After dropping both games of a doubleheader
at DuQuoin this past Saturday to kick-off the season, the Cougars bounced back with a pair of wins to start the
week as they handled Altamont and Clay City on back-to-back days.
On Saturday, not only did the Cougars lose two games to the Indians from DuQuoin,
they also lost senior Ian King for the season when he was severly injured on a diving attempt at a fly ball in the outfield.
He suffered a broken wrist, a broken finger, a fractured chin bone, damage
to several teeth, and severe lacerations to his lips and mouth when he crashed into the wooden retaining wall around
the bullpen in right field foul ground area.
On Monday, the Cougars traveled to Altamont and held on for a 6-5 win against
the host Indians.
Tyler Gillett came up with some late-game heroics when he drove home a pair
of runs with a long double to left-center in the sixth and the game tied at four.
He then got credit for a save as he pitched the last 1 1/3 in relief of starting
and winning pitcher Ryan Gesell.
Gesell was sharp in his 5 2/3 innings of work as he allowed 4 runs (2 earned)
on 6 hits, 4 walks, and 6 strikeouts.
Leading the offense was Kyle Monical with a pair of singles and 2 RBI and Shane
Donoho with 2 singles in four at-bats. Cole Armstrong also had a big RBI double in the sixth when laced a line drive
over the leftfielder's head to tie the game just before Gillett untied it with his blast.
On Tuesday, the Cougars rocked the visiting Clay City Wolves by a score of
17-5 in five innings.
Starting and winning pitcher Colby Bushue tossed four complete innings allowing
all five runs (3 earned) on 4 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Freshman Shane Meyer got his first taste of varsity action
when he pitched a scoreless fifth.
The Cougar offense banged out 17 hits on the day with Dylan Sill, Larry
Schoreck, and Tyler Gillett all blasting home runs to lead the way.
Armstrong and Sill each had 3 hits each and Gillett, Gesell, Bushue, and Schoreck
chipped in with 2 apiece.
The Cougars return to action on Wednesday when the travel to Stewardson-Strasburg
to battle the Comets at 4:30 PM.
