Longhorns win rematch against East Atchison
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
South Nodaway/Jefferson junior Jason Sullivan slides in safe at home just before East Atchison catcher Shea DeRosier slaps the tag on him. Sullivan, who courtesy ran for junior catcher Bryce Deen three times, stole a pair of bases and scored three runs in the Longhorns’ 10-0 win over the Wolves.
The South Nodaway/Jefferson baseball team has come a long way since its 9-7 loss to East Atchison back on April 7 in Tarkio. It was on full display Tuesday night as the Longhorns captured the rematch 10-0 in five innings.
“We learned a lot from that (loss),” Longhorns head coach Aaron Murphy said. “We’ve taken some big steps forward since then and I think we’ve improved as a team. Everybody’s chipping in in different ways and everybody’s having fun, and that’s the biggest change I can see.
“I feel like that first loss against them, we played really sloppy in the field. Since then, it was a wakeup call that we used, and we cleaned up a lot of things. We’ve just got to keep that, make it our standard.”
It was a bit of déjà vu early for the Longhorns, who took an early 3-0 lead, much like in the first meeting.
Senior left fielder Logan Murphy led off the home half of the first with a single. Murphy then stole second and advanced to third on a dropped third strike, which also allowed senior third baseman Trestan McGeorge to reach safely.
After East Atchison starter Brody Cooper recorded another punchout, junior catcher Bryce Deen also reached on a dropped third strike, which allowed Murphy to score. The Lognhorns senior pitcher Quetin Ebrecht helped his own cause by driving in McGeorge and junior Jason Sullivan, who came on as a courtesy runner for Deen.
“It felt like a little déjà vu there for a little bit because I believe the first time we faced them, we started out with a 3-0 lead. Then the wheels fell off,” Aaron Murphy said. “Last time, when we lost, we didn’t bring those runners in. We had a lot of runners on base, but we didn’t get them in. Tonight was a different situation. We got them in.”
Cooper struck out five in the inning, but Ebrecht had all the run support he would need as he didn’t allow a hit until the third inning and just once had a runner reach third base against him.
“He stepped up and he’s doing his job. He did a dandy,” Aaron Murphy said of Ebrecht’s two-hit, seven-strikeout performance. “During the game, we had him on a pitch count, and he was up to 70. He must have caught word of it or something because he went out there and had a five or six pitch inning.”
After Ebrecht escaped his lone jam in the third inning — walking back-to-back batters before hitting Andrew Thomas — the Longhorns manufactured a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning.
With one out, junior shortstop Ben Jermain singled then stole both second and third base — South Nodaway/Jefferson swiped 10 bags on the night — and scored on a throw trying to catch Sullivan stealing second.
After Sullivan, who was again running for Deen, moved to third on an error, he scored on a wild pitch from Thomas, who had relieved Cooper to open the inning, to push the Horns’ advantage to 5-0.
“We have boys that can really run,” Aaron Murphy said. “There was a transition period at he beginning of the year, but we’ve played enough games now to where they’re learning and improving each and every outing. Now they’re getting the opportunity. Jason Sullivan is a great athlete, in the fall in softball he could steal any base he wanted, and he has the speed to do it. He showed it today. He ran like an animal today.”
Logan Murphy’s RBI groundout in the sixth added another run to the lead and the Longhorns ended the contest in the fifth due to the mercy rule, plating another four runs against Thomas.
Jermain walked to open the inning and stole second. Deen drove him in with a single and moved to second on the throw home. Sullivan, courtesy running once more, stole third and scored on Ebrecht’s RBI single. Freshman Dakota Cain then ran for Ebrecht and stole second. A walk to sophomore second baseman Tristan Freemyer and a fielder’s choice from senior Jed Galbraith moved both runners into scoring position.
Senior Jimmy Carter then pinch hit for sophomore Trey Farnan and drove in Cain with an infield single. Senior Brett Prettyman, also pinch-hitting, was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Logan Murphy beat out an infield single to drive in the winning run on senior night.
South Nodaway/Jefferson (8-3) has now won four in a row heading into Wednesday night’s contest against West Platte, the third leg of a back-to-back-to-back. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. in Weston.
“The key is having fun, but we have a very, very tough opponent again tomorrow in West Platte,” Aaron Murphy said. “… We just have to bring it and play our game one inning at a time. We’ve just gotta make sure we have our defense behind our pitchers.”
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Longhorns senior Quetin Ebrecht delivers a pitch early in South Nodaway/Jefferson’s 10-0 win over East Atchison Tuesday at Beal Park. Ebrecht gave up just two hits while striking out six and walking three in the shutout.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Longhorns senior left fielder Logan Murphy reaches out and slaps the ball up the middle for a base hit in Tuesday’s 10-0 win over East Atchison. Murphy was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI, including the game-winner in the bottom of the fifth, and a run scored.
JASON LAWRENCE/DAILY FORUM
Longhorns senior Quetin Ebrecht raps a pitch up the middle to drive in a run in the fifth inning of South Nodaway/Jefferson’s 10-0, five-inning win over East Atchison Tuesday at Beal Park. In addition to his shutout performance on the mound, Ebrecht was 2-for-3 with three RBI at the dish.
