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By Adam Edelin and Hannah Getman
The Saint Francis Catholic baseball team beat Countryside Christian 16-4 on Friday at Countryside.
The Wolves (11-7) batters matched the day’s weather — hot — as they raked 16 hits, including four for extra bases, in just six innings.
Countryside’s Quick Lead
The Minutemen (7-7) took the lead early. A single and walk, followed by a pair of steals, got two Minutemen into scoring position in the first. Sophomore Dayton Hulst then laid down a bunt, which was dropped at first, scoring two runs.
A sacrifice bunt paired with an error at first allowed two Minutemen to score. @ESPNGainesville #ESPNGainesville #highschoolbaseball pic.twitter.com/NuC7KyTl5i
— Brooke Park (@BrookePark66788) April 19, 2024
Saint Francis Responds
Saint Francis responded with three runs in the second. A sacrifice bunt by sophomore Nate Muir moved a runner into scoring position. A triple to center by freshman Sawyer Williams scored the Wolves’ first.
A triple to center field results in St. Francis’ first run of the game.
Score 2-1 Countryside Christian @ESPNGainesville #ESPNGainesville #highschoolbaseball pic.twitter.com/pwNOjJiAYQ
— Brooke Park (@BrookePark66788) April 19, 2024
With two outs and runners on, a pair of hits gave Saint Francis the 3-2 lead.
Bats Get Hot
What appeared to be a close game quickly turned into a blowout. The Wolves scored 13 runs in the last two innings on 11 hits.
Everything was going Saint Francis’ way. Ground balls were shooting gaps, flyballs were dropping into no-man’s land in the shallow outfield and infield errors were being forced due to the pressure of a amounting lead by the Wolves.
A single drops in the shallow center, allowing the Wolves to score. @ESPNGainesville #ESPNGainesville #HighSchoolBaseball pic.twitter.com/3uXH8cnefM
— Brooke Park (@BrookePark66788) April 19, 2024
Saint Francis also played great situational baseball. The Wolves knew when to steal, amassing six steals in the game. They knew where to hit the ball. Multiple sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies got Wolves across home plate or into scoring position.
The most significant hit of the day came from Muir, who belted a triple to deep center just short of the fence to keep the momentum going.
Dominate Pitching
Saint Francis also dominated on the mound. Senior McCabe Long pitched all six innings, allowed just four hits and recorded eight strikeouts. McCabe saw only a maximum of five batters in one inning, refusing Countryside any momentum.
