After missing all of last season due to a sprained anterior cruciate ligament in his knee, Andrew Clifford didn’t want to waste his first taste of varsity baseball.

The junior from Barnstable made the most of his big debut, contributing both at the plate and on the mound to help guide the Monomoy baseball team to a 10-2 victory over Cape Cod Tech on Monday during the season opener for both teams at Whitehouse Field.

After giving the Sharks a 3-0 lead with a three-run double in the bottom of the first inning, Clifford settled in on the rubber and pitched six innings to earn the win after allowing two runs (one earned) and six walks. He struck out nine Crusaders in all.

“Andrew pitched great,” Monomoy coach Steve Porter said. “He mixed his speeds well — he had good command of his fastball and threw his curveball when he had to, and he pitched to contact which was great to keep his pitch count low.”

“I felt like all of my pitches were good,” Clifford said. “I need to work on some pitch selection and obviously try to get a little bit more walks.”

Although the season is still in its infancy, Clifford said he notices a different atmosphere around this year’s squad. The biggest difference?

“Camaraderie,” he said. “Last year, we were coming off a COVID year and we didn’t know each other really well, but this group has been together for a long time and we all know each other — it’s going to be a good team.”

Email Brad Joyal at brad@capecodchronicle.com.

Twitter: @BradJoyal