The varsity baseball team defeated the Fort Osage Indians in a 6-2 victory on Senior Night April 5.
The coach said the team went into the game with a greater motivation to win, especially the seniors.
“Nobody wants to lose on senior night, ever,” coach David Wilson said. “We don’t want to lose a game anyways.”
BACK: Austin Pare, Lane Kirtley, Aidan Bahn, Gage Maddox, Jacob Allinder, Joe Klebenstone. MIDDLE: John McGowan, Hunter Hampshire, Adian Paul, Jackson Glueck, Jakob Zahabi, Kenton Unruh FRONT: Carson Sapp, Brandon Moore, Adam Miller, Kale Lawrence, Lukas Wilson
Pitcher senior Adam Miller started the game with a no-run inning and pitched the game until the fourth inning. Miller only allowed Fort Osage High School two runs of the game while striking out five batters.
“It always starts with the starting pitcher, and I thought Adam Miller came out just like he did the other day and threw strikes,” baseball coach David Wilson said. “Once he got going, he threw strikes, and then our bullpen came in late in the game and threw some good innings.”
The team didn’t get on base until the bottom of the second inning when down 0-1. Senior Kenton Unruh got on base after a walk and stole a base in the same inning. They weren’t able to produce a run until the bottom of the third inning where a double from senior Jackson Glueck scored senior Carson Sapp from third base.
The runs didn’t stop that inning when Unruh hit an RBI double to send senior Lukas Wilson home, followed by a sacrifice groundout by senior Gage Maddox to send Unruh to home plate. The inning ended 3-1, putting them in the first lead of the game.
Miller only allowed one more run up to the fourth inning until the pitching change that put senior Joe Klebenstone in. He pitched the fifth inning where he was up 3-2, with two strikeouts and no runs. There was another pitching change in the sixth and seventh inning where seniors Lane Kirtley and Aidan Bahn pitched for the final two no-run innings. The offense scored three more runs to secure the win.
Wilson made sure to give every senior a rep that game, often switching the batting lineup and pitching rotation to make sure every senior saw the field.
“That’s what the game is for — every senior to be able to get on the field that night and have that moment together,” Wilson said. “They worked so hard over the course of four years; it’s their night, and it’s always good to win it on that night.”
Even though it was important to put in the seniors to play, It was also important to secure the win. After the game, the seniors were honored alongside their family on the field, and had a post game celebration with the players and their families.
