The Marlboro baseball team needed to have a short memory to erase the sting of a walk-off loss in a game they thought they should have won.

After a rainout, the Iron Dukes came out Friday afternoon, jumped all over the FDR Presidents for six runs in the first inning on their way to a 10-2 win on Friday at Marlboro High School.

The game was originally scheduled for Thursday but was postponed due to inclement weather.

“That definitely gave us confidence about the game,” said Marlboro’s Tom Benfer, who threw the first four innings on the mound, and at the plate walked twice, doubled and scored two runs. “We already had confidence, but we came in with a tough loss on Wednesday. We got walked off, and it kind of helped us come into this game and be better, win this game.”

The walk-off came two days earlier against the Wallkill Panthers. The Iron Dukes led 9-6 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Panthers closed it to 9-8, and then J.J. Detz hit a two-out single to drive in two runs to give Wallkill a 10-9 win.

“That was a tough loss,” Marlboro coach John Morrissey said. “Some things didn’t go the other way, but we talked about it and it’s what we need to do next, and what we need to do next is put runs up on the board and not let off the gas.”

The Iron Dukes did that from the opening batter.
After Benfer opened the game with a scoreless first inning, Tyson Fernandez reached on an error and Matt Ciarimboli singled to put runners on first and third.

Then Ciarimboli broke for second base and got caught in a rundown allowing Fernandez to bring home the game’s first run, as Ciarimboli got back to first base safely.

After Ciarimboli advanced to second on Mitch Neer’s single, he took third on a passed ball and scored on a balk by Roosevelt pitcher Aidan Hartwell. After Benfer walked, Neer scored when Sal Montaperto, Jr., was called safe at first base on a questionable call.

Benfer scored on a passed ball. John Ryder drove home a run with a sacrifice fly and Cooper Vogel drove in a run with a groundout.

Benfer went four innings for the Iron Dukes. He allowed a run in the second inning on an RBI single by John Theysohn. Christopher DeNatale threw a scoreless fifth inning. Ciarimboli allowed Theysohn’s second RBI single in the sixth inning. Miles Brooks finished with a scoreless seventh.

“They all pitched great,” Benfer said. “And we kept the foot on the gas, hitting-wise. A couple of subs came in and they kept it going, and we had a couple of good hits at the end. Mitch had a great hit, but it was just a lot of guys contributing.”

Cooper Vogel drew a bases-loaded walk in the second inning to drive in a run, and Ciarimboli had a sacrifice fly in the third.

Benfer didn’t just contribute on the mound and at the plate. With DeNatale pitching in the fifth inning, Tyler Nolen singled to him in right field, and he made a perfect throw, cutting down Brice Rider at third base.

“The throw was right on the money,” Morrissey said.
He also showed some speed in the sixth inning when Theysohn uncorked a wild pitch the catcher couldn’t find. Not only did Ciarimboli score, but Benfer came all the way around from second base to score.

“I was running hard already so I turned on the wheels and got even more runs on the scoreboard,” Benfer said.

The Iron Dukes will enter a busy week, as recent rainouts will have them playing on four straight days.

Then after a day off, they’re scheduled to play two games in Beacon.

“I think we all know we should be 6-0 right now, and not 5-1,” Benfer said. “Even though we have that loss, I love the way this team is.”