Gehlen Catholic wrapped up their War Eagle Conference schedule on a high note with a 12-6 victory over Hinton at home on Wednesday night.
The Jays rode two big innings offensively to the win over the Blackhawks. Gehlen Catholic scored three runs in the second and an overwhelming nine runs in the sixth. Gehlen Catholic head coach Kirk Kronaizl says the Jays had a good approach at the plate in those big innings.
While those two innings were good for the Jays, it could have been made better by being consistent. The Jays have had to come from behind in all three of their games this week, and that was the same on Wednesday night. The Jays trailed 6-3 entering the bottom of the sixth inning when they exploded for nine runs. Coach Kronaizl says big innings are nice, but he would like to see them spread out over multiple innings.
The bottom of the order was the real catalyst for the Jays offensively. Ryan Augustine batted eighth and drove in two runs, and Zayne Weiland batted ninth and led the team with four RBIs. Coach Kronaizl says, when the bottom of the order is working, it is contagious for the rest of his team.
A few rough innings may have spoiled Ryan Livermore’s fifth win on the mound. Coach Kronaizl says it was good to see him push through the adversity on the mound. It was even better to see him come out confident for the seventh inning.
The Jays wrap up their regular season with a matchup at home against Newell-Fonda. Then, Gehlen Catholic starts the playoffs with a district quarterfinal matchup in Akron against George-Little Rock. The Jays are looking ahead for their playoff matchup and just want to treat it like any other game.
The Jays finish the War Eagle Conference schedule at 9-1 and in second place. The Blackhawks fall to 6-4 in the conference and finish tied for fifth.
