For The Tribune
BROWNSTOWN
After seeing his team fall into a three-game offensive slump last week, Seymour baseball Coach Jeremy Richey was waiting for the Owls’ bats to come alive.
They woke up Tuesday afternoon at Brownstown Central by pounding out 15 hits and had a pair of six-run innings to defeat the Braves 17-3.
“I’m proud of the guys; I’m proud of the way we just showed up and played,” Richey said. “I think we learned some things from Saturday, what happens if we don’t show up aggressive.
“It was just a great game all the way around, all the way through the lineup, everything was great.”
Alan Perry led off the top of the first with a single, Satoshi Hirose walked, and Luis Munoz bunted toward first base, but nobody covered the bag and the bases were loaded.
Seth Maki grounded to shortstop Ty Maxie, who threw home to try to get a force out, but catcher Devin Stuckwisch was unable to handle the throw and Perry and Hirose both scored. Tyler Bloom grounded out as Munoz scored the third run of the inning.
“We took advantage of opportunities,” Richey said. “We get bases loaded and they get a ground ball and it probably could have been, and should have been a double play, and they decided to go to the plate and we get a couple (runs) out of that, and the bunt game shows up again tonight.
“We got a few bunts down and we stole a lot of bases. It was good to see that (bunt game) come back because during the three-game slide we did not bunt, and I think that pressure showed up again tonight, so we’ve got to make sure we keep doing that.”
Braves coach John Lawson said the Braves hurt themselves.
“We had mental mistakes, plus physical mistakes,” Lawson said. “ It was one of those things where we could have been out of the first inning giving up one run, and we ended up giving up three.”
“It’s mentally hard to come back. These guys that are seniors, last year we played from behind and ended up winning games. We missed a bunt coverage and didn’t go for two (outs).
“It was just an ugly night of baseball for Brownstown. I’m trying to search for positives. We’re not a team that score reflects. We’re a better team than that. We’re better physically and mentally.”
The Owls (3-3) sent 11 batters to the plate in both the second and third innings, scored six runs in each inning to put the game out of reach at 15-0.
Hirose hit a three-run homer and Maki a two-run home run in the second inning.
Perry, Hirose, Munoz and Maki had consecutive hits and scored runs in the third inning.
Perry had four hits, scored three runs and had two RBIs. Hirose had two doubles and a home run, scored three runs and had four RBIs. Munoz also had three hits, including two doubles, scored three runs with two RBIs, and Maki had two hits, scored two runs and had two RBIs.
Perry held the Braves (3-1) hitless until Ian Martin singled with two outs in the fourth.
With two outs and nobody on base in the fifth, Gus Hogan and Carson Lambring beat out infield hits.
Maxie reached first base on a dropped third strike, Seth Borden walked with the bases loaded to force in one run, and Sy Zickler singled to drive in two more.
Perry had seven strike outs, allowed three hits and walked three.
“That’s a great outing for him,” Richey said. “He’s got to be that guy in these situations. He’s our guy that needs to be our third starter. If he throws as well as he did tonight he’s going to keep us in about every game because he was very sharp tonight. We’re going to walk away from here with a lot of confidence.”