The Oak Hall Eagles and Eastside Rams shake hands after their season opener. [Claire Dean]

Oak Hall Baseball Defeats Eastside in Season Opener

Amanda Roman February 21, 2024 Baseball, Eastside High School, High School Sports, Oak Hall High School 217 Views

By Amanda Roman and Curan Ahern

The Oak Hall Eagles started the high school baseball season strong with a 5-0 win over the Eastside Rams on Tuesday night.

The Eagles (18-6) defeated the Rams (7-9) two times last season and continued the streak in their season opener at Eastside.

Pitcher’s Duel

Both the Eagles (1-0) and Rams (0-1) came out strong defensively as neither team allowed a run until the fourth inning.

Pitcher Jack Steen (20) for Oak Hall on the mound. [Claire Dean]
In the first, Oak Hall’s first three batters were quickly retired and the Rams came up to bat. Eagles pitcher Jack Steen opened by striking out the first three batters he faced. Steen also struck out the side in the second and, despite a runner reaching base off an error in the third, Steen tallied nine strikeouts through the first three innings.

“Our pitchers really worked hard coming into the season. Steen came out and threw a gem,” Oak Hall coach Kevin Maris said. 

Eagles Threaten Early

The first hit of the game came from Oak Hall’s Ethan Szlachetka in the top of the second inning on a double down the third base line. Despite having a runner in scoring position with only one out, the Eagles and Szlachetka, attempting to steal third base, were shut down by an Eastside strike ’em out, throw ’em out double play.

Getting On The Board

Eastside Pitcher Zach Bargar (4) preparing to hold off the Eagles. [Claire Dean]
Oak Hall scored the first run of the game in the fourth inning on a pair of hits and a pair of walks forced in a run with the bases loaded. However, Rams pitcher Zach Bargar was able to limit the damage by striking out the next two batters to end the inning.

Keeping the Rams Quiet

Steen pitched six innings for Oak Hall and tallied 16 strikeouts in the seven inning game. The Rams threatened to score only once when Jacob Barnham hit a single to left field with a runner on second base in the fifth inning. However, a strong throw from Szlachetka in left field beat Bargar to the plate, keeping Eastside scoreless.

Flying Away

The Eagles added two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings. An RBI triple from senior Harrison Beach in the fifth increased the Eagles’ lead to three, while a walk and an error gave the Eagles two baserunners who ultimately scored in the sixth.

With Eastside unable to manufacture anything on offense and only one hit throughout the game, Oak Hall took a decisive win.

“I was proud of the way the guys hit… They did a good job in certain situations that we needed to get something productive done out at the at bat. I look forward to the rest of the season, that’s for sure,” Maris said.

Up Next

The Eagles return to their home field Thursday at 4:15 p.m. when they play the Newberry Panthers. Maris said he’s glad his Eagles were able to work out some kinks and that they are ready to compete. The Panthers are also coming off a win, 4-2, against Suwannee High on Tuesday.

The Rams will continue their season with an away game against the Bradford Tornadoes on Thursday at 6 p.m. The Tornadoes are also coming off a loss against University Christian, 3-2, on Monday.

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