Monday was not a superb day to be a hitter at Mike Miley Stadium.
With strong, gusty winds blowing into the faces of batters at home plate in any respect times, starters Ryan Claverie of Rummel and Amare Cooper of St. Augustine took advantage of those cloudy and inhospitable conditions to have interaction in a pitcher’s duel with second baseman Brandt Frey and leave the field with shortstop Ruben Ramirez eventually breaking up a rule-filled walk and a subsequent two-out RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning that gave the host Raiders the victory 2:1 District 9-5A.
Claverie (3-1) scattered 4 hits, striking out eight, walking one and allowing one earned run, overcoming Cooper’s five-inning triple that resulted in two unearned runs in the fourth inning.
Rummel (13-6 overall, 4-1 in District 9-5A) accomplished a two-game series against St. Augustine and won for the third time in 4 games, rebounding from Saturday’s 7-3 loss to Jesuit in Miley that knocked the Raiders out of the Catholic League ranks undefeated. With a record of 7-2 of their last nine games, the Raiders have little time to recuperate before concluding their two-game series against Jesuit at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Kirsch-Rooney Stadium at City Park.
“It was a good win for us,” Rummel coach Frank Cazeaux said. “St. Aug, they played with all their heart. We played thoroughly and needed to fight for the whole lot we had. Today was a difficult day to play on this wind. (Baseball) is a mental game. Fly balls will not be good today. You should hit the ball on the ground and if (the other team) makes a play, you tip your hat to them.
St. Augustine (9-12 overall, 2-3 in 9-5A) and Cooper built a 1-0 lead in the fourth quarter, where a frontcourt error left the Knights deadlocked after first baseman Aiden Gernard and right fielder Gavin Kennedy. achieved by choosing a fielder and a single respectively. Consecutive strikes to designated hitter Giancarlo Arencibia and Frey tied the game at 1.
Ramirez then singled to the infield and headed toward the hole, briefly scoring Kennedy when Arencibia singled Knights shortstop Kenyon Hughes and struck out to open third base.
“I really feel like the wind chickened us out,” said Ramirez, who was 1-2 with an RBI. “It was blowing in our faces. So the wind slowed us down a little bit.”
Meanwhile, Claverie was gaining momentum as the game progressed. The senior left-hander retired 14 of the last 15 St. batters so as. Augustine, and third baseman Tyrin Kirkland’s single in the top of the sixth batter was the only blemish after closing out the game with 4 2/3 innings of fantastic pitching.
Second baseman Kenny Rhodes scored St.’s lone run. Aug in the third period after getting one out of the inning, then was sacrificed at second and returned to a wild pitch to attain on successful by center fielder Bryce Robinson. Robinson finished the game with a record of 2-3, the only player on each teams to record two hits.
“I think we did well,” Claverie said. “The wind wasn’t kind to us today. But we hit the ball well. When we needed it, we went for walks. I didn’t feel good and I wasn’t at my best, just like (in beating) Curtis. But I had my defense behind me. Just because I wasn’t feeling my best didn’t stop me.”
Coach St. Augustine, Barret Rey, was dissatisfied with what he felt was an inconsistent attacking zone, which resulted in Cooper walking 4. The Knights travel to the Karr Catholic League series at 6.30pm on Tuesday at Wesley Barrow.
“I feel like the game was taken out of our hands today,” Rey said. “Cooper bowled well. He hit the zone and did what he needed to do. The wind was brutal. We should do a greater job of running the bases and putting runners in scoring position. Otherwise, the whole lot else could grow to be moot.
RUMMEL 2, ŚW. Augustyn 1
St. Augustine 010 000 0 — 1 – 4 – 1
Rummel 000 200 x — 2 – 3 – 0
WP: Ryan Claverie, Rummel, 3-1, 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 8 K, 1 BB. Amare Cooper, Saint Augustyn, 1-1, 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 K, 4 BB.
Best hitters – St. Augustine: Bryce Robinson 2-3, SB; Tyrin Kirkland 1-3; Kenny Rhodes, 1-3, R. Rummel: Ruben Ramirez 1-2, RBI, B; Gavin Nix 1-3; Gavin Kennedy 1-3, R; Brandt Frey B., R.B.I.; Aiden Gernard R.
Team records: St. Augustine, 9-12 overall, 2-3 in District 9-5A; Rummel, 13-6, 4-1 in 9-5A.