The Switzerland County Pacer baseball team has been a busy crew early in its season, with four games over a five-day stretch last week.
The Pacers continued their outstanding play, earning wins in three of the four games:
– The run of four games kicked off last Tuesday, April 12th, when the Pacers fell to South Ripley by a score of 11-7.
The Raiders got on the board first with a run in the top of the fourth, and then added three more in the top of the fifth to grab a 4-0 edge.
Switzerland County rebounded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth; but again the Pacers couldn’t hold the lead, as South Ripley came back with three more runs in the top of the sixth.
Again the Pacers bounced back, scoring two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game at 7-7.
South Ripley then put the game away with four runs in the top of the seventh, and then held on as Switzerland County couldn’t mount a run in the bottom of the seventh, ending the game.
Dalton Roark had a hit and two RBI in the game while also scoring a run; and Kollin Hayes had a pair of hits and a run scored. Casper Stow scored two runs and also had a hit; Zack Whitaker had a hit and a run scored; and Justin Johnson had a run scored.
Whitaker went five innings on the mound, allowing four runs but only one was earned. He struck out five and allowed three hits and gave up four walks.
Stow suffered the loss, going 1 1/3-innings giving up four hits and six runs, but again only two of those runs were earned. He also had two strikeouts.
Austin South and Kyle Whitham also did time on the mound.
– On Wednesday, April 13th, the Pacer bats exploded in a 27-2 beat down of Milan, including Switzerland County posting 16 runs in the third inning alone.
It was a parade in the batter’s box for Switzerland County, led by Stow with two hits, four runs scored, and three RBI. Kenyon Bledsoe had two hits, two runs scored, and two RBI; Whitaker had a hit, two RBI and two runs scored; Dalton Roark had two hits, three RBI, and scored four runs; and Hayes had a hit, scored a run, and knocked in three.
Matt Roland had a hit, scored a run, and had an RBI; Justin Chatham had a hit, two RBI and a run scored; Caleb Furnish had two hits, four RBI, and two runs scored; Owen Wagner had a hit, three runs scored and three RBI; and Justin Johnson had two hits, two RBI, and he scored three runs.
Kaleb Harrell scored two runs; Whitham had a run scored; and South also scored a run.
Roland went three innings to earn the win, allowing three hits and striking out three while allowing no runs.
South pitched an inning and struck out two; and Trystan Kielbasa pitched an inning, allowing two earned runs and three hits while picking up a strikeout.
– Last Friday, April 15th, Roland led the way both on the mound and at the plate, as the Pacers defeated the Shawe Memorial Hilltoppers by a score of 15-0.
Roland hurled a no-hitter on the mound, as the game went five innings because of the mercy rule. The senior struck out seven and allowed just one walk in tying up the Hilltopper hitters.
At the plate, he collected two hits and had two RBI.
Stow also had two hits, and he scored two runs and knocked one in; while Johnson collected a pair of hits while scoring one run and having one RBI.
Whitaker had a hit, scored a run, and had two RBI; Roark had a hit, scored a run and collected an RBI; and Hayes joined the group with a hit, a run scored, and an RBI.
Furnish scored two runs and had an RBI while getting a hit in the game; Wagner had a hit, a run scored, and an RBI; and Bledsoe had a hit, RBI, and a run scored. Tyler Konkle also had an RBI; while Kielbasa and Chatham each scored two runs.
The big innings for the Pacers were the third, when they plated six runs; and in the fifth, when seven more runs crossed the plate.
-On Saturday, April 16th, the Pacers kept their scoreless streak alive with a 10-0 win over Christian Academy of Indiana. The contest was again shortened due to the ‘mercy rule’, as the Switzerland County bats beat out a 10-run cushion after five innings. CAI batted in the top of the sixth in an effort to close the gap, but remained scoreless.
Offensively, Bledsoe had a huge day, getting two hits and three official at bats while driving in four runs and scoring another.
Stow had two hits and scored a run; Roark had two hits while scoring a run and knocking in another. Hayes had two hits, scored two runs, and had an RBI; and Roland continued his outstanding season with two hits, two RBI, and a run scored.
Whitaker had a hit and scored a run; while Wagner, Kielbasa, and Chatham each scored a run.
On the hill, Stow went the distance, striking out six while allowing just four hits and two walks.