Bobby Ruse threw a one-hitter and struck out 14 to lead No. 1 C. Milton Wright over North East, 7-0, in the Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference championship game at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen on Monday.
The Indians' only hit came with one out in the bottom of the seventh, when Bobby Dietz hit a single between third and short.
"It felt great," Ruse said. "I had a lot of command with my fastball, my defense was great all day behind me and my catcher called a great game. It took a lot of stress off me."
The Mustangs started the game with back-to-back triples by Shane Halsey and Colt Hancock and a single by Andrew Clow to help give Ruse an early 2-0 lead.
Pitcher Keith Burgess was beginning to settle in for the Indians, but with one out in the fourth inning and Brad Markey on third base, the Mustangs added an insurance run on an exciting double steal.
Brian Dippel walked but went straight for second base, never stopping at first. While the Indians were distracted, Markey bolted for home. The throw came too late, and Markey touched the plate safely after colliding with catcher Ethan Kline.
Ruse cruised along in the next few innings, and the Mustangs sealed the win in the sixth by adding four more runs.
"We had great starting pitching and timely hitting," Mustangs coach Tony Blackburn said. "We hung around, put pressure on them and were able to get a big inning at the end of the game. But like all season, it all goes back to our great pitching."
C 200 104 0 — 7 8 0
N 000 000 0 — 0 1 4
Ruse and Clow; Burgess, Jones (6), Bartow (7) and Kline.
3B: C-Halsey, Hancock.