Jr. High Baseball Season Starts
Go Raiders !!!
by Dennis Ping
August 23, 2010
The Jr. High Baseball Season began another year with the beginning of practice on August 2. Only nine players (18 originally signed up in May) showed for practice one. By Thursday, August 5, the Raiders were down to seven players as two players decided to pursue other interests.
At this point in time, the Tri-Point administration and school board decided to help this situation out by allowing 5th graders to come out for the program. Two new 6th graders joined the team on Friday, August 6th. By Wednesday, August 11, seven 5th graders had made the commitment to join the team.
Sixteen players make up the current Tri-Point roster with a breakdown of that roster as follows:
6 8th graders Zac Cox, Tim Crouch, Jake Dulek, Kyle Robinson, Zach Sunday, and Austin Wooton
3 6th graders Ryan Bouk, Jacob Bruner, and Roger Viti
7 5th graders David Amador, Nathan Berens, Randall Ifft, Nick Kelly, Michael LeClair, Nick Mahoney, and Mark Miller
Game 1 Tri-Point 13, Odell 0 (Monday, August 16)
The Raiders played about as well as could be expected in game one. Six different players collected hits in the game with Zach Sunday and Tim Crouch getting 2 each. One of Sunday's hits was a 3-run homer. Austin Wooton added a 2-run homer. Other players getting hits were Jake Dulek, Mark Miller, and Zac Cox. Runs batted in were by Sunday (3), Wooton (3), Cox (2), Crouch, Miller, Dulek, and Kyle Robinson.
Tim Crouch picked up the win. He pitched 4 innings, giving up 2 hits, 0 walks, and 9 strikeouts. Kyle Robinson pitched the final inning.
Game 2 Iroquois West 10, Tri-Point 4 (Tuesday, August 17)
The Raiders found themselves down 10-0 after only 2 1/2 innings in this game, before mounting a rally. Pitching woes hurt the Raiders in this match up. Tri-Point only gave up 7 hits but issued 16 walks.
Tri-Point pushed across 4 runs in the bottom of the 3rd to cut the deficit to 10-4, but could not muster anymore as I-W's final pitcher shut them down completely. Tri-Point managed 6 hits in the game with Zach Sunday again leading the way with 2. Others collecting hits were Tim Crouch, Jacob Bruner, Zac Cox, and Austin Wooton. Crouch's hit was a 2-run double. Other RBI contributors were Kyle Robinson and Nick Mahoney.
Kyle Robinson suffered the loss in this one. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings, allowing 5 hits, 9 runs (all earned), 7 walks, and 0 strikeouts. Zach Sunday came on and did a pretty good job despite walking an additional 9. Sunday gave up 2 hits and 1 run which was earned and struck out 7.
Tri-Point 13, Buckley St. John's 9 (Wednesday, August 18)
The Raiders came back from an early 8-2 deficit to defeat St. John's. Again, the pitching struggled as 10 walks were issued. Kyle Robinson started, going the first 2 innings. He allowed only one hit, but walked 7 which led to 5 runs (4 earned). He did strike out 6. Zac Cox made his mound debut and was able to complete 2 innings. He gave up only 1 hit, walking a pair, and striking out 2. Cox gave up 3 runs, but none were earned due to a few errors. Jake Bruner pitched the 5th and 6th innings. He gave up 3 hits and a run (unearned), 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. Bruner was credited with the win. Tim Crouch pitched the final inning to wrap up the victory for the Raiders. He got all 3 hitters out he faced, striking out 2 of them.
Leading the 11 hit attack for Tri-Point was Zach Sunday (with 3 hits, 3 runs scored, and 2 RBI and Tim Crouch (with 2 hits and 3 RBI). Sunday was a HR shy of a cycle. Other offensive contributors were Austin Wooton 2 hits and an RBI, Kyle Robinson 1 hit and 4 runs scored, Jake Dulek 1 hit and 2 RBI, Zac Cox 1 hit and an RBI, and Jacob Bruner 1 hit and an RBI.
