CAPE ELIZABETH — The Greely High baseball team didn’t play a preseason scrimmage game and has yet to practice on its field, but no matter. It hasn’t shown any sign of rust.

The Rangers continued their fast start Monday, scoring twice in the first inning and gradually pulling away behind a gem from pitcher Connor Sullivan to defeat Cape Elizabeth 8-0 at Holman Field in a rematch of last year’s Class B South semifinal.

Brady Nolin paced Greely (2-0) with a pair of hits, Jacob Whiting drove in two runs, and Sullivan gave up five hits with 11 strikeouts in intermittent rain.

“We were thrilled just to get a game in and be on a baseball field,” said Coach Derek Soule. “The guys were chomping at the bit to get out of the gym and the parking lot. We have some experienced guys and (they) came out swinging really well.”

A leadoff double from Jake MacDonald off Capers starter Colin Smith, a single from Will Lyden, a double steal and a Nolin RBI double gave Sullivan a 2-0 lead before he ever took the mound.

“Having an early lead really takes pressure off the pitcher,” said Sullivan.

After Sullivan escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom half and worked around Liam Concannon’s leadoff double in the third, the Rangers made it 3-0 in the fourth against reliever Mike MacKenzie: Evan Wyman walked, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a wild pitch.

Greely then broke it open in the fifth, when Whiting crushed a two-run double to score Sullivan and Nolin, Whiting scored on an error and Joe Cimino came home on a wild pitch to make it 7-0.

Cimino scored on Brooks Williams’ RBI groundout in the top of the seventh and Sullivan set Cape Elizabeth down in order to end it.

“The weather wasn’t too bad and I’m used to situations like this,” said Sullivan, who didn’t walk a batter. “My curveball was really working today, even with the weather.”

“Connor has the experience and composure to deal with a slick mound and wet balls, and adjust to that and not get overwhelmed,” Soule said. “You could see him feeling that out the first couple of innings. Once he found his comfort zone on the mound, where he had to start on the pitching rubber and where he had to land, he found a rhythm.”

The Capers (0-2) also got a double from Jake Tinsman but couldn’t take advantage of early opportunities.

“We just couldn’t get that big hit early on,” said Cape Elizabeth’s first-year coach, Glenn Reeves. “We squandered a couple opportunities. When you can’t score, it’s frustrating.

“But we’re better this week than we were last week and that’s going to be the plan all year. Get better week to week and see where we are in June.”

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