SN 5.15.2021

Page 8/The Sun and News, Saturday, May 15, 2021

Caledonia has many contributors in win over TK

Brett Bremer

Sports Editor

The bench was emptied by

the Fighting Scots as they

played what has been as rare

ballgame outside of the OK

Red Conference Monday

afternoon.

The Caledonia varsity

baseball team bested neigh-

borhood rival Thornapple

Kellogg 12-6 in a single,

seven-inning non-conference

ballgame in Caledonia. The

Fighting Scots had six differ-

ent pitchers throw at least

one inning, 15 different guys

get an at-bat and ten of those

15 guys scored a run.

“This is really important

for us this year,” Caledonia

head coach Pat Gillies said.

“We have had six non-con-

ference games cancelled and

played two. The nice thing is

that there are young men

who are working really hard

in practice, but aren’t our

league starters, they all got a

lot of reps today and that is

important. They deserved it

and they earned it. We did

some really good things.”

Gillies and his young team

have been focused on the lit-

tle things since opening the

season a month ago with a

couple of double-digit losses

in an OK Red Conference

doubleheader with Rockford.

One of the things Gillies and

his staff were looking for on

Monday was a good two-

strike approach at the plate.

“Putting the ball in play

with two strikes that is a little

thing in the game of base-

ball,” Gillies said. “Give

yourself a chance. Whether

you get a hit or not, putting

the ball in the play is a good

thing.”

Caledonia lead-off hitter

Ryan Brown got the chance

to work on it from the get-go.

He took the first pitch from

Trojan starter Eric Dipert for

a strike and then fouled off

the next pitch to go into an

0-2 hole. Brown responded

by lacing a double into right

centerfield.

The Trojans were trying

some new things Monday

too. Dipert hadn’t pitched in

a ballgame in nearly a month.

He plunked the next two

Caledonia batters and then

Owen Graham cleared the

bases with a three-run triple

to right centerfield, and came

around to score himself when

the relay throw in got away

from the Trojans.

“Ryan Brown had a great

day,” Gilles said. “He pitched

his one inning, did a really

nice job, played second and

played third and he swung

the bat really well. Even

when he was out he had a

couple hard-hit balls.”

That four-run outburst by

the Scots in the bottom of the

first wiped out a 2-0 TK lead.

The Trojans evened the ball-

game with two runs in the

top of the fourth, but the

Scots answered with two in

the bottom half. The same

scenario played out in the

sixth with TK scoring twice

and the Scots answering with

four runs.

Caledonia finished the

afternoon with 14 hits.

Camden Raffler was 3-for-

3 with a double and two runs

scored to lead the Scot attack.

Brown finished the day

2-for-5 with a pair of dou-

bles. Graham was 2-for-

with four RBI and two runs

scored.Those were the only

Scots with multiple hits.

Joseph Coble and Aidan

Kowatch both tripled for the

Scots. Grady Schneider,

James DeMorrow, Nicholas

Bender, Caden Dixon and

Clayton Senti each singled

once.

Austin Deller was the only

Caledonia guy to throw more

than an inning from the

mound. He got the win,

pitching the fourth and fifth.

He was charged with two

unearned runs on one hit and

three walks. He struck out

two.

Bender started for the

Scots. Zachary Elsbrie and

Brown each threw a score-

less inning of relief, as did

Nikolas Clark who struck out

the side in the seventh after

TK managed two runs off of

Kowatch on one hit in the

sixth.

Dipert went four innings

for TK, allowing eight runs

(four earned) on seven hits

and two walks. He struck out

six. Kaiden Pratt threw his

first two innings of the sea-

son for TK in relief. He

allowed four runs on seven

hits and one walks while

striking out one.

“We were just getting a

couple kids the chance to

throw in a non-conference

game and got a couple of

kids AB’s that don’t normal-

ly get AB’s,” TK head coach

Jack Hobert said.

He liked the way Dipert

and Pratt threw strikes.

Carter Stahl led the TK

attack. He was 3-for-3 with

two RBI and a run scored.

He singled in TK’s two runs

in the top of the first, a surge

that started with a double

from Alex Bonnema, a walk

by Nolan Dahley and a sin-

gle to left center by Levi

VanderHeide. Dipert, Pratt

and Jonah Summerhays each

also singled once for TK.

“We’re playing well. We

played well over the week-

end and we played well last

week. I think we’re coming

together Hobert said. “I’m

excited for the next couple

weeks.”

The ballgame was the start

of a busy week for TK who

had plans for ballgames with

Ottawa Hills Tuesday,

Wayland Wednesday, Ottawa

Hills Thursday and at West

Ottawa Saturday (May 15).

The TK boys swept their

set with Ottawa Hills, scor-

ing 9-5 and 16-4 in its dou-

bleheader in Grand Rapids

Tuesday and then took a 15-

win in Middleville Thursday.

VanderHeide was 3-for-

with four RBI and two runs

scored in that finale with the

Bengals Thursday. Bonnema

had two hits and scored four

runs. Dahley had three RBI.

Gavin Davore tripled and

scored twice.

In the middle of that set,

TK fell 15-0 in a conference

make-up at Wayland

Wednesday.

Caledonia took on Jenison

in the OK Red Conference

this week falling in the two

games of the doubleheader

Tuesday in Jenison 5-0 and

12-1. The Scots won game

three as the series shifted to

Caledonia Thursday, 4-3.

The Scots scored four runs

in the bottom of the second

inning of game three and

then finally stymied a three-

run rally by the Wildcats in

the top of the sixth. The

Fighting Scot lefty Aidan Kowatch throws a pitch in relief during his team’s 12-6 win
over visiting Thornapple Kellogg Monday in Caledonia. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

Thornapple Kellogg’s Carter Stahl slides in safely with a double during the top of

the sixth inning at Caledonia Monday afternoon. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

The Fighting Scots’ James DeMorrow reaches out to slap a single into the outfield
during the bottom of the second inning against visiting Thornapple Kellogg Monday
afternoon in Caledonia. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

Caledonia’s Owen Graham rounds third base to go

score as a throw gets away from the Trojans following

his triple into deep right centerfield Monday afternoon in

Caledonia. (Photo by Brett Bremer)

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