Connor Muly Helps Manasquan Get First Win Of The Season

Photo above: Connor Muly on the mound Wednesday against Middletown North

MIDDLETOWN – In Manasquan’s 7-2 win over Middletown North Wednesday senior right-hander Connor Muly cemented himself into the No.2 spot in the Warriors rotation behind No.1 starter and Notre Dame-bound Tommy Sheehan.

In his third career start and first of this season, Muly went six strong innings striking out 10 Middletown North batters including six of seven hitters he faced spanning the first through third innings. He allowed only two unearned runs on three singles and three walks while throwing 102 pitches.

Used primarily as a reliever last season, Muly did show his potential striking out 18 batters in only 14 innings with just five walks while posting a 3.00 earned run average.

“He really stepped up and we knew as a senior he’d do a good job for us,” Manasquan head coach Bob Waldeyer said of Muly’s performance. “This was his first outing where he’s throwing more than a couple of innings and he just kept the ball down and threw strikes.”

When asked if Muly’s performance earned him the No.2 spot in the rotation moving forward, Waldeyer said, “Absolutely, we thought that was probably the case even before the season started. He just needed a chance to get his confidence and just come out and have a good outing for us. It was a huge thing for him being able to step up and do what he did today and I can’t say enough about his outing. It was no surprise; we just wanted to make sure he built his confidence and see far he would go into the game.”

Muly - an Old Dominion University commit - was never in any real trouble throughout and exhibited an aura of confidence rarely seen in a pitcher with such limited starting experience. He was in complete control from the get-go with his demeanor reflecting it like a neon light.

“I felt better than ever out there, honestly,” Muly said. “I started out a little tense but came in strong. My changeup was working good on lefties throwing it low and away keeping them off balance and my slider was working real good on righties. All our players will be a lot more comfortable now when they see the No. 2 coming in.”

Manasquan was coming off an opening-day loss to Ocean so the significance of the win was not lost on Muly.

“It was a great feeling after coming off that loss to Ocean,” Muly said. “In our first game we looked weak and flat but we woke up in the first inning today. This was a big win for us, once we got our first win of the season we’re going to go off.”

Muly gave up a two-out single and a walk in the first inning before striking out Lions starting pitcher Garrett French to end the inning. He then whiffed five of the next six hitters before a walk and line drive out to first ended the third inning.

By that time, the Warriors were up 2-0 on RBI singles by Sheehan and sophomore third baseman James Harmstead. In the top of the fourth, senior right fielder Tommy Antonucci drilled an RBI double over the head of leftfielder Cody Sharkey to make it 3-0.

The Lions broke through with an unearned run in the bottom of the fourth when a ground single up the middle, infield hit and wild pitch led to the run.

Manasquan tacked on two more in the fifth when junior Ricky Flynn’s bases loaded single up the middle drove in two for a 5-1 lead, knocking French out of the game. After a double and two passed balls led to North’s second run of the game, the Warriors added two more runs in the top of the sixth.

Junior shortstop Ethan Thomson led off the sixth with a sinking line-drive single to left followed by a soft liner to right by Harmstead to put runners at first and second with no outs. Senior catcher Adam Schreck then lined his third hit of the game into centerfield for a RBI before a two-out wild pitch brought in the final run of the game.

With Muly over 100 pitches entering the seventh, senior righty Nick Perone came in to close out the game giving up a one-out single before retiring the next two batters on fly balls.

Harmstead was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored with Schreck going 3-for-4 with a double and a RBI single while Flynn had two RBI. In all, the Warriors banged out 13 hits with everyone in the starting lineup getting at least one hit.

“We never want to go 0-2 in the conference to start the season,” Waldeyer said. “We struggled a little bit out of the gate last year starting at 2-4 before turning it around. We’re a little bit of an older team and I expected us to come out of the gate pretty much where we left off. And I think this win proves we’ll do that and we’ll be very competive.”

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