The bold player trots up to the plate, his black, wooden bat resting firmly on his shoulder. He puts one leg into the batter’s box and digs it into the sand-dirt mixture. Then, bringing his other foot into the box, he bends slightly and positions himself into a batter’s stance, his body animating with confidence. He stares towards the mound with a grin on his face, eager for the trembling pitcher to deliver the pitch. Seconds later, the pitcher extends towards the plate and releases the white stitched ball, only to see it moments later soaring over his head. The scorching ball flies through the air, soon landing many feet over the green fence of the outfield. With this powerful hit, the players on first, second, and third jog home as the batter rounds the bases, reveling in his excitement from hitting a grand slam.
From April 27th to 30th, Jesuit Varsity Baseball competed in a series against R.L. Turner in district play, and if you came to the first game, you would have likely witnessed the scene described above. These games marked the end of district play for Jesuit, so how did they end their regular season?
On Wednesday, April 27th, Jesuit defended their home turf against R.L Turner and came out with a crushing victory of 19-0. In the first inning, the team scored 13 runs, sparked by a home run from Kyle Muller ’16 and a grand slam from Jared Bond ’16. The team then came back in the second inning and tacked on 5 more runs, driven in by singles from Bryce Bonner ’16, Jared Kengott ’16, Connor Lynch ’16, and Thomas Jordan ’16. Finally, in the third inning, the team added one more run to their 18-0 lead with a scorching single from Bryce Bonner ’16. On the defensive side, Jesuit shut down R.L. Turner with incredible performances from Pete Hamrick ’16 and Heath Van Kirk ’17 on the mound. Both let up no runs and only gave up one run in their dominating performances, assuring Jesuit a 19-0 victory in four innings. Additionally, this victory was the first appearance of star player Cameron Dobbs ’16 since his injury and assured Jesuit the district title, marking a very important point in the team’s road to playoffs. Commenting on the team’s offensive prowess during the game, Heath VanKirk ’17 stated that “our hitters really came out to play, our lineup was just devastating all the way from 1-9.” With an incredible overall performance, the return of Cameron Dobbs ’16, and a district-clinching victory, this game will prove legendary for the team’s 2016 season.
On Saturday, April 30th, Jesuit took it to R.L. Turner for the second game of the series and swept through them with an 11-1 victory. On the offensive side, the team started off with an early lead, scoring one run from a ground-out by Jared Kengott ’16 in the first inning. Building off of this momentum, Jesuit tacked on three more runs and established a 4-0 lead, scoring two runs off of singles from Jared Bond ’16 and J.T. Mix ’17 and one run off a triple from Alex Lyngel’ 17 in the second inning. The team then added two more runs in the 4th inning but finally sealed the deal in 5th, scoring four runs off of three singles and one double. In the same inning, R.L. Turner managed to squeeze in one run, but ultimately Jesuit came out with a decisive win of 11-1. Impressed by the offensive performance, Wyatt Hasson ’17 said, “It was a really fun game to watch; our offense just didn’t stop.” The victory could not have been possible without the pitching though, and they put forth a stellar effort. J.J. Montenegro ’17 started the first two innings, fanning down every batter he faced. Later, Jesuit glided through the third and fourth innings with a combined effort from Nic Colombo ’17 and Wyatt Hasson ’17. Finally, Heath Van Kirk ’17 came into the fifth inning and closed out the game, ensuring the victory for Jesuit. Reflecting on the game, Nic Colombo ’17 recounted that “we knew that we needed to get momentum going into playoffs, and the team really came together and competed well.” With this impressive victory, Jesuit would take momentum into the upcoming playoff run.
Overall, these games exemplified Jesuit’s baseball prowess, prowess that pushed them into playoffs. They additionally showcased the team’s offensive skills as their score was in the double digits in both games and highlighted the team’s strong pitching squad, which allowed only one run in the entire series. With playoffs already underway, the team’s performance in this series certainly promises great things to come on the rest of their journey, but they need a fan base to cheer them on. Please come out and support your Jesuit Rangers!
