GRAY — Jaiden Henry's one-hitter kept Daniel Boone's baseball team just one game back in the Big Four Conference.
Henry's command allowed the Trailblazers to take down West Ridge in five innings, 12-0, on Monday.
“Jaiden pitched very well,” Boone head coach Scott Hagy said. “He was drawn into it last year because of all of the injuries (we had), and he has done nothing but pitch very, very well.”
The Trailblazers were able to strike early against the Wolves, getting one run in the first nearly single-handedly from the speed of Tim McGonigle. The leadoff hitter singled, then stole second and third bases to put himself 90 feet away from scoring with no outs. McGonigle scored on a sacrifice fly to give Boone a 1-0 lead.
Boone added three runs in the second, with two on a single from catcher Jackson Utsman with two outs. The onslaught continued in the third with an Ethan Roller RBI single to plate Ben Stevens, extending the lead to 4-0.
Henry’s one hit allowed came in the fourth inning, when he gave up a double to Alex Ireson. However, a foul out and a strikeout quickly erased any threat of the shutout bid ending.
After a single run in the third, the 'Blazers struck for seven runs in the fourth to pull away. Boone loaded the bases on multiple occasions, and saw the biggest blow with a two-run single by Brayden Blankenship.
“(The lineup) is starting to come around,” Hagy said. “We had some guys that were struggling early, but they’ve turned it on the last several games, starting to feel pretty good about themselves.
“When we have everybody doing what they’re capable of doing, we can be pretty good.”
One of the many standout batters for the 'Blazers was McGonigle, who reached base three times and scored each time.
“He’s the spark plug that makes us go,” Hagy said. “He knows it, and we give him a lot of leeway.”
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