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Fresh off a 28-0 victory over Argos on the road Monday, the Triton baseball team returned to Keller Field for the second leg of a home-and-home. While the score wasn’t as lopsided this time around, the Trojans still only needed five innings to dispatch of the Dragons and pick up a 13-1 victory.
That wasn’t the only good news. Following the game, news broke that Caston has lost to Pioneer, clinching the Hoosier North Athletic Conference title for the blue and gold.
Triton starter Blake Ousley had to work to get out of a jam in the top of the first, as he walked the bases loaded without recording an out. It didn’t come back to bite him though, as he used a pair of infield flies as well as a baserunning mistake by the Dragons to get out of the inning unscathed.
Fresh off of the offensive explosion the night before, the Trojans picked up right where they left off by scoring five in the bottom of the first. Braxton Kaufman and Ousley each hit RBI doubles, while Brayden Gunnels drove a run in on a bloop single and Maddox Dennie added another with a sacrifice fly.
The second inning began similarly to the first, as Argos was able to load the bases without recording a hit. For the second straight trip, their patience would not pay off fully, as Ousley struck out the side to strand three more runners.
The bottom of the second was another big inning for the home side, as they scored eight runs to extend the lead to 13-0. Levi McFarland hit a pair of RBI singles, Dennie hit a double that drove in two runs, and a batter after that, Jadyn Prater crushed a two-run shot over the left-field fence. Trey Tarlton scored two runs in the inning, driving in a third with a double of his own.
Triton sophomore catcher Max Johnson tags out Noah Lewis of Argos during the first inning...Nieter
Ousley’s control was much better in the top of the third. While he did issue one walk, he was able to face the minimum thanks to a punchout to start the inning as well as a 6-3 double play to end it.
The bottom of the third was the first to not feature any runs for the Trojans, as the Dragons were able to start the frame off with two quick outs, and even though a rally started by a walk to Ousley and a single by Gunnels put a few men on in scoring position, Triton was unable to add on to its lead.
The defense behind Ousley continued to help him out as the game reached the fourth inning. The hurler did pick up his fifth punchout of the game for the first out, but it was followed up by a 6-4-3 double play that erased a leadoff walk and kept Argos hitless in the game as well as off the scoreboard.
Having outscored the Dragons 41-0 over the course of the two-game series thus far, the Trojans began replacing the batters at the top of their lineup with some younger athletes. Two freshmen (Maddux Holloway and Boston Westafer) as well as sophomore Aiden Emkow all got at-bats in the bottom of the fourth. It was the second straight inning Triton was unable to get a run across, but still holding a 13-0 edge, Argos would need at least four runs during its next trip to the plate to keep this one going.
Dennie took to the mound in the fifth with the goal of shutting things down, and while he did eventually, Argos was able to rally and plate its only run of the series first. Control issues continued to plague the Triton arms, as Dennie loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a hit batter. This allowed an infield single by Brady Montgomery to score Nora Weiser. Following this though, Dennie was able to regain control and retired the next two hitters to end the game.
