Lions Sports Update (4/15)

BASEBALL
On Tuesday, the varsity baseball team traveled to Arlington for a counter game with Oakridge. Deven Pietrzak (4 IP, 5H, 4R, 5 BB, 2 SO) had control issues but kept his composure while battling through inconsistency and a barrage of Lions’ defensive mistakes before turning the game over to Whit Turner (2 IP, 3H, 3R, 1BB). The Owls capitalized on their opportunities, staking their starting pitcher with a 7-run lead in a dominant performance (7IP, 3H, 0R, 0ER, 6K) before the game ended in a 0-7 loss for St. Mark’s. Returning home for Senior Appreciation Day, the Lions hosted TACA-Black on Friday afternoon. Lucas Petrikas pitched three strong shut-out innings before the defense collapsed, resulting in a 10-run fourth inning for the Storm. Spenser New pitched 2.2 competitive innings (2H, 3R, 1 ER, 2BB, 4SO) in relief, but seven Lions’ errors on the day spelled doom for St. Mark’s as the game ended in a 12-2 rout for TACA. 

St. Mark’s hosted South Zone foe Houston Christian for a non-counter contest the following day. Looking to turn things around after two disappointing defeats, the Lions jumped out to a 1-run lead in the bottom of the 1st after Lucas Petrikas’s bases-loaded walk-plated CF Jake DeBoever (2H, 2R, 2BB). Jackson Ostella (3IP, 7H, 5R, 5ER, 1BB) battled a tough Mustangs’ offense, eventually turning the game over to lefty Dylan Barnes (3IP, 2H, 0R, 0ER, 0BB, 1SO). An intense, back-and-forth game ended with Houston Christian on top, 6-5. St. Mark’s (8-7-1 overall, 3-1 in counter play) will host Ft. Worth Country Day on Tuesday before traveling to Trinity Valley on Thursday for crucial counter games.

GOLF
On Monday, April 7th, the St. Mark’s golf team sent five players to compete in Trinity Valley’s Invitational held at Squaw Creek Golf Course in Fort Worth. Senior Luke Lemons, sophomores Brooks Main, James Hoak, Luke Rogers, and freshman Rafe O’Rear overcame an early morning frost delay that prevented a warmup and posted a team score of 309. O’Rear (78), Merryman (76), and Main (74) led the way scoring-wise for the Lions, with Main barely missing the podium as the 4th individual scorer in the field. As a group, the Marksmen finished ten strokes behind the winning score of 299 and placed third. This week, the Lions will compete at Bent Tree Golf Club on Tuesday, April 14th, in a 4 pm match play event against TCA featuring two of the strongest programs in North Texas.

TENNIS
The varsity tennis team traveled to Arlington on April 8th for a counter-match against Oakridge. Overall, it was a convincing win, with the entire starting line-up only dropping four games. A welcome boost of confidence for our starting doubles line-ups, who have recently struggled to find their rhythm. Special mention goes to freshman Ryan Zierk who won his first unofficial match at Line 4 singles 8-0.

LACROSSE
St. Mark’s varsity lacrosse had a busy week in Dallas.  First, the Lions hosted Highland Park on Tuesday evening and, with a slow start (down 1-7 at half), lost the game 3-9. Over the weekend, the Lions had the SPC tournament hosted by St. Mark’s and ESD. In the semifinals on Friday evening, the squad played their most complete game of the season and earned a 12-3 win against a physical St. John’s team. The following day, the Lions traveled to ESD for the championship. A rough first quarter doomed the team, falling behind 0-7, before battling back to make it a 3-7 game at the half. Unfortunately, the team would not get any closer and lost 7-14.  With no games this week, the team will prepare for the regular season finale on April 23rd against Austin HS before the THSLL state playoffs begin.

TRACK & FIELD
The Lion’s track & field team traveled to the Oakridge Invitational last week on Thursday (field) and Friday (running). The results were mixed throughout the day. The team highlights were Tripp Schoelkopf, who won the 400m, and Harman Pope, who won the 1600m. Riggs Bean finished 2nd in the 100m with a new PR.  Jackson Bailey finished 2nd in the 1600m with a new PR. Mateu Parker finished 2nd in the Pole Vault. The 4x100 Relay team of Jack Levy, Max Bean, Riggs Bean and Mateu finished 2nd in a seasonal best. All 4 Shot Putters, Omar Jenkins, Dillon Kennedy, Max Salmon and Caleb Cathey, recorded PR’s! This week, the Lions travel to Houston to compete in the St. John’s Nick Finnegan Spring Invitational on Friday and Saturday.