Marcus Barone needed just 83 pitches in seven innings to finish a four-hit shutout in leading Benilde-St. Margaret’s to a 2-0 win over Irondale.

The Red Knight senior hooked up with Knights’ ace Ted Weidman in a pitchers’ duel, which saw both hurlers working on shutouts through four innings. Those four innings took just 39 minutes to play as both pitchers were effective and efficient. Barone got through his first four innings in just 39 pitches while Weidmann needed 40 over the same amount of time.

BSM finally got to Weidman when John Backes hit the first pitch of the bottom of the fifth inning to left field for a double. A pair of ground balls to shortstop would then deliver Backes with the game’s first run. Barone’s ground to Irondale’s Mark Stasson allowed Backes to move to third base and, one out later, Keaton Studsrud hit a slow roller that Stasson charged, fielded and threw in one motion but was unable to get his defensive counterpart out at first base.

Irondale threatened to get the run back in the top of the sixth inning when Ryan Schwartz walked with one out. Alex Fredberg followed with hit to left field that bounced off of a sprinkler head and bounded past outfielder Dan Labosky for a double. Dan Ackerman was then hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.

Barone worked out of the jam when he recorded his only strikeout of the game to retire Josh Loken before enticing Derek Weinmann to foul out to first baseman Jimmy Heck.

BSM added an insurance run in the sixth when Heck led off the inning with a basehit though the left side of the infield. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Gabe MacDonald and advanced to third when Grant Besse grounded out to second base.

Backes brought home the game’s second run when he stroked a 1-2 pitch from Weidman up the middle for his second hit of the game.

In working his four hitter, Barone walked two and hit two batters but only allowed one baserunner to advance past second base. Ackerman, who reached base on a two-single in the fourth inning, tried advancing from first to third on Josh Loken’s single but was thrown out by Labosky to end the inning.

A complete box score, game statistics and play-by-play are available here.