Jacks Stumble in Leauge Opener

Varsity Baseball stumbled during RA Long’s league opener against the Woodland Beavers on March 24th, with Jacks losing 6 – 5.

Woodland’s Mike Hartley threw five innings, striking out nine Jacks. RAL’s Jake Look pitched into the fifth inning before reaching his pre-determined pitch count, striking out five Beavers and scattering six hits.

“Look was outstanding on the mound, he did a great job approaching the plate,” varsity coach Jason Castro said. Look averaged 11 pitches per inning.

A sharp single from Austin Wegdahl at the top of fifth inning, followed by an infield hit from Ryan Cathcart, propelled Jack momentum. Powerhouse batter Kyle Helem slammed a double down right field for a 2 – 1 count. Following back-to-back singles from Dane Cheatley and Look, RAL was ahead 5 – 0.

However the Jacks lead didn’t last, as Woodland scored six runs on three hits and three bases-loaded walks in the bottom half of the inning.

After the Beaver’s offensive, the Jacks couldn’t recover, losing their league opener by a final score of 6 – 5.

” I’m really impressed with my team. They played hard, both offensive and defensively. For many guys, this was their first varsity experience, and they just need to keep their confidence up,” Castro said.

” These boys are especially talented, and played very well for their first league game.”

Varsity played their first non-league game on March 17th. Castro believes baseball should have more non-league games before their first league game.

“Many players are in new positions, and only a week before our first league game doesn’t give our players much time to settle into their positions,” Castro said.

(Information from RA Long HS Lumberjacks Baseball website was included in this article.)