After splitting their season opener vs. East Jackson, on April 4, the varsity boys played their hearts out against Lenawee Christian. Despite the dreary weather and the challenges they faced, the boys won the game 11-10.
After a quiet offensive start, the boys were down 0-4 giving up one run in the first and three runs in the second. Their positive mindsets and perseverance paid off with four runs scored in the third inning and an additional three runs in the fourth. Lenawee Christian was scoreless in both the third and fourth innings but came back with five runs at the top of the fifth. After answering with one run in the bottom of the fifth and two in the bottom of the sixth, the players’ nervousness washed away when the boys won the game on a walk-off by senior Jordon Medellin at the bottom of the 8th inning.
Junior Nate Fritz started the game off by pitching. While on the pitcher’s mound, Fritz likes to use the same techniques as last year but is hoping to add a knuckleball to his list of pitching. During the bottom of the 3rd inning, Fritz talked about what was working: “I was pretty confident to come back, we were just starting to get our bats going, and they only scored due to errors so it was basically 0-0 in my head.”
At the top of the 5th inning, Medellin came and pitched for Fritz. While going up to bat can be stressful, Fritz shares what he does to get out of his head: “I just think about making contact and swinging my bat and not swinging at bad pitches.”
It was an exciting night for sophomore Adam Miller who made a spectacular steal. During the bottom of the 5th inning sophomore Landon Lynn was caught in a pickle between second and third base. Although Lynn was tagged out, the opposing team made an error that gave the opportunity for Miller to steal second, third, and home, earning a run. With the roaring crowd and dugout, Miller stayed calm. Miller shares what went through his head during the steals: “Unhook the trailer. I was going as fast as I could.”
Team catcher Senior Dustin Hamilton has played baseball since he was five. Even though it is his last season, Hamilton wants to make sure he leaves a lasting impact on the team. He is excited about all the new players, but one player sticks out to him: “Charlie Cole. I think he is going to be an amazing bat for us this year. By the time he is going to be a junior or senior, he is going to be an all-state. He’s a great kid.”
Moving forward in the season Hamilton believes the team needs to work on: “Communication and attitude. I think a lot of us will have our heads stuck in the dirt too early and will lose the game. But if we stay positive and stay focused, I think we can be competing at the state level.”
Staying positive involves supporting each other. Adam Miller also shares how he pumps up his teammates or himself when the game is getting tough or they are on a roll: “Yell and have a fun time. One of my favorite quotes is ‘Be a goldfish’ because they have a 10-second memory and you got to forget your mistakes, move on, and have a fun time.”
New to the team is freshman Charlie Cole. Excited that he is now on the high school team Cole hopes to learn a lot from his upperclassmen. During the game, he was impressed by Medellin because he threw someone out at home. He says, “It really shows that he is committed.” Cole also shares that he is excited to learn and work with “Dustin Hamilton [because] he really knows a lot about playing the game. He’s also a really cool guy and a smart player.”
Congratulations on winning your first home game of the season! Concord wishes both you and the softball team luck as you play away at Quincy on April 8th at 3:45.
