Three toughly fought opening games have the Spartans cautiously optimistic for what the 2009 season holds.
The 2009 TJ varsity baseball team will attempt to continue the success achieved in previous seasons. photo by Kevin Fleming
The Spartans opened the year on the road against a tough 5A opponent in Pine Creek, and although missing four starters including varsity returners Brennan Henry and Sam Thomas, still competed throughout in a 12-2 Spartan loss. “It was a tough loss, but I think we learned what we need to improve on,” stated Sophomore Second Baseman Kelly Sinopili-Martinez. The Spartan offense was lead by Junior Chris Needham who had a solo home run in the third inning. Sophomore Trevor Thornton also contributed to the cause with two hits.
The Spartans next traveled to Cherry Creek to take on the Bruins, and although the boys gained an emotional lift with the return of Thomas and Henry, they still struggled to get any offensive production, being no-hit through seven innings and losing by a score of 3-0. The star for the Spartans was Henry, as he pitched five innings and allowed only 1 earned run. The Spartans, however, allowed two earned runs as a whole. “‘Bubba [Henry] threw a gem on the mound, and that is what kept us in the game,” commented Sophomore Pitcher Chris Van Dyke.
The Spartans’ third game of the year was an eventful one as it was a rematch of last year’s 4A State Championship game, as the Spartans hosted the Ralston Valley Mustangs under the lights at All City Field. Van Dyke started on the mound for the Spartans an struggled early. Porous defense behind him didn’t help his cause as the Spartans fell to the Mustangs by a score of 8-0. The Spartans were plagued by untimely errors throughout the duration of the game.“This is a tough loss to swallow obviously, but we can’t wait to get back in action and redeem ourselves,” said Sophomore First Baseman Grant Maloney.
The Spartans will next be in action on Saturday, March 14, when they travel to Colorado Springs to square off against the Jaguars of D’Evelyn. The game will begin at 11:00 am.
