New Hanover baseball gets revenge over Topsail, claims top Mideastern Conference spot

Michael Cuneo, Wilmington StarNews
·2 min read

The New Hanover baseball team has officially defeated every Mideastern Conference opponent at least once this spring as the Wildcats out pitched Topsail 4-1 on Thursday night.

New Hanover (19-2, 10-2 MEC) took first place in the Mideastern Conference with the win and made a statement after losing to the Pirates 3-1 in extra innings on March 28.

"We've elevated our energy lately, which is really good to see," New Hanover coach Aaron Rimer said. "These guys have worked their tail off, and it's come to light now."

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Senior Bromley Thornton, one of the MEC's best pitchers, wasn't fazed by the game's significance, throwing eight strikeouts and allowing just three hits all night.

"We knew this was a big one going into it, and we were preparing all week for it," Thornton said. "We've got two games left, and we want to win both of them."

Thornton leads the MEC in strikeouts and has combined with fellow senior Sean Smith to create one of the area's most dominant pitching duos.

With just two games left in the regular season, Rimer says the Wildcats are playing their best baseball yet.

"I think we're playing the best baseball we've played (all season)," Rimer said. "The two guys we've got on the mound are really good. They're not trying to strike everybody out either, so our defense is on their toes at all times."

New Hanover seems to be hitting its stride at just the right time of the season, as the team has allowed just one run in the last six games.

Topsail, who's relied on the strong pitching skillset of Davidson commit Cooper Cavanaugh, was unable to muster any production at the plate.

The loss marks the first time all season the Pirates have lost two conference games in a row, as West Brunswick upset the team on Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: New Hanover baseball tops Topsail, takes first place in Mideastern