Baseball Fights Off Tigers In Opener

The Eagles (1-0) kicked off their year with a 10-4 victory over St. James (0-1) in the first round of the Four Rivers Conference tournament on Friday, Mar. 15.

The Tigers batted first and came out hot when JV Meuer of St. James ran home on Zach Keehn’s fly ball.

When Sullivan stepped up to bat, Cambrian Koch walked to first, stole second and third, and clinched the Eagles’ first score after St. James third baseman Sam Gorrell lost sight of the ball. Then Chase Blue singled on a line drive and made risky moves, taking second on a wild pitch and third on a dropped third strike. Dayton Skaggs fired off a fly ball, and Blue took a 2-1 lead.

The Eagles continued to fire on all cylinders and racked up four runs in the bottom of the third. Drake Gawer doubled on a line drive to St. James right fielder Jesse Hudson, who lost grip of the ball and allowed Blue and Nolan Ulrich to score. Gawer reached third base, and pinch-runner Isaiah Skaggs seized the opportunity to steal home. Landen Doza would tally Sullivan’s run total up to 6 by scoring on Raiden Redd’s dropped 3rd strike.

Koch, who still had some juice flowing at the bottom of the 4th, stole 2nd and advanced to 3rd on a defensive error. Then, he picked up the Eagles’ 7th score on Ulrich’s grounder.

The Tigers struggled to claw through Sullivan’s “no-fly zone” that had locked up the diamond. Sullivan also continued to execute mind-blowing defense plays that left the dugouts and crowd in complete awe. The night’s biggest highlight came at the top of the 5th when second baseman Alex Toews soared into the sky and barely gripped the ball with one arm raised for a clutch lineout.

Sullivan continued to climb the scoreboard in the bottom of the 5th. Doza scored his second run of the night, and after Toews made his out-of-this-world catch, he grabbed the Eagles’ final score on a wild pitch.

But, the Tigers still had some tricks up their sleeves and started the 7th inning with three consecutive runs. Second baseman Kaden Smith came to the rescue with a lineout that cemented Sullivan’s 10-4 victory.

The Eagles’ pitching rotation delivered six strikeouts and surrendered four earned runs and three walks.

Starting pitcher Lucas Parsons hurled three strikeouts in the first four innings while giving up two hits, two walks, and an earned run. After the game, he was awarded the Most Valuable Player belt for holding down the mound.

Nate McReynolds came in for relief in the 5th, and Grant Halmick did so in the 6th and to start the 7th. Halmick executed three strikeouts but allowed four hits, three earned runs and a walk.

Blue pitched the game’s final couple of swings.

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