Gehlen Catholic baseball played an entertaining Saturday of baseball splitting a varsity doubleheader with West Lyon. The Jays won game one 4-1 and lost game two 4-3.
The fans who made their way to Larchwood for those games on Saturday were treated to some of the most entertaining, tight baseball they could find. Gehlen Catholic head coach Kirk Kronaizl says games like that are such great experiences for his team.
The first five innings of game one suggested that the Jays may not have had a fun time in Larchwood on Saturday. Gehlen was no-hit through the first five and a third innings before they exploded for four straight hits and four runs in the top of the sixth. Coach Kronaizl could tell by the contact his guys were making that they were on their game, they just needed some bounces to go their way.
One black eye in the game could be the three errors the Jays committed in inning five. That said, the Jays made up for some mistakes with better play in the field throughout the rest of the game. Coach Kronaizl says improvement in the field is on its way and showed in key instances on Saturday.
In game two, the Jays had many chances to tie the game or even take a lead late. Gehlen trailed 4-3 heading into the top of the sixth when they loaded the bases for Ryan Livermore with two outs. Livermore hit a ball on the screws that was caught in centerfield to end the inning. Then, the Jays needed one run in the seventh to tie the game and keep it going. They would hit three line drives that resulted in three outs. Coach Kronaizl says he’s happy with the contact his guys made late in the contest.
The Jays pitched Ryan Livermore in the second game. Livermore struggled allowing four runs in the first three innings to start his outing. That wasn’t where his outing would end. As Coach Kronaizl says, Livermore was the reason the Jays had a chance late in the game.
Gehlen Catholic’s record now sits at 8-7 following the split. They are winners of six of their last eight heading into this week that features two games in the War Eagle Conference and ends with the annual Spalding Tournament in Granville. Coach Kronaizl is looking for his guys to focus hard heading into a week that could be pivotal towards the Jays success late in the year.
West Lyon’s record sits at 7-5 following the split. Gehlen Catholic baseball will be back on your airwaves on Wednesday when they host Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn at Vosburg Field in Granville. KLEM Radio will also provide coverage of the Jays at the Spalding Tournament this weekend.
