CROTHERSVILLE
Trinity Lutheran’s baseball team broke open a tight game with eight runs in the top of the fourth inning for a 17-3 win Friday at Crothersville.
Both teams started out hot.
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Tyler Goecker led off the game with a double and later scored on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead.
The Tigers then had their best first inning of the season as Jacob James opened the bottom of the first with a single and Taylor Tatlock was safe on an error. Briar Robinson followed with a double and an RBI, and Logan Brewer hit a sacrifice fly to right field and the Tigers had a 2-1 lead.
Trinity sent eight batters to the plate in the second inning as Evan Hunt and Chase Sawyer drew walks and both scored on a single by Goecker. Goecker scored on an error and Trent Shoemaker hit into a fielder’s choice and scored on a sacrifice fly by Lawson Woods for a 5-2 lead.
With two outs in the third, Brewer singled and later scored on an error for a 5-3 game.
Trinity Coach Ben Kleber said he was not happy with the way his team started the game
“We’ve got to do a better job of being ready to play when we get here,” he said. “We’re struggling with the away games of remembering things. We forgot some stuff at the school, so it started there and it took us two innings to wake up.
“Then once we woke up we played really well. I just want to see us be more aggressive and be ready to play, and get that mentality out of our heads of playing down to our competition.”
The Tigers managed only one hit the rest of the way while the Cougars scored 12 runs in the fourth and fifth innings.
Goecker singled to drive in two runs in the fourth, and he hit his first home run of the season, a 2-run shot, in the fifth. He finished with four hits, four runs and six RBIs.
Shoemaker walked twice in the fourth and scored two runs, Marksberry had a two-run single in the fourth, and Noah Voelker and Evan Hunt scored runs in the fourth and fifth.
Shoemaker finished with three runs and two hits, Marksberry had two hits and two RBIs, and Hunt scored three runs.
“It was nice to see everybody get in the game,” Kleber siad. “We’re still trying to find some things. We’ve got some spots open still and I want the guys battling for those spots. I’m hoping we get some guys to step up and we get rolling here.”
Voelker went the first four innings on the mound and allowed four hits while striking out four and walking none.
“Noah threw strikes, he did a good job,” Kleber said. “Noah comes in and throws strikes. He’s always going to work hard. The biggest thing we talked to him about is losing it. He’d get two outs and then he’d kind of lay back a little. All of our pitchers need to do a better job of having that killer instinct of attacking hitters and he did a good job of that today. I was happy with how he threw.”
Tigers Coach Dustin Lewis said he saw his team made some good plays at times, but the Tigers need to be more consistent.
“We’re starting to see a little more intensity,” he said. “We’re starting to make more plays. They’re continuing to work hard. We’re still throwing the ball around, making throwing errors.”
The Tigers had six errors.
Lewis said he was pleased to see his top four batters in the lineup get hits with James, Tatlock and Brewer all reaching base twice.
“Hits are still coming to us,” Lewis said. “We hit the gaps a little bit better today. We’re making improvements and it’s noticeable. We’re not very deep on pitchers this year. There were still a lot of good pitches thrown today.
“We’re making improvements slowly but surely, and that is all I can ask from them.”
James, Christian Henry and Matthew Clouse combined to allow nine hits, strike out six and walk nine.
The Cougars (2-3) will play a single game at Hauser today, starting at 11 a.m., while the Tigers (0-3) are off until next Saturday when they travel to Springs Valley.