The Gehlen Catholic baseball team opened postseason play on Saturday evening in Akron with a 5-0 win over South O’Brien.
Prior to starting the tournament trail, the Jays had lost four games in a row to wind down the regular season. That made the run they scored in the bottom of the first more impactful considering they could start on the right foot. Gehlen Catholic head coach Loi Kraft says the run was made possible by the aggressive baserunning of Owen Sievers.
The Jays were quiet offensively over the next few innings, but they made a ton of noise on the mound. Brayden Horkey allowed just one hit through the first five innings while Mason Puetz relieved him and allowed no hits in the final two innings. Coach Kraft says both guys let their defense work for them in getting the Wolverines out quickly.
Gehlen finally got the chance to blow the game open with a three-run outburst in the bottom of the fifth inning that was spearheaded by a two-run home run from Dylan Poeckes. He moved down to the fifth spot in the batting order for the game which could be seen as a slight by some players. Coach Kraft says he took the move well and took advantage of the pitches he was offered.
The Jays up their record to 14-14 overall with the win and continue their quest for a fifth-consecutive district final appearance with a district semifinal contest at Akron-Westfield. Now that the Jays have a win to build off of, Coach Kraft says the guys will look to take the new found momentum into a tough fourth matchup of the season with the Westerners.
First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 PM on Tuesday in Akron. You can listen to the game with coverage beginning at 6:45 from Sargent Field on KLEM.
