Nick Bisesi flashed a big smile and ran across the field as if he was on a new pair of in-line skates.
Bisesi and the C. Milton Wright baseball team came away with a 12-1 win against visiting Perryville in five innings, on a cloudless Thursday afternoon at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen.
“I woke up this morning pretty tired, but once I stepped on the field, I was instantly motivated to go out and play,” said Bisesi, who is a senior first baseman/left-handed pitcher for the Mustangs.
“This is such a great atmosphere to be a part of,” said teammate Sean Nicewonger, of playing at the minor league home of Aberdeen IronBirds. “You can?t help but come to the ball park with a smile on your face.”
The Perryville squad was also enthused with the surroundings.
“When you look up at the scoreboard and see the Ripken sign staring down at you, it?s a bit overwhelming,” said Panthers? senior first baseman, Matt Loman. “This is such a great opportunity and I?ll probably never get to experience something like this again.”
“This is really a dream come true,” teammate Jacob McMullen added. “The playing field and the facility is near-perfect. What more can you ask for?”
Mustangs starting pitcher T.J. Vernes struck out five and allowed two hits as the the team improved to 7-2.
Vernes walked one batter in the first inning, and two other times he reached three balls on the batter that frame.
After the first, he never reached three balls to a batter. He appeared comfortable on the mound.
Only one ball for the Panthers (5-6) made it out of the infield: a ground ball in the second inning that found a hole between first and second base.
“It really helped our kids to play some of the best area talent,” Perryville coach Dave Ruark said. “Regardless of what happened between the lines, our team will remember playing at Ripken Stadium.”
A PROFESSIONAL TOUCH
» The Mustangs found their offensive touch and broke the game open in the bottom of the second inning, as they scored seven runs. Five runs crossed the plate with two outs.
» Perryville had trouble with routine plays the entire game, with four errors from the infield.
» Ripken Stadium has a seating capacity of 6,000. The Aberdeen IronBirds are only the second minor league team in history to sell every ticket in its first three years of play.
» C. Milton Wright will play the winner of the John Carroll/Park game on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. at the same location.
