The Oskaloosa baseball team got their season officially underway on Tuesday night against Knoxville and were able to get the clean sweep, winning by scores of 12-8 and 7-6 in games you heard on the Mahaska Zone Network.
In Game One, Knoxville got off to a fast start, getting two runs off of Osky starter Bennett Spry. The Indian offense would bounce back quickly, however, as they would plate eight runs before the end of the third inning. The damage was done mainly due to defensive miscues by the Panthers, who had six total errors in the first game.
Knoxville would battle back to cut the lead to one at 8-7 in the fifth before Seth Sarver came on in relief for Osky and turned back the rally with a huge strikeout and a groundout. The Indians would get four insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, and hold on for the win, 12-8.
Osky was outhit 10-4, but did not commit a defensive error in support of Spry, Joe Sterner, and Sarver on the mound. The only Indian with multiple hits was sophomore Blake VanVeldhuizen, who was 2 for 3 with 2 runs scored and an RBI. Casey Hill also scored a run running for VanVeldhuizen. Sterner would have two RBI in the game.
In the second game, Oskaloosa again would get off to a fast start, scoring six runs in the first two innings to take a quick 6-2 lead in support of freshman pitcher Rian Yates. Yates would labor through the third inning, however, surrendering four runs, which would tie the game at 6.
The frosh would gamely battle to give Head Coach Clint Gingrich five strong innings, as he shut down the Panther offense to give his team a chance to take the lead. That’s exactly what happened in the bottom of the 4th, as with two outs, Bennett Spry would single, steal second, and advance to third on a balk. Number three hitter Ethan Arnold would rope a ball off the wall in left field for the RBI that would prove to be the difference.
Peyton Crouse would pitch the last two innings for the Indians to get the six-out save and lock down the win for Yates in his first varsity start.
Oskaloosa is 2-0 on the season, and will next be in action on Thursday at Martensdale-St. Marys.
The next broadcast of the Oskaloosa baseball team will be this Friday as the Indians host Winterset in a single varsity game. First pitch will be around 7:30 PM, with the pregame show beginning around 7:15 on 99.5 FM/740 AM KMZN, the KMZN mobile app, and radiokmzn.com.
