Washington baseball is heating up at the perfect time of the season.
The Blue Jays (8-11, 3-3) had a five-game winning streak going until falling Thursday at Ft. Zumwalt North, 3-0.
Washington notched home wins in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday against Warrenton and Thursday against Duchesne.
“The biggest thing going for us right now is that our kids have started to believe that they can compete with anyone, and confidence is a great tool to have,” said Washington Head Coach Scott Bray. “ All 18 of our guys are pulling for each other. They are playing as a team. We are getting hot at the right time, but the kids know we still haven’t played our best game yet.”
Warrenton
Washington broke a 2-2 tie with an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh inning to defeat Warrenton 3-2 Tuesday at Ronsick Field.
Ryan Barnoski drew a leadoff walk in the seventh inning and Justin Schuler came in as a pinch runner.
Derek Walders laid down a sacrifice bunt and Dilan Bollmann flied out to center field, putting Schuler at third base with two outs.
Brock Hopkins then hit a hard grounder to third base, which was mishandled by the Warriors, allowing Hopkins to reach and Schuler to score.
Pete Coulter pitched the first four innings for Washington, allowing two runs.
Luke Hasenjaeger tossed three scoreless, hitless innings in relief for the win.
Bollmann paced the Blue Jays at the plate with two hits. Hopkins, Coulter and Walters each added one hit.
Chad Berrey pitched the entire game for Warrenton.
Brandon Moeller and Berrey both had two hits for the Warriors. Anthony Dewey added one hit.
The Blue Jays scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and one in the seventh.
The Warriors scored single runs in the top of the first and third innings.
“We did not hit very well, but Berrey threw the ball well. He kept us off balance and we popped up quite a bit,” Bray said. “Coulter and Hasenjaeger both threw the ball well.”
Duchesne
Washington won again with a run in the bottom of the seventh inning Wednesday over Duchesne, 6-5.
Jared Walde got the seventh-inning rally going with a one-out double. Alex Monehan replaced Walde on the bases.
Coulter followed with a single and advanced to second base on the throw home, putting runners at second and third bases. Hasenjaeger was then intentionally walked to load the bases.
With two outs, Walters won the game with a single to left field, scoring Monehan.
The Blue Jays scored two runs in the bottom of the third inning, three in the fourth and one in the seventh.
The Pioneers scored one run in the top of the first inning, three in the third and one in the sixth.
Walde pitched all seven innings to earn the win. He struck out three.
“Walde was a workhorse,” Bray said. “He worked out of some jams.”
Dustin Howard, Walde and Coulter each had two hits for Washington. Bollmann, Hopkins, Barnoski and Walters each collected one hit.
“We hit the ball much better and continue to improve on our pitch selection, but it can still get better,” Bray said.
Ft. Zumwalt North
Washington lost Thursday at Ft. Zumwalt North.
The Panthers (14-9, 4-2) scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning and one in the fifth.
Rick Sullivan tossed a complete game shutout for FZN, allowing five hits. He also helped himself at the plate with two hits and two RBIs.
