On a hot July day in South Carolina, the Kingsmen welcomed the Catawba Valley Stars to York Comprehensive High School for a double header. It was the teams’ second meeting of the season with the Stars taking the first game 3-1. After back-to-back games with a stagnant offense, the Kingsmen bats decided to wake up in game one.
Following two quick outs to begin the bottom of the first, Cam Troyer and starting pitcher Blake Bevis reached base via the hit by pitch and walk, respectively. Left fielder Bryce Frederick followed suit with a three-run home run down the left field line to give the Kingsmen an early 3-0 lead.
In the top of the second, the Stars got a run back off of Bevis after a walk, hit, and double steal. The Kingsmen offense, though, immediately added another run in the bottom half of the inning following a Stars’ error that scored Matthew Gross, who had singled previously in the inning.
The offense would continue their onslaught in the fourth inning, scoring three runs on four hits, including a two-run triple by Mikah Conner and an RBI knock by Troyer. The Kingsmen scored twice more on an RBI single from Darrien Whitaker in the fifth and a bases loaded walk to Aidan Rice.
A nine run lead would be plenty for Bevis, who was excellent in his six innings of work. The two-way player from Ball State struck out 11 batters while allowing just one hit, run, and walk. After minor trouble in the second inning, Bevis retired the final 14 Stars he faced before giving way to Gross who finished off the game. The Kingsmen won game one of the double header 10-1.
In game two, the offense stayed hot, jumping out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first after second baseman Ryan Fluharty singled home a run before scoring on a Stars error. In the second inning, the Stars got one back on a solo home run off of starting pitcher Justin Stewart, but the Kingsmen offense responded once again. The bats scored four times in the bottom half of the inning with Troyer doubling home two of them. Entering the third, the Kingsmen led 6-1.
After a quiet third inning for both teams, the Kingsmen added some insurance in the fourth. A leadoff single from Nick George followed by two walks, a hit by pitch, and a groundout would plate two more runs to extend the Kingsmen’s lead to 8-1. Similar to game one, the seven run cushion would be enough for Stewart.
In his final game with the Kingsmen after three years with the summer team, the righty fired six and two-thirds innings while striking out seven and allowing just three earned runs. While his first six innings were dominant, Stewart ran into trouble in the seventh after several errors and soft hits. With an exorbitant pitch count and the Stars having cut the lead to just two, Stewart handed the ball to George to finish the game.
Down to their final out, the Stars had the tying run on base. With the game on the line, George put an exclamation point on Stewart’s masterpiece, ending the game with a thunderous strikeout.
With the 8-6 win in game two, the Kingsmen swept the double header and moved to 11-5 this year. The team will have the day off tomorrow before closing out their stay in the Carolinas on Saturday against the Uwharrie Wampus Cats at York Comprehensive High School. Following Saturday’s matchup, the team will travel to the Dominican Republic for their annual missionary trip.
Stay tuned for more Kingsmen Baseball news and updates.
Justin Stewart Postgame Interview:
Coach Joe Hudak Postgame Interview:
