Fort Zumwalt East Baseball Pounds Out 12-6 Victory

Following the worst single-game loss of the season on Tuesday at Wentzville Holt High, head baseball coach Russ Hill was anxious to see how his Lions would respond against another tough challenger in Troy Buchanan High on Thursday.

And almost on cue, East sputtered at the start, and fell behind early.

But this time, the Lions roared back. And in a big way, mauling the visiting Trojans 12-6, for one of East’s most satisfying victories of the season.

“Our boys definitely battle,” Hill said. “And it has to do with the seniors we have here, and what they’ve been through. They’ve stuck together here for four years. And they know anything can happen. They’ve played together long enough to know, it might take one inning or so to put it together.”

Actually, it took until the third inning for East put anything together. But once they did, the Lions didn’t stop until they’d pieced together a mighty big win, scroing 12 runs on 12 hits.

Senior second baseman Zach Hefner got the hit parade started when he doubled to lead off the bottom of the third. Hefner then scored on a double by fellow senior Clayton Meyer.

Senior rightfielder Marvin Byrd III moved Meyer to third with a basehit, then stole second, before another East senior, centerfielder Brad Chapman, drove Meyer in with a sacrifice fly to center.

East added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth, when sophomore shortstop Ryan March led off with an infield hit, took third on a double by senior catcher Eric Keling, and scored on another sacrifice fly, this time off the bat of starting pitcher Tanner Trokey.

Keling made it 4-1 Lions when he scored on a two-out hit by Meyer.

“It was a really frustrating (start for us) at first,” Hill said. “But they know they can hit, on a good day. So they’re never really out of it.”

Troy was the team that really seemed out of it for the first several innings. East’s Trokey had stymied them, allowing just one run and two basehits through four innings.

But in the fifth inning, Troy found its groove.

Junior shortstop Tim Livingston sparked a three-run rally for the Trojans, which tied the game at 4, when he led off the inning with his second home run of the season, a deep blast that easily cleared the left-centerfield wall.

But the Lions just wouldn’t be denied, scoring four times in the bottom of the fifth, and four more times in the sixth, finishing with six batters with two hits apiece, and turning what had been a close contest into a lopsided win.

“I tell you what, when they’re on, they’re on,” Hill said. “They know they can string it together. They’re pretty good hitters. It’s a very good luxury to have that.”

Trokey (2-0) earned the win on the mound for East, finishing with seven strikeouts in five innings work.

Keling picked up his first save of the season for the Lions, after finishing off the final two innings, with two runs allowed, and two strikeouts of his own.

East (8-5) will get a well-deserved weekend off from game action, before returning to the diamond on Tuesday, April 12, when it will travel to Ronsick Field to take on GAC rival Washington (Mo.) High. First pitch that day is at 4:30 p.m.

East’s next home game is next Friday, April 15, when the Lions will host St. Charles West in another GAC North league game, which is also scheduled for a 4:30 p.m. start.

“The conference season is here, so we’ve got to expect everybody’s best,” Hill said. “It’s a very important part of the season. Every conference game is like a championship game. And we’ve got to be ready to face that challenge.”