This past week was a challenge for Anderson Baseball as they took on Westlake. Varsity went 0-2 against the Chaps, while JV came through with the upset, going 1-1 for the series.
On Tuesday night, Varsity faced the Chaparrals for the first game at Westlake HS. Anderson got on base early in the first inning from a single by Ed Small, followed by a double from Karsten Fidler, but the final out was caught before either player could make it home. The scoring did not open up until the bottom of the second inning after the Chaps notched two runs. Rylan Unnasch singled at the top of the sixth, but Anderson racked up three outs before he scored. Westlake took it away in the bottom of the sixth, with six runs, and the game was cut short after the top of the seventh. Overall, Anderson had a difficult time getting on base, which caused them to fall to the Chaparrals 0-9 in their first matchup of the season.
Friday night at Nelson Field was a slightly different story for Varsity, but the Trojans still came away short. The top of the first inning put Westlake up to bat, and three consecutive outs from the Anderson fielders closed that part of the inning rapidly. A single from Ed Small put Anderson on base, starting the game off on a positive note. A triple from Gus Begert later in the first drove in two, and the Trojans were ahead at the end of the inning. Pitcher Will Hotz held off the Chaps until the fourth, where Westlake got on the board, scoring four runs before Drew Mierl came to the mound from the bullpen. By the end of the fourth inning, the Chaparrals had notched eleven runs, leading Anderson 11-2. Pitcher number three, Jake Melvin, relieved Mierl for half an inning before Owen Thomas took over to close it out. Despite a promising start, Anderson lost the game 2-15.
JV took the field Monday night with Ethan David on the mound. Trae Lones was the first Anderson player on base by the bottom of the second but was unable to put the Trojans on the board; at the end of the inning, they were behind 7-0. During the bottom of the third, Anderson put up three runs from a single from Dominic Bellavia and a ground ball from Hayes Atkins; an error from the Westlake second baseman allowed the Trojans to score two runs off the bunt. Westlake brought the offensive onslaught in the fourth inning, notching five, but Anderson could not recover and lost the game 3-13.
In a massive upset, JV came back and won their second game against the Chaps, 4-1. The Trojans were the first to score after a solo homer from Dominic Bellavia, and they tallied another run in the second after a ground ball from Drew Donahue. It was quiet until the bottom of the third when Westlake notched their only run. Anderson answered in the next inning, scoring two from a sac fly from Kalvin Arteaga and a walk from Bellavia. Pitcher Mac Magruder led the Trojans to victory, allowing just four hits on the day.
It was a week of learning for Anderson baseball, with many highs and lows. The teams take on Lake Travis next week in what promises to be another exciting matchup. The varsity Cavaliers are on a four-game win streak, going 17-4-2 overall. Their record is comparable to Anderson’s (15-8-1), so the Trojans must be on top of their game to beat Lake Travis.
