On his first pitch in his first varsity start Friday, Helias pitcher Levi Rose hit Kirksville leadoff batter Jonathan Broce.
Uh oh.
A handful of pitches and three batters later, Kirksville had one run on the scoreboard and the bases loaded.
Uh oh.
But Rose retired the next three Tigers on a strikeout, pop out and line out to end the inning with no more damage and sparked the Crusaders to a 5-1 victory at the American Legion Sports Complex.
Rose allowed just two hits and a walk over the next ....