3/7: Under gray skies the Varsity Baseball Team was unable to bounce back from an early deficit, despite out hitting the Mustangs eight to six. After conceding two early runs in the top of the first, Redwood would load the bases in the bottom half with hits by Lucas Roy and Jackson Barry and a walk issued to Jack Morken but were unable to take advantage of the early opportunity.
Jake Gassman shows off his perfect form
The Giants also had their chances to score in the fourth inning after starting pitcher, Nick Welch, lead off with a double to left field and Morken was hit by a pitch. With two men on and no outs, the Giants hit the ball hard, but right into the hands of the Mustangs defense and were kept off the scoreboard.
The Giants finally scored in the bottom of the sixth inning. Jackson Barry led off with a booming double to left-center field. Ben Cohen would enter the game and run for Barry. Drake Goodman then drove the ball to right field, scoring Cohen, but would be tagged out at second base. Matt Birchenough entered the game and singled to right field. Sam Warren then drove the ball safely to right field, but the rally would end as Birchenough got tagged out at third base to end the inning. Although Redwood outhit the Mustangs, they could not capitalize on their opportunities.
Drake Goodman bangs one of the Giants eight hits
Giants pitching (Welch, Bender, & Gassman) registered seven strikeouts on the day, giving up just one walk. On offense, Lucas Roy, Nick Welch, Matt Birchenough, Sam Warren & Satoshi Miki all had hits. Drake Goodman had the only RBI on the day and Jackson Barry lead all batters with two hits on the day.
“We won’t win a lot of games scoring just one run”, Head Coach Mike Firenzi said after the game. “We just can’t put that kind of pressure on the pitching staff if we want to win.”
The Varsity Giants resume MCAL play at home on Friday March 8th against Branson. First Pitch, 3:30 p.m. Senior, Kyle Felder, is the anticipated starter.