A Calvary Lutheran hitter gritted his teeth and gave an annoyed grunt after missing McCrae Fuller's high and outside pitch.
It wasn't just that one pitch Fuller fooled the Lions on. The Vienna sophomore flumoxed Calvary's hitters during Vienna's 11-0 win in five innings on Tuesday at Calvary Lutheran.
Ian McLaughlin singled in the first inning and reached second base on a wild pitch for the Lions in the first inning. That was the only hit the Lions had all game. Alex Flannigan drew a second-inning walk for the Lions and Jimmie Wehmeyer took a pitch that brushed off his red helmet in the fifth to give Calvary its only other baserunners in the game.
"Tip their hats to them, they came out ready to play, they're a pretty good team, they put the ball in play and sometimes we made the play and sometimes we didn't," Calvary coach Rusty Bourg said. "And we got behind and the game's over."
After a scoreless first inning, the first four Vienna runners reached base to start off the second inning by way of a hit batter, an error and a pair of singles. Vienna took a 1-0 lead on the error. The Eagles got two more runs in the inning after an RBI fielder's choice and an RBI groundout.
"We struggle when we get behind right off the bat, and they're a pretty good team, but that's just been the nature of it," Bourg said. "We get behind a good team and just can't get our act together and catch up."
Gavin Stricklan and Tyler Roberds hit back-to-back solo home runs with two outs in the third inning to give Vienna a 5-0 edge. Levi Messersmith followed with a two-run double and Fuller hit an RBI single to make it 8-0.
Vienna struck again in the fifth inning when a throwing error brought home a run, then was followed with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly. Calvary committed three errors in the game.
"The only thing you can tell them is you've got to forget it, and you've got to want the ball," Bourg said of the errors. "You've got to want the baseball, you don't want the attitude where you go out and don't hit it to them that way you're back on your heels because if it is hit to you again then it probably is another error. That's all you can do."
Jordan Duenckel started for Calvary and went four innings and gave up 11 runs (five earned) on eight hits and a walk with a pair of strikeouts.
At 5-8, the Lions have five games left before the Class 2 District 7 Tournament on May 12, including their next game at 4:30 p.m. Thursday at Jamestown.
Bourg is confident his team can win a few of those games heading into districts.
"The name of the game is pitching, so if our pitcher throws strikes and we make the play, the routine play, forget about the home runs and the gaps," Bourg said. "If we can make a routine play, then we can be in it."
Calvary has eight graduating seniors on its roster. If nothing else, Bourg wants to see them give it their all on the field for their last go-around as Lions.
"I just want to see them have fun. It's easy to get down a little bit, I just want to them to finish the year, most of them are seniors and this is it," Bourg said. "You like to see them going out with some energy and some enthusiasm and give it your best shot. Just keep your head up because this is it."