As the drama wound down and the loud cheers quieted from the end of the Jesuit Soccer playoff win over Naaman Forest, the rowdy crowd headed over to the diamond to cheer on the baseball team at just the right time during the fifth inning. The Ranger baseball team were taking on the Wildcats of Lake Highlands in their 5th district game on March 29, 2011, hoping to keep alive their seven game win streak.
The Rangers started the game with a quick run from senior Pierce Ryan after a fielder’s choice off of senior Zach Redding’s grounder to second. The crowd settled after this early score only to watch 5 unanswered runs by Lake Highlands occur over three innings.
Fueled by the crescendo of vuvuzelas–the large plastic horns usually associated with FIFA Cup Soccer– and the loud cheers of the crowd, senior Kevin Terry, still nursing an injured ankle, unleashed the fiery Jesuit offense with a high 2-run homer over the right field fence, scoring senior Jeff Schoettmer. Following Terry’s lead, the talented senior Josh Bell smashed another homerun over right center field, making the score 5-4, Lake Highlands. 
Senior Zach Reding continued the streak, singling to right. Senior Jeffers Radar then scored Reding on a deep double off the center field wall and tied the game at 5. Junior Lucas Valelly got in on the fun, too, singling to center to bring home Radar. After a few walks, the bases were loaded and the Lake Highlands’ pitcher walked Schoettmer, scoring Reding. After starting the inning with a homerun, Terry returned to see another pitch he liked, putting it down the left foul pole line. He scored Ryan, Valelly, and Schoettmer while securing his place on second base. The Wildcats finally got out of this unbelievable half inning, but not before the damage had been done.
A shut down performance by junior pitcher Christian Bartholomew in the closing innings coupled with the impressive 5th inning of offense allowed Jesuit to secure the victory over Lake Highlands and keep their undefeated record in District intact. Head Coach Brian Jones told the team after the big win, “I have never been more proud of you guys.” In reference to his team’s performance, after the game Bartholomew said, “This display of audacity by my fellow Jesuit teammates truly encompasses our ability to overcome adversity, coalesce into one distinctive union and become the team we desire to be.”
This win not only continues Jesuit’s undefeated record in district but also situates them atop its standings and in sixteenth place in the state with an 18-4 record. Junior first baseman Ben Wright, talking about their season start said, “I feel that our winning percentage is good but we still haven’t reached our full potential. Although sometimes we lack the consistency to play as a cohesive unit, when we find that consistency I believe we will be able to contend with the best of them.” The impressive start has been made possible by the outstanding offensive performances of Josh Bell, who is leading the team in batting average, homeruns, and RBIs (.571, 9, and 28 respectively), Zach Redding, and Kevin Terry who are just behind Josh, as well as the solid pitching performances led by senior Josh Vander Heiden and juniors Christian Bartholomew and Joe Powell.
