By Andy Hutchison

WESTPORT — What a start to the ’23 campaign for the Staples High baseball team.

It is pretty hard to outshine a combined no-hitter, but the Wreckers certainly at least matched the thrill of the “no-no” victory by earning another dramatic win in the next game.

The Wreckers blanked visiting Bridgeport Central 10-0 in a five-inning, mercy-rule home opener on April 6. Rhys Jamali and Kai Nee combined to no-hit Central. Holden Caney homered in the triumph.

Staples hosted Fairfield Warde on April 10 and overcame a pair of two-run deficits to walk off 5-4. Jaron Kline had three hits, including the decisive one in a three-run bottom of the seventh.

Ethan Cukier and Hiro Wyatt both had two hits in the win over Warde. David Gervasio drove in two runs and Jack Farnen, Kline and Chris Zajac each contributed an RBI. Wyatt went the distance on the mound and fanned 11 batters.

The Wreckers then crushed visiting Ridgefield 9-1 on April 14. Farnen broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth with a go-ahead double. Staples put the game away with a six-run sixth inning as Luke Oakley, Wyatt, Zajac, Carney and Kline drove in runs during the big inning. Chase Siegel was solid on the mound, allowing one run on five hits, striking out nine and walking just one in 6.1 innings of work.

Wyatt struck out 13 in an 8-0 opening day win over host Greenwich on April 4. Cukier had three hits and Kline had two in the opener. 

Staples then dropped an 8-7 nail-biter to Fairfield Prep in a road contest the next day before posting the wins over Central and Warde.

The Wreckers, 4-1 overall, visit New Canaan at 4 p.m. Monday, April 17, and return home at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, for a rematch with Greenwich.

Andy Hutchison has been covering school sports — including Staples athletics — as well as news and feature stories in Fairfield County, since the 1990s. Learn more about us here.