Warriors Open Conference with 8-3 Victory

Warrenton senior Chad Berrey picked an opportune day to have one of his best career performances, helping the Warriors to a 1-0 start in GAC North Conference play.

Starting on the mound, Berrey struck out four batters and allowed no earned runs en route to a 8-3 victory over St. Charles on Tuesday. He also went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, collecting three hits and a walk, while scoring three runs.

“I felt pretty good today,” said Berrey. “My curve ball was working well, and our defense was there after the first inning ... And I was seeing the ball really good at the plate.”

The Warriors ended the game sharper than they had started. Both teams struggled through an erratic first innings that saw a combined six errors and several cases of miscommunication.

“It was kind of bittersweet, because we didn’t start off on the right note today,” said coach Burle. “We kind of kept our cool and chipped away and ended up on the right side. It was a great way to start conference play.”

St. Charles put its first five batters on base, scoring two runs on an error to take its only lead of the game. Warrenton countered with a run in the bottom of the inning, as Berrey singled and was driven home on a double by senior Chris Hertel.

“Chad could have easily hung his head after that first inning,” said Burle. “But he stuck it out and gave us five solid innings.”

The Warriors pushed through another pair of runs to take a 3-2 lead in the third, as junior Jakob Junker scored Berrey and advanced home on an error.

Junior Jordan Noble scored in the fourth inning on a double by Brandon Moeller, who collected three hits on the day. Warrenton tacked on three more runs in the fifth.

“We had a lot of guys that took great at-bats,” said Burle. “It was probably our best offensive effort. Probably our only black mark would be runners left on base.”

Leading 7-2 heading into the sixth, Burle decided to rest Berrey, bringing in Moeller for relief. He gave up one run in the final inning, allowing two hits and a walk.

The Warriors improved to 3-3 overall and will meet Duchesne at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O’Fallon on Saturday at 3 p.m.