Benjamin’s Swift, Ellmyer Combine To Shut out Summit

Benjamin’s Chad Swift stifled the Saints for six innings to earn the victory and improve to 2-1 this year.

Prior to Friday’s contest against Summit Christian, Benjamin Manager Brian Kaplan asked his starting pitcher Chad Swift to alter his approach in the game.

Coach Kaplan asked the right-hander to go away from his bread-and-butter in order to try a method he thought would work better against the Saints’ deep lineup.

The junior hurler heeded his coach’s advice and helped pitched the host Buccaneers to a 3-0 shutout over the Saints in an afternoon game played at Jacobs Field in Palm Beach Gardens.

Typically Swift likes to work his fastball early in the game and force the hitters to catch up to it.

But on Friday Coach Kaplan asked him to mix things up early and often against such a dangerous lineup.

Although he was working out of his comfort zone, the results spoke for themselves.

“That was our single best pitching performance of the season,” Kaplan said. “Chad stepped up for us. He pitched to contact and let the defense play. When you have a pitcher throwing strikes your infield tends to stay more alert. It kept the defense on its toes and they played great.”

Swift’s victory on the mound moves him to 2-1 on the season, while Benjamin improves to 5-1.

“That’s what we’re all about here at Benjamin is our defense,” Swift said. “We’ve always worked hard on it and we’ve gotten substantially better since years past. I know I can trust them with anything.”

The Buccaneers did not commit an error on the day in defense of their strong pitching.

The Saints (3-5) were shut out for the second time this season, and they have been outscored 8-1 in their last three losses.

“Whether they scored one run or twenty runs, it doesn’t make any difference if we don’t scores,” Saints Manager John Drouin said. “You’ve got to be tough and you’ve got to come out punching and ready to go to war. I just don’t see that right now.”

Summit had runners on base in every inning, but the team went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position as it stranded six runners on base.

Summit sophomore Colin Smith had a quality start in the loss.

Its final scoring chance came with two outs in the top of the sixth, when starting pitcher Colin Smith stung a 2-1 pitch deep to the right-center field gap for a triple.

But Swift recorded his third strikeout on the day to end the threat.

Smith was the brightest spot for Summit Christian on the day, as the sophomore put in a solid performance in throwing 87 pitches through five innings of work.

“Our kid pitched a good game,” Drouin said. “Our pitching has been really good actually.”

Smith took the loss despite allowing just one earned run on six hits and a walk. He finished with four strikeouts.

The Bucs were able to capitalize for their first run in the fourth inning.

D.J. Paone singled to centerfield and then advanced to second when the ball briefly got away from the outfielder. Brian Dolan then moved him to third on a sacrifice bunt, and Baylen Sparks drove Paone home with a sacrifice flyout.

The combination worked again in the sixth inning, as Paone was hit by a pitch and then moved to second on another sacrifice bunt from Dolan. After Sparks singled to put runners on the corners, Swift drove a shot to the shortstop and the fielder fired home to try and gun down Paone at the plate.

But the ball slid out of the catcher’s glove to allow the run to score.

Benjamin’s D.J. Paone was 2-for-2 with two runs.

Kyle Ruedisili followed with an RBI single to plate Sparks with another insurance run it ultimately would not need.

Kyle Ruedisili went 2-for-3, and Paone was 2-for-2 with a stolen base.

Freshman reliever Matt Ellmyer picked up the save after working a scoreless seventh inning. The right-hander has provided another reliable arm in an already deep bullpen.

“Benjamin really hasn’t benefitted from a deep team in the past,” Kaplan said. “So to have talented freshmen who can learn the ways from the upperclassmen and see the way they work and execute. It’s been a big help for us.”

This season Coach Kaplan intentionally scheduled a very tough schedule early on, in hopes it would help prepare his team for the district games that matter the most.

The team faces another tough test against University School on Saturday before facing district rival King’s Academy in its 3A-12 opener on Monday.

“We’ve been preparing for this game since they beat us in regionals last year,” Swift admitted.

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