It was a good week for the Switzerland County varsity baseball team, as the Pacers won three out of four games.
The baseball team played Rising Sun at home last Wednesday, April 26th, winning with a score 5-0.
Scoring began in the third inning when, with two outs, Travis Webster was hit by a pitch. T.J. Sefton then reached base by an error; and Tyler May connected on a single that scored Travis Webster. T.J. Sefton then scored on an error by the left fielder.
In the fourth inning, Zach Getz reached base on an error and then stole second. He then scored on a double by Matt Wegman. Travis Webster then doubled in Matt Wegman; and T.J. Sefton singled to score Travis Webster.
Cody Peters pitched seven innings, recording 13 strikeouts and one walk.
“Cody Peters was dominant on the mound; good pitching overcomes a lot,” coach Shannon Barger said. “Our pitchers have thrown very well and now it is time for our hitters to catch up. We are struggling to get hits — we only had six; but have been getting hits when we need them.”
Travis Webster had two runs scored, one hit and an RBI; T.J. Sefton and Matt Wegman each had a run, hit and an RBI; Zach Getz had a run and a hit. Matt Wegman and Travis Webster each had doubles. Tyler May finished with an RBI and a hit; while Kris Hetrick also had a hit.
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The Pacers played at home last Thursday, earning another win against Owen County, 7-3.
The scoring got underway when Pacer Travis Webster reached first base on an error; then moved to third when T.J. Sefton converted a sacrifice bunt. Owen County had an error on the play and T.J. Sefton was safe on first. Travis Webster then scored on a wild pitch; and Tyler May followed that with a walk. Kris Hetrick then doubled to score T.J. Sefton; and Matt Wegman’s single scored Tyler May and Kris Hetrick.
In the second inning, Travis Webster was hit by a pitch and went to second on an error. He then scored on a single by Tyler May.
In the sixth inning, T.J. Sefton reached base on a two-out single. Tyler May was hit by a pitch; and was replaced by courtesy runner Ryan Peters. A Kris Hetrick double then scored both T.J. Sefton and Ryan Peters.
Kris Hetrick had the most in RBI in the game with three; Matt Wegman had two; and Tyler May finished with one. T.J. Sefton and Travis Webster each had two runs; Tyler May, Ryan Peters and Kris Hetrick each had a run.
Matt Wegman (one double) and Kris Hetrick (two doubles) each had two hits; while Zach Getz, Tyler May and T.J. Sefton each finished the game with a hit each.
Travis Webster pitched 5 2/3 innings; recording three strikeouts, giving up three earned runs, and allowing just three walks. Tyler May finished the game on the mound, finishing with one strikeout and one walk.
“It was another good pitching performance; Travis Webster threw well, but had to be removed in the sixth inning with an arm injury,” Coach Barger said. “He is 3-0 in his three starts, so getting him healthy is crucial to our success.”
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The Pacers traveled to Gallatin County on Saturday and split a pair of games — losing the first game with Gallatin County 5-4 before coming back to defeat Owen County by a 9-4 score.
In the Gallatin County game, the first scoring for the Pacers came in the fifth inning, as Michael Otter singled and later scored on a single by Cody Peters.
Kris Hetrick connected on a double in the sixth inning and then scored on Zach Getz’s single. Zach Getz then scored on an attempted suicide squeeze that turned into a wild pitch.
T.J. Sefton had a double in the seventh inning and scored on a single by Tyler May — but it was not enough for the Pacers as the Gallatin County team took the win.
“It was a disappointing effort. We were up 3-1 in the top of the seventh inning and lost the game,” Coach Barger said. “However, the last inning is not what cost us. We made too many mental mistakes early that could have got us out on top.”
Pitching all seven innings in the game was Tyler May; and he had five strikeouts, gave up three earned runs, and allowed just two walks.
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In the second game at Gallatin County, the Pacers defeated Owen County by a score of 9-4.
Cody Peters and Tyler May singled and scored in the first inning when a ground ball by Matt Wegman was thrown away by the pitcher.
Scoring in the fifth inning began when T.J. Sefton doubled to get on base and Cody Peters walked. T.J. Sefton scored when — as a part of a double steal — the ball was thrown away by Owen County. Cody Peters then scored when a ground ball by Kris Hetrick was misplayed.
In the sixth inning, Michael Otter walked and T.J. Sefton singled to get on base. They both then scored on a three-run home run by Tyler May.
Kris Hetrick then reached on an error and stole second; and he then scored when a ground ball by Matt Wegman was mishandled.
Brandon Otter singled in the seventh inning and was replaced by courtesy runner Justin Levell. T.J. Sefton was then hit by a pitch, and Cody Peters drew a walk. Justin Levell then scored on a wild pitch.
Pitching the seven innings for the game was Brandon Otter, who finished with eight strikeouts, gave up just one earned run, and allowed only two walks.
“Brandon Otter stepped up big on the mound in only his second varsity start,” the Pacer coach said. “We were able to take advantage of a lot of defensive mistakes and score some runs. It was nice to bounce back after a disappointing first game.”