Both JV and varsity baseball faced Akins HS this week, and both teams walked away with shutouts. On Monday, JV easily overpowered the Eagles 10-0 while Wednesday brought a win for varsity, 3-0. This momentum from both teams has set them up to beat Akins once again and given varsity the opportunity to work towards securing a spot in playoffs.
The JV Trojans dominated on Monday night, with Ethan David on the mound. He had an incredible game, allowing just four hits over seven innings and striking out 11 batters. More than that, he threw a shutout, surrendering zero runs on the day. Hayden Magee was an impact batter, going four-for-four at the plate to lead Anderson in hits and RBIs; he hit three singles and a double over the course of the game, contributing to the Trojans’ 14 hits, overall. Colin Haines and Luke Schoelkopf also had multiple hits for JV. Anderson took the early lead over Akins, where they scored four runs in the first and second innings combined; they continued to widen that margin throughout the game, scoring a few runs per inning throughout the matchup. It was a high-scoring, confidence-building game for Anderson, which is exactly what they needed before facing Akins again and Westlake next week.
Varsity also had a positive game, with Sheppard Tyler throwing a shutout over seven innings. Pitching was a deciding factor against the Eagles, with Tyler allowing just three hits and striking out six batters. The game was tied 0-0 until Anderson pulled ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth and tacked on another run in the final few innings en route to the 3-0 victory. The Trojans had six hits on the day, with Ed Small, Andrew Mason, Karsten Fidler, Rylan Unnasch, Gus Begert, and Seth Crowley all with one each. Not only did catcher Stephen Szygenda record the final out on a ball popped straight up, but he also had a standout play where he blocked a ball and threw a laser to second to gun the runner in the top of the seventh.
Overall, the first games against Akins could not have gone any better for Anderson; they came out strong, steadily built their lead, and did not allow the Eagles to score. If varsity continues this rhythm and winning streak, they might just be looking at a playoff spot in a few weeks.
