Jayden Hylton socked two home runs as the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks clubbed the North Shore Navigators 12-5 on opening night Wednesday at the Shark Tank.
With the Fay Vincent cup greeting Sharks fans as they walked into the ballpark, the Vineyard’s local nine began their title defense with an impressive showing on offense, web gems and savvy baserunning in a game that was competitive until Hylton’s second dinger sealed the win late in the game.
While Hylton’s eighth inning three-run shot into the trees in left field was the finishing touch on the win, it was his first homer, a solo opposite field shot, that sparked the Sharks’ offense. Making things more interesting, Hylton was facing his Stetson University teammate Kaden Humphrey on the mound.
“I knew he was going to throw hard away because that’s what I struggled with this season,” Hylton said after the game. “So when I saw the fastball away I just took it that way.”
And away over the fence in right it went. Fittingly, on Little League night, a young fan in a Rockies jersey picked up the home run ball and Hylton was kind enough to sign it for the youngster in between innings. So, in addition to going three for three with four RBI and two stolen bases, the Sharks right fielder also made a fan for life.
Hylton, a Palm Beach Gardens native, said he has been to the Vineyard only once before on vacation and loved it here. Now that he’s on the Island playing baseball, it’s the best of both worlds.
“To come back here, play in the heat, play for the Sharks, it’s amazing,” he said. “We love the coaches, they know what they’re doing and what they’re talking about. It’s all-around a great vibe here.”
For coach Bill Uberti, a former Shark who has taken the reins this year, having the bats come alive in game one was an important tone-setter moving ahead.
“Always good to get your first win the first [ game] of the season,” the Sharks skipper said. “If you look at the scoreboard we’ve got one inning where we didn’t score a run and that’s what we’re looking for here. We ran the bases well today, we did a lot of things well offensively.”
Coach Uberti was enthusiastic Hylton’s performance. “He can do it all. He’s so athletic and so strong, that’s his game.”
In the final three innings, the Sharks held the Navigators scoreless as Jack Beauchesne, one of the three returning players from last year, came in with strong work out of the bullpen.
“We started working ahead of guys and took care of business,” Coach Uberti said. “It’s all about just throwing strikes and working ahead.”
In other performances of note for the Sharks, catcher Beck Milner walked three times and stole two bases, second baseman Demitri Diamant went two for four with two stolen bases and third baseman Nolan Nawrocki also stole two bags while going four for four at the plate.
Up next, the Sharks travel to Mystic, Conn. to take on the Schooners Thursday before returning home Friday for a battle with last year’s rival, the Newport Gulls. First pitch on Friday is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
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