Trojan baseball had their last tournament this weekend, after playing three previous tourneys. Each one has built the team’s experience, which is going to be invaluable when they start regular district play, battling schools such as Westlake and Lake Travis. Despite a loss on Thursday, the JV Trojans rounded off the tourney with three back-to-back wins, finishing with a 3-1 tournament record.
Anderson started off strong against Cedar Ridge, scoring one run after the pitcher walked Drew Donahue. Colin Haines led the team with one run on two hits. Pitcher Mac Magruder did not allow any runs from Cedar Ridge until the top of the fourth inning, where they scored two. Unfortunately, the game really shifted in Cedar Park’s favor in the top of the fifth, where they racked up seven runs. Anderson tried to recover, but came up short, with a final score of 4-9.
In their second game on Thursday, the Trojans turned it around and came out with a win against Pflugerville. They walked onto the field with the goal to win, which was clear from Luke Schoelkopf’s single in the first inning, where he drove in one. It was followed by another three runs, and Pflugerville just could not keep up. Despite having a great first inning, the second was even better; the Trojans scored eight runs, driven in by Jack Schocket, Drew Donahue, Jackson Kercheville, Hayes Atkins, Colin Haines, and Luke Schoelkopf. The fielders were sure-handed, with Schocket having five chances, the most on the team. Anderson took the win over Pflugerville, 12-6.
After having Friday off, the Trojans played Gateway College Prep on Saturday. They went through three pitchers: Ethan David, Luke Schoelkopf, and Drew Donahue. Schoelkopf was credited with the shut-out, pitching almost two innings and allowing no hits. The second inning was critical for Anderson, scoring six runs off hits from Bryant Gitcho, Colin Haines, Luke Schoelkopf, and Hayes Atkins. Yet again, the team had no errors in the field, with Jackson Kercheville making four plays. They easily overpowered Gateway, with a 10-0 final score.
Ending the tournament on a positive note, Anderson was able to close out their final game with a win over McNeil, 5-3. Starting on the mound, Dominic Bellavia allowed no hits and no runs, striking out three batters. Brady Fleming and Drew Donahue pitched later in the game, in the third in sixth innings respectively. Luke Schoelkopf and Colin Haines led the Trojans with two hits apiece, the most on the team.
JV baseball is finding their footing before they enter more consistent district play on Monday. They play Johnson both tomorrow and Tuesday before taking on Akins the following week.
