When you score 63 runs in 20 innings, you feel pretty good about your offense. That is the case for a Malcolm junior legion baseball team off to its best start in years. Five weeks into the season, the juniors are 12-3 coming off a third-place finish in Crete’s Gretchen Walker Memorial Tournament.
Malcolm jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the host team to open the consolation game June 27 at Tuxedo Park. Three walks helped Malcolm score three runs in the first inning. Luke Walters led off the second frame with a double and scored on a Colt Reiling double. Reiling came up just a home run short of a cycle and drove in two runs while Walters had two doubles and an RBI.
Malcolm went with the “committee” approach on the mound as four pitchers combined to allow five Crete hits while striking out five batters.
“We didn’t pitch well,” Malcolm head coach Brandon Rieschick said. “But, we were able to take advantage of what they gave us.”
A day earlier, Malcolm took an early 5-1 lead but failed to hold it as Lincoln Lutheran stormed back to win 11-8 and earn a spot in the championship game.
Lincoln Lutheran took advantage of six Malcolm errors to get back in the game as a three-run third inning and a four-run fifth opened up a four-run lead that was too much for Malcolm to overcome.
“Tough to win a game when you have six errors, passed balls and don’t execute on double-play chances,” Rieschick said. “Even harder when it’s a good team like Lincoln Lutheran.”
Maddox Meyer led Malcolm by going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double. Connor Zegar went 2-for-3 with a double and drove in two runs while Elliot Robotham was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs.
Malcolm opened tournament play on June 25 with a 10-1 run-rule win over Fairbury.
Hayden Frank went 3-for-4 while driving in four runs. Robotham was 2-for-3 with an RBI while Reiling also recorded a pair of hits in the five-inning game. Brayden Boehle went the distance, allowing five hits and striking out three while improving his record to 5-0.
“Hayden has been really solid at the plate all season,” Rieschick said. “For Brayden to go the distance on the mound was good to see.”
Malcolm traveled to North Bend for a June 22 game against the Black Sox but got rained out in the fourth inning. Malcolm led 10-4 when the game was called.
The next night Malcolm hosted Shelby-Osceola-Stromsburg and had no trouble in a 26-0 romp in which the juniors pounded 20 hits.
Zegar went 3-for-3 with a pair of doubles and five RBIs to lead Malcolm. Meyer was 2-for-4 while driving in three and scoring three times.
“I was glad to see almost everyone have a hit,” Rieschick said. “That kind of offensive production says something about a team. Our guys had a really good approach.”
The Malcolm seniors only had one game on the schedule last week, at North Bend. It was rained out.
After being road warriors most of the season, Malcolm will stay close to home this week as they host juniors-seniors doubleheaders against Syracuse on Tuesday and Adams on Wednesday. On Thursday, July 1, the Malcolm seniors welcome Lincoln High. The juniors and seniors from Utica-Beaver Crossing visit Malcolm on Saturday.
