Shaky start.
Youngsville committed seven errors en route to a 7-2 season-opening loss to visiting Fairview on Monday at Davis Street Field in Youngsville.
"We had a lot of first-game jitters," said Youngsville coach Tom Craig. "We made some stilly,costly errors, and it made out pitchers throw more. But we'll get there."
Article Photos
Times Observer photo by Josh Cotton
On The Hill
Trevor Spicer fires a pitch during the first inning in Eisenhower’s 13-3 loss at home versus Northwestern.
The errors spoiled a nice pitching performance by Cory Craig, who struck out 11 and walked none over five innings. Youngsville trailed 4-2 after five innings, but only two of Fairview's first four runs were earned.
After Craig's pitch count got too high, Josh Lewis made just one mistake - giving up a three-run home run in the top of the sixth to put Fairview up by the final score, 7-2.
Transfer Zach LaRocca led Fairview with a complete-game two-hitter, striking out 15 without a walk.
FAIRVIEW (7): LaRocca p 3-2-1-0, Connell c 3-1-2-3, Roberts 1b 4-1-1-0, Jackson lf 4-2-2-1, Malthaner 3b 3-0-1-1, King ss 4-0-1-1, Hunter rf 4-0-1-0, Samuel lf 4-0-0-0, Trenton cf 3-1-0-0. Totals 32-7-9-6.
YOUNGSVILLE (2): Marino cf 3-0-0-0, Hoover rf 2-0-0-0, McLaughlin rf 1-0-0-0, Lewis ss-p 3-0-0-0, Craig p-ss 3-0-0-0, Horn c 3-0-1-0, Henry 3b 0-0-0-0, Lehman dh 3-1-0-0, Linkerhof 3-1-0-0, Dininny 1b 2-0-1-1, Frazier 2b 1-0-0-1. Totals 24-2-2-2.
Fairview 301 003 0 - 7 9 2
Youngsville 000 020 0 - 2 2 7
2b-LaRocca (F), Connell (F), Dininny (Y). HR-Connell (F). WP-LaRocca. LP-Craig.
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Northwestern 13, Eisenhower 3
An Eisenhower error in the top of the first inning opened the floodgates for a quick four spot as Northwestern went on to down Eisenhower, 13-3, in a six-inning contest on Monday at Werner Park.
Northwestern tacked on two runs in the second, one in the third, and two each in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to secure the win.
Eisenhower (0-2) got on the board for the first time in the bottom of the third.
Aaron Lundmark led off the inning with a walk and Josh Deppas was inserted as the courtesy runner. After Bryce Garris reached on an error, Kyle Hunt singled to load up the bases. Aaron Jackson and Shane Arford followed with RBI singles, knocking in Deppas and Garris, respectively, but the rally was quelled with back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded.
The Knights tacked on a third run in the fifth. Eric Hastings walked, Hunt singled and was picked off, but Jackson doubled deep down the right field line to get Hastings to third. Hastings then scored on a balk.
Hunt and Jackson each finished with two hits, but the Knights only had five as a team.
"It's coming. It's just taking time," said Eisenhower head coach Jon Vincent. "We didn't have any enthusiasm. We weren't ready to play. Errors will happen, but we made mental mistakes."
"We took too many pitches," he added. "We need to be more aggressive with guys in scoring position."
In the loss, he praised starting pitcher Trevor Spicer's effort on the mound. "Spicer pitched a nice game. He fought through it," said Vincent, noting that several of the runs allowed, including all four in the first, were unearned.
Spicer pitched the first four innings and Arford finished the contest by tossing the final two.
The Knights travel to Fairview on Wednesday.
"That's a game that we really need to win," Vincent said. "It will tell a lot about our season."
NORTHWESTERN (13): (ab-r-h-rbi) Panko, 2b, 5-1-2-0, Klinger, dh-2b, 5-3-4-1, Finn, cf, 5-2-4-1, Noe, 3b, 3-1-1-1, Caruana, p-3b, 4-3-3-3, Morely, c, 3-0-2-2, Maskrey, 1b, 3-1-0-0, Niedermeyer, lf, 3-1-1-2, Cook, ss-p, 3-1-0-0. Totals: 34-13-17-10.
EISENHOWER (3): (ab-r-h-rbi) Hastings, 2b, 3-1-0-0, Hunt, cf-rf, 3-0-2-0, Jackson, 3b, 3-0-2-1, Arford, lf-p, 3-0-1-1, Williams, ss-c, 3-0-0-0, Spicer, p-ss, 3-0-0-0, Lundmark, c-lf, 1-0-0-0, Deppas, pr, 0-1-0-0, Schenck, 1b, 2-0-0-0, Garris, rf, 2-1-0-0, Fedorchuk, rf, 0-0-0-0. Totals: 25-3-5-2.
Northwestern 421 222 - 13 16 0
Eisenhower 002 010 - 3 5 3
2b-Morely (N), Finn (N), Jackson (E). HR-Niedermeyer (N). WP - Caruana. LP - Spicer.