Trojan baseball had an exceptionally good second tournament, with four wins and one tie. Anderson dominated over Weiss (8-1), Manor (17-3), East View (14-6), and LASA (10-0). They also tied against the McCallum Knights, 5-5. Overall, it was a very positive tourney for the team that built confidence for the upcoming district games.
Rylan Unnasch had a great game against Weiss, with three hits, scoring four runs for the Trojans. Ben Waisman also was critical, pitching for five innings and allowing just four hits. Will Hotz pitched the following two innings to relieve Waisman. The game ended in a solid 8-1 victory in Anderson’s favor.
The Manor team proved to be no trouble for the Trojans on Friday, with a final score of 17-3. Seth Crowley had a great game, which was a major component to Anderson easily overpowering the Mustangs. Crowley got four RBIs on two hits and scored two runs himself. Gus Begert was also critical, receiving three RBIs on his three hits, and also scoring two runs. Pitcher Owen Thomas did not allow many opportunities for Manor to score, allowing just one hit and striking out eight batters.
The rivalry game versus the McCallum Knights proved to be just as intense as was anticipated, ending in a 5-5 tie on Friday night. The pitcher for the Knights did not allow multiple hits from any players, so Ed Small, Bo Munin, Gus Begert, Andrew Mason, Jett Joseph, and Karsten Fidler all led Anderson with one hit. Pitchers Connor Clifton and Will Hotz kept it close for the Trojans and were able to close it out with a tie against the Knights.
East View was not a challenge for Anderson either, who took the win 14-6. During the first inning, Stephen Szygenda hit a three-run home run. Also having a standout game, Gus Begert had four RBIs and hit the second homer of the game. The Trojans could not be stopped in the fourth inning, putting up six runs, one of them being the home run from Begert. Rylan Unnasch pitched for Anderson, allowing five hits and striking out one. Max Birdsong came to the mound at the bottom of the fourth, before being replaced by freshman pitcher Darek Paiz to close out the game.
The LASA Raptors were no match for the Trojans on Saturday, falling short by ten runs over five innings. From the first inning, the Trojans came out strong, with Bo Munin singling to score two runs. Anderson was by far strongest offensively in the second, though, scoring five runs with the help of Andrew Mason, Rylan Unnasch, and Darek Paiz. On the mound, Drew Mierl threw a shutout, giving up four hits but no runs, and striking out three. Anderson took the win over LASA, 10-0.
This tournament was exactly what the Trojans needed to build confidence in each other on the field, which should set them up for many future wins.
