Baseball Team Outscores 32-1 in 2 Games

April 11, 2011 6:30 am
Baseball, Prep Boys, Sports
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After reaching third base against Bayless, Blake Kelley reacts to a comment by Brentwood coach Mike Imergoot. The man on the right is the third-base umpire. (Photo by Steve Bowman)

By Steve Bowman
Editor, The Brentwood Spirit

Wham bam.

Last week the Brentwood High School baseball team wasted no time in showing what it’s capable of doing to some conference opponents. In the first two South Central Athletic Association Conference games of the Eagles’ season, they outscored Bayless and Crossroads by a total of 32-1.

Baseball Jake Caragher slider fnl Baseball Team Outscores 32 1 in 2 Games

Second baseman Jake Caragher makes an infield throw against Bayless. On offense, he scored two runs in the game. (Photo by Steve Bowman)

It’s hard to tell what was more overpowering. Was it the hitting? Brentwood carpet bombed Bayless with 10 runs in one inning. Or was it the pitching? Kevin Smith recorded 12 strikeouts and allowed just one hit against Crossroads. Ryan Jones threw 10 strikeouts in five innings against Bayless. It’s true that neither opponent is expected to challenge for the conference title, but, as Brentwood coach Mike Imergoot said of Smith’s performance, “If you pitch against anybody like that, it’s terrific.”

Baseball Dylan Baker left fnl Baseball Team Outscores 32 1 in 2 Games

Dylan Baker rounds third base and heads home as coach Mike Imergoot waves other runners forward against Bayless. (Photo by Steve Bowman)

The two wins doubled the Eagles’ victory total and more than doubled their run output for the season. They’re 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

April 5 in Brentwood: Brentwood 18, Bayless 1 (five innings)

Get within a dozen feet of home plate when Ryan Jones is warming up and you can see why he’s so hard to hit. When his fastballs thump Steven Sadler’s catcher’s mitt you can feel the concussion in your chest. It must be disorienting to hitters.

And yet Bayless reached Jones enough to take a 1-0 lead in the first inning. “In the first inning: I left the ball up right in the middle where they could hit it,” he said. “Later I corrected it with better spotting. I hit the corners more and all that. I’ve always had bad first innings so I knew I’d settle down.”

Indeed he did. Before the mercy rule ended the game early, he’d thrown 10 strikeouts and allowed six hits and two walks. His record went to 1-0 with a 2.62 ERA.

Baseball Ryan Jones left fnl Baseball Team Outscores 32 1 in 2 Games

After pitching a complete game and striking out 10 batters in five innings against Bayless, Ryan Jones is congratulated by assistant head coach and pitching coach Jon Kalb. (Photo by Steve Bowman)

But Jones had help – more than enough. Brentwood scored 15 runs in the first two innings. Tyler Jones smacked three singles during that span and ended up with two stolen bases. Ryan Marshall, Jesse Sneed and Ryan Jones combined for four doubles and eight RBIs. Ryan Jones also stole two bases.

Marshall, who led BHS with a .571 batting average last season, said he attributes his development as a hitter to three things: “It’s just practice, practice, practice,” he said.

Sneed said the score could have been even more lopsided but good sportsmanship kept Brentwood from stretching singles into doubles and from stealing bases on passed balls. “It was good to beat on them a little bit but to always show compassion at the same time,” he said.

April 7 in Forest Park: Brentwood 14, Crossroads 0

Pitcher Kevin Smith had been suffering from a strained hip flexor but was feeling much better the day before the game. “So I told him I’d let him go three innings and we’d see how he felt,” said Imergoot.

Smith gave up one hit in the first inning. After that, he retired 13 batters in a row and ended up with 12 strikeouts. “He faced only 16 batters in the entire game, which is outstanding,” said Imergoot.

Smith didn’t need much offensive help to raise his record to 1-1, but he got it. A six-run third inning gave Brentwood a 10-0 lead. By the time it was over, freshman Blake Kelley had scored three runs on two hits, Ryan Jones had tallied three hits and three RBIs, and Smith and Sneed had combined for four RBIs on three hits. Marshall had a triple and an RBI and Nick Featherston had a single and an RBI.