Staples Baseball Rolls to 20-3 Win Over New Canaan

Thursday was a day of rest for the Staples High School baseball team.

Well, almost.

Scoring early and often, the Wreckers crushed free-falling New Canaan, 18-4, at Mead Park to improve to 10-1.

Looking ahead to bigger games next week against  Norwalk and Stamford, Staples coach Jack McFarland pulled starter Dave Speer after just three innings.

There was no danger of the move backfiring, as the Wreckers enjoyed a 9-0 cushion at the time.  But just to make sure, Staples tacked on six runs in the fourth for a 15-1 lead.

It was the Wreckers' second big inning of the day, as they essentially put away the contest with a seven-run first.  Tyler Jacobs belted a three-run home run and Brendan Bernstein delivered a two-run double in the inning.

"(Speer) could pitch a few innings, if needed, on Friday against Darien and is scheduled to start against Norwalk next Monday,"  McFarland said.

In the second,  Danny Carbone smacked a triple to the biggest part of Mead Park in deep left-center and scored on a groundout.  Mike Rustemeyer added an RBI single in the third to make it 9-0.

New Canaan, which dropped its sixth straight game Thursday and fell to 4-7, allowed 38 runs in a 24-hour span. On Wednesday, the Rams were routed by Ridgefield, 18-4.

'We played a very good team today, one of the best in the FCIAC, and whether it was 20-3 or 1-0,  it was a loss,"  New Canaan coach Mitch Hoffman said. "We've just got to be tougher in the second half of the season."

Staples, which appears to be gearing up for a run at a third straight FCIAC title, is scoring runs in bunches.  The Wreckers are averaging just under 17 runs in their last four contests.

Staples does face a rugged schedule down the stretch with games still remaining against FCIAC powers Wilton, Ludlowe, Greenwich, St. Joseph and Ridgefield.

But the Wreckers appear ready for the challenge. 

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