The JV baseball team played a double header against the Pace Knights at home on Saturday. A great crowd of fans for both teams turned out to watch this rivalry game. Due to the continued rain, which is affecting baseball scheduling, Coach Bailey and the team arrived early and were grounds keepers to prepare the soggy field so the games could be played. Their hard work paid off as the Pack swept the Knights 7-1 and 3-2 to improve their record to 7-1 on this inaugural JV baseball season.
In game one, sophomore Griffin Combs gave the Pack a lead in the first inning that they would never surrender, with a clutch two-out hit to score sophomore Jimmy McCarthy and sophomore Sam Fuller. Whitefield added a run in the fourth on a double by Griffin and four runs in the sixth with an RBI from freshmen Luke Persons, Jimmy, and Griffin.
Offensively Griffin (2/3, 4 RBI) and Jimmy (2/3, 1 RBI) led the team.
Sam (4IP, 1ER, 6K) and freshman Alex Carver (3IP, 0ER, 3K) pitched for the Pack, holding the Knights in check by giving up only five hits and two walks.
Game two was a closer contest as the Pace pitching staff held the Pack to just six hits. A pitchers' duel in a scoreless game was the story through the fourth inning when the Pack scored three runs with RBI from junior Luke Miltner (1/2, 1RBI) and Griffin (1/2, 2RBI) that held up for the win.
The Pack used both Lukes on the mound for the win. Luke Miltner pitched five strong innings, giving up no runs and striking out eight Knights with no walks. Luke Persons pitched the last two innings and held off a late Pace rally in the seventh inning by striking out the leadoff batter to end the game with the tying run on third base.
The defense was strong in both games, backing up the pitching staff, playing errorless ball through the sixth inning of the second game, with only one error total. Junior John Schwartz had a great catch in centerfield on a deep fly ball and junior Jake Gilbert made a nice play on a hard ground ball in the hole at first to highlight the defense in game two.