The LCRD junior baseball teams representing The Heritage Bank and Jones, Osteen and Jones took the sunlit field Monday afternoon for our feature game.
Starting on the mound for Heritage was Mitch Rogers, who allowed a few hits but Heritage’s infield was able to keep the runners from scoring.
Jannick Brown started for JOJ, but Heritage came out determined to hit.
Brandon Whitmore got things started with a single and then stealing second and third. Whitmore scored on a hit by the next batter.
With one out, Levi Deese got on first. Josh Driggers hit a fly ball but was able to get to second after an infield error. With runners on second and third, Kyle Hagler had a solid hit, bringing in Deese, but was thrown out at first.
Driggers stole home plate. Carlos Rodriguez and Josh Goodson got base hits.
A wild throw allowed Rodriguez and Goodson to steal home for Heritage. Jaleel Menifee and Rico McKee got on base. Menifee stole home and at this point Heritage Bank had a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first with 2 outs. Andrew Arbeit got a hit and a steal placing him on second. McKee stole home before the close of the inning at 7-0.
JOJ’s Brown was up to bat first and got on base and then stole second. Caleb Bell got thrown out at first but Brown made it to third. Kalle Pray hit the ball right into an infielder’s glove. Rogers got the third out on strikes so Brown was stranded on third.
Trying to hold Heritage, JOJ got the first 2 batters out before walking Deese. Facing 2 outs Driggers hit a triple, scoring Deese making it 8-0 in the bottom of the second.
In the top of the third, JOJ was determined to score.
Brandon Bell got on base and Dylan Barwick knocked him in a runner. With Lucas Atkins at bat, Bell stole third base. A wild throw allowed JOJ to rally, letting Bell and Barwick come home making it 8-3.
But Heritage was not done scoring and quickly scored three in the third.
Deese then hit a triple with bases loaded, making it 16-3 with only one out. Deese stole home making it 17-3 in the bottom of the third.
JOJ was unable to answer as Kyle Hagler took the mound in the fourth for Heritage Bank and struck out 2 batters. Another runner was thrown out at third.
“They played well,” JOJ coach Charles Bell said of his team. “We were out manned today and out gunned, but we played well.”
Bell said his motto for the summer league is to keep trying, playing and going and never give up.
Heritage Bank coach Joey Brown said his method of training and playing for the summer league is no different than the regular season of high school baseball.
“Patience and understanding,” he said. “We do the same drills we always do. We work a lot of technique and we try to make them work and get better. We were two players down so to play the way we did says a lot about the teammates. We play as a team, win as a team and lose as a team and we picked it up all the way around so it was great.”
Starting on the mound for Heritage was Mitch Rogers, who allowed a few hits but Heritage’s infield was able to keep the runners from scoring.
Jannick Brown started for JOJ, but Heritage came out determined to hit.
Brandon Whitmore got things started with a single and then stealing second and third. Whitmore scored on a hit by the next batter.
With one out, Levi Deese got on first. Josh Driggers hit a fly ball but was able to get to second after an infield error. With runners on second and third, Kyle Hagler had a solid hit, bringing in Deese, but was thrown out at first.
Driggers stole home plate. Carlos Rodriguez and Josh Goodson got base hits.
A wild throw allowed Rodriguez and Goodson to steal home for Heritage. Jaleel Menifee and Rico McKee got on base. Menifee stole home and at this point Heritage Bank had a 6-0 lead in the bottom of the first with 2 outs. Andrew Arbeit got a hit and a steal placing him on second. McKee stole home before the close of the inning at 7-0.
JOJ’s Brown was up to bat first and got on base and then stole second. Caleb Bell got thrown out at first but Brown made it to third. Kalle Pray hit the ball right into an infielder’s glove. Rogers got the third out on strikes so Brown was stranded on third.
Trying to hold Heritage, JOJ got the first 2 batters out before walking Deese. Facing 2 outs Driggers hit a triple, scoring Deese making it 8-0 in the bottom of the second.
In the top of the third, JOJ was determined to score.
Brandon Bell got on base and Dylan Barwick knocked him in a runner. With Lucas Atkins at bat, Bell stole third base. A wild throw allowed JOJ to rally, letting Bell and Barwick come home making it 8-3.
But Heritage was not done scoring and quickly scored three in the third.
Deese then hit a triple with bases loaded, making it 16-3 with only one out. Deese stole home making it 17-3 in the bottom of the third.
JOJ was unable to answer as Kyle Hagler took the mound in the fourth for Heritage Bank and struck out 2 batters. Another runner was thrown out at third.
“They played well,” JOJ coach Charles Bell said of his team. “We were out manned today and out gunned, but we played well.”
Bell said his motto for the summer league is to keep trying, playing and going and never give up.
Heritage Bank coach Joey Brown said his method of training and playing for the summer league is no different than the regular season of high school baseball.
“Patience and understanding,” he said. “We do the same drills we always do. We work a lot of technique and we try to make them work and get better. We were two players down so to play the way we did says a lot about the teammates. We play as a team, win as a team and lose as a team and we picked it up all the way around so it was great.”