Senior Griff McGarry has helped Menlo’s baseball team thrive at the plate and on the mound. Photo by Pam Tso McKenney.
By Baily Deeter
The Menlo baseball team has hit its stride over the last couple weeks, winning three consecutive games in dominant fashion against Mills, King’s Academy, and Aragon.
Menlo’s offense has heated up, scoring in double digits in two of these three games, but its pitching and defense has been solid as well. The Knights shut out Aragon 4-0 on March 23, with stellar pitching from Chandler Yu leading them to victory.
Yu only allowed two hits throughout the game and added to his cause with a two-run single. The Knights broke a 0-0 tie in the sixth inning, with catcher Ben Somorjai’s walk putting the Knights on the board and Yu’s single adding insurance runs. Max Chou’s bunt also knocked in another run.
The pitching staff is led by Yu, who is committed to the University of Chicago, and Griff McGarry, who is committed to the University of Virginia. Both were critical in Menlo’s CCS championship run last year, and they are leading the way for the Knights this season as well.
Somorjai, who is committed to Haverford as a catcher, praised the starting pitching as a key aspect of the team’s success. “Our pitchers have done a great job this season with McGarry shutting down opponents and Yu consistently throwing strikes,” he said.
However, while the offense was relatively quiet against Aragon, it showed up in a big way against the King’s Academy. McGarry, on top of striking out nine in five three-run innings, tallied four hits, with Somorjai and freshman Ian Collins adding three. The Knights won 10-3 behind this offensive barrage.
A lot of this success can be attributed to new coach Sean Riley, who has been a welcome addition to the program. “He has made us an extremely energetic team and is really teaching us to appreciate every day on the field,” Somorjai said.
Menlo is currently 2-0 in PAL-Ocean league play and 5-4-1 overall after its victories over TKA and Aragon, and it has two important league contests looming against San Mateo and against Menlo-Atherton on Tuesday and Thursday. “I like the direction we are heading in, and we need to carry this momentum into the rest of league play,” Somorjai said.
