Marut also belted a two-run home run - one of five on the day for Wilton, which won its fifth straight game to improve to 8-1.
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Marut, who struggled a bit in his earlier starts this season, handed the Black Knights (6-3) their second straight defeat. He scattered five hits over 6 1/3 innings.
The action started before the first pitch Wednesday, as teenaged Stamford fans, seated in the bleachers conveniently placed behind the visitor's dugout, taunted the Warriors during warm-ups.
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The loyal Black Knights fans erupted when pitcher Steve Hagedus struck out lead-off hitter Aaron Shapiro to start the game.
However, left fielder Matt Baird and first basemen Scott Young silenced the Stamford crowd by each hitting homers in the inning. Hagedus actually struck out the side in the first.
The Black Knights fought back in the bottom of the first, as Hagedus helped his cause with an RBI double.
The second inning was a repeat of the first, however, as shortstop Kevin O'Connell and right fielder Corey Fechter each tagged Hagedus for solo shots.
In the home second, Marut walked the first three Stamford hitters, but escaped the bases-loaded jam without allowing a run.
O'Connell and Fchter helped seal the Black Knights' fate in the fourth. O'Connell drove in another run, giving the Warriors a 5-1 lead. After Wilton loaded the bases, Fechter followed with a two-run single.
Fechter's heads-up baserunning allowed him to reach second base on the throw to the plate. Aaron Shapiro then delivered a two-run double to make it 9-1.
By the middle of the game, the heckling had ceased.
"Once the home runs came, they got a little quiet," according to Wilton's scorekeeper.
Stamford manufactured a run in the bottom of the third, but its hopes for a comeback ended when Marut launched a two-run home run in the top of the fourth, giving the Warriors an 11-2 lead.
In the seventh, Marut gave way to Austin Gambee, who allowed an RBI double to Dan White before striking out John McClafferty to end the game.
Wilton visits Harding on Thursday in a makeup game, while Stamford is off until playing at Ludlowe on Friday.
