By Noah Dalton
MITCHELL – After dropping two straight games for the first time all season, the No. 4 ranked team in the state for 2A, Mitchell High School, got back to their winning ways on Tuesday, beating 11th ranked Brownstown-Central in a tightly contested game.
The Bluejackets left Gary Seitzinger Field on the field with a 8-4 victory, largely thanks to a five-run surge in the bottom of the fifth inning of what had been a tied game at 2-2 up until that point.
Mitchell head coach Jerry Chaney said his team pulled out the win over the Braves because of their ability to execute, both defensively and from the batter’s box.
“I thought we had we did a good job of executing today. We got the bunts down and Ben [Seitzinger] pitched a great game. We played some good defense behind him at times and we had some timely hitting. I really thought we did a good job of controlling the tempo of the game,” he said.
The Bluejackets’ win-securing fifth inning was started with back-to-back base knocks from Simon Gaines and AJ Sarver. With Gaines at second, Carsyn Herald hit a ground ball that was fumbled by the Brownstown defense, allowing Gaines to score. In the next at bat, a bunt from Gibson Glassco gave way for Sarver to reach home plate, moving pinch-runner Connor Teague to second, as Glassco made his way safely to first.
After the Braves recorded the second out of the inning, Bryson Zeeks stepped to the plate, hitting a fly ball to left field that Brownstown was unable to track and catch, allowing Glassco and Teague to score in the mishap. Mitchell scored their final run in the inning on an RBI-single from Kody Earl in the next at bat, bringing home Zeeks to give the team a 7-2 lead that Brownstown was unable to overcome.
A few big bunts in the game, including the one from Glassco in the fifth that scored a run, as well as a sacrifice bunt from Sarver in the third, that moved a runner to third and set up the game-tying second run for the Bluejackets, were huge for the team in their win over the 16-win Braves, according to Chaney.
“And you know, the bunt game was the key tonight. Obviously, that was a good ballclub, there were 16-5 coming in. I believe they had a victory with Floyd Central this year and that’s a good win. That’s a good that’s a good win for us, especially since we’re slumping a little bit,” he said.
Having dropped the previous two games heading into their matchup with Brownstown, Chaney said the win on Tuesday was big for his team as they approach the postseason, with hopes of a deep run.
“It’s huge. I mean, right now we’ve just won our 17th game again, that’s back to back 17 wins for the Mitchell Bluejackets. The community can be proud of this baseball team,” he said. “That’s a big for us in that situation. But I really liked the boys, they were focused. They came out, they were locked in. They knew they were going against another good team and we knew we had Ben on the mound and when we had Ben on the mound we’re pretty dang good. So, tremendous effort by the whole team.”
As mentioned by Chaney, Ben Seitzinger’s performance at the mound was huge for Mitchell in the win. The junior threw for six innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs. He threw 100 total pitches on the night, with a 66% strike percentage and three strike outs.
Gaines was the only Bluejackets’ batter to earn multiple hits in the game, finishing with two, with Earl, Glassco, Herald and Seitzinger each batting in a run.
Bluejackets struggle to bring home runners in 10-2 loss to No. 3 Barr Reeve
MONTGOMERY – After a big win on Tuesday, Mitchell High School traveled on Wednesday to Montgomery to take on Barr Reeve, the 3rd ranked team in the state for 1A.
Despite an early lead, the Bluejackets were ultimately beaten by the Vikings in decisive fashion, 10-2.
Mitchell struck first in the matchup, scoring in the first inning thanks to a sacrifice fly from Herald, which brought home leadoff hitter Gaines, who singled to start the game. Barr Reeve tied things up in the bottom of the second, scoring after a passed ball from the Bluejackets. Their lead was short-lived, at least for the moment, as Mitchell reclaimed a one-run lead in the third after a solo home run from Seitzinger, his second of the year.
That run would remain the final one scored for the Bluejackets on the day, as the Vikings posted nine runs over the next three innings, earning 10 of their 11 hits in the game over that period.
Mitchell struggled to get runners on base for the remainder of the game, closing the four and fifth innings with three-straight outs, before finally earning a hit in the sixth, a single from Glassco. With one final chance to get back into the game in the seventh, the Bluejackets put runners on first and third after a single from Earl and a Gaines double, but were unable to score any of them before the final out.
Earl started the game for Mitchell at the mound, throwing four innings against the Vikings, giving up eight hits and three earned runs, striking out three.
Gaines again led the team as the only batter with multiple hits, clocking two more against Barr Reeve. Seitzinger and Herald both had RBIs for the Bluejackets.
Stats against Brownstown
Brownstown Centralmore stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethan Garland | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Carson Darlage | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Trent Lowery | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Grayson Cassidy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Pierson Wheeler | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaxson Johnson | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dalton Reedy | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ethan Fultz | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lane Pendleton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Chick Tiemeyer | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Easton Branaman | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 28 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
BattingTB: Jaxson Johnson, Ethan Garland 2, Pierson Wheeler 2, Trent Lowery
RBI: Jaxson Johnson, Pierson Wheeler, Trent Lowery
ROE: Chick Tiemeyer, Grayson Cassidy
FC: Jaxson Johnson
HBP: Carson Darlage
SB: Jaxson Johnson, Ethan Garland
CS: Ethan Fultz, Easton Branaman
TotalsTeam QAB: 12 (37.50%)
Ethan Fultz, Jaxson Johnson, Lane Pendleton, Carson Darlage, Ethan Garland 3, Pierson Wheeler 2, Trent Lowery 2, Grayson Cassidy
Team LOB: 7FieldingE: Jaxson Johnson, Carson Darlage, Ethan Garland
Mitchellmore stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Gaines | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| AJ Sarver | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ben Seitzinger | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Carsyn Herald | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Gibson Glassco | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ethan Turner | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bryson Zeeks | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Kody Earl | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ashton Luman | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Connor Teague | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Aiden Premo | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 25 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
Batting2B: Simon Gaines, Carsyn Herald
TB: Kody Earl, Simon Gaines 3, Gibson Glassco, Carsyn Herald 2, AJ Sarver
RBI: Kody Earl, Gibson Glassco, Carsyn Herald, Ben Seitzinger
SAC: AJ Sarver
ROE: Carsyn Herald, Bryson Zeeks
FC: Ashton Luman
SB: Simon Gaines, AJ Sarver
TotalsTeam QAB: 15 (48.39%)
Kody Earl, Simon Gaines 2, Carsyn Herald 3, Ashton Luman, AJ Sarver 3, Ben Seitzinger 2, Ethan Turner, Bryson Zeeks 2
Team LOB: 5FieldingE: Aiden Premo, Ethan Turner 2
Brownstown Centralmore stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dalton Reedy | 4.1 | 83 | .506 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
| Ethan Fultz | 0.2 | 17 | .765 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Trent Lowery | 1.0 | 18 | .778 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 6.0 | 118 | .585 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 0 |
PitchingL: Dalton Reedy
WP: Dalton Reedy, Trent Lowery
Pitches-Strikes: Ethan Fultz 17-13, Dalton Reedy 83-42, Trent Lowery 18-14
Groundouts-Flyouts: Ethan Fultz 0-1, Dalton Reedy 5-2, Trent Lowery 0-1
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Ethan Fultz 3-5, Dalton Reedy 10-22, Trent Lowery 3-4
Mitchellmore stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Seitzinger | 6.0 | 100 | .660 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| Ashton Luman | 1.0 | 21 | .571 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 7.0 | 121 | .645 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
PitchingW: Ben Seitzinger
HBP: Ashton Luman
WP: Ashton Luman
Pitches-Strikes: Ashton Luman 21-12, Ben Seitzinger 100-66
Groundouts-Flyouts: Ashton Luman 1-0, Ben Seitzinger 5-8
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Ashton Luman 3-5, Ben Seitzinger 21-27
Stats Against Barr Reeve
Mitchellmore stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Gaines | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AJ Sarver | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ben Seitzinger | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Carsyn Herald | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Gibson Glassco | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ethan Turner | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bryson Zeeks | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Kody Earl | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Ashton Luman | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jaydan King | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Aiden Premo | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Connor Teague | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 27 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
Batting2B: Simon Gaines
HR: Ben Seitzinger
TB: Kody Earl, Simon Gaines 3, Gibson Glassco, Ben Seitzinger 4, Ethan Turner
RBI: Carsyn Herald, Ben Seitzinger
FC: Ashton Luman
TotalsTeam QAB: 10 (34.48%)
Kody Earl, Simon Gaines 3, Gibson Glassco 2, Ashton Luman, AJ Sarver 2, Ben Seitzinger
Team LOB: 6FieldingE: Ethan Turner, Bryson Zeeks 2
Barr-Reevemore stats
| Lineup | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skull | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Miller | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Colton Skull | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Pauw | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wagner | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Graber | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| E Graber | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lester | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Knepp | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Miller | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| K Graber | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| Totals | 29 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 3 | 4 |
Batting2B: Skull
HR: Graber, Lester
TB: Skull 3, Miller, Pauw, Wagner, Graber 5, E Graber, Lester 5, Knepp
RBI: Skull, Miller, Graber 3, Lester 2
ROE: Miller, Wagner
FC: Lester
HBP: E Graber
SB: Miller, E Graber, Knepp, Miller
CS: Skull, Graber, E Graber
TotalsTeam QAB: 14 (42.42%)
Skull, Miller 2, Colton Skull 4, Pauw 2, Graber 2, E Graber, Lester, Knepp
Team LOB: 5FieldingE: K Graber
Mitchellmore stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kody Earl | 4.0 | 96 | .583 | 8 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Connor Teague | 2.0 | 34 | .529 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 6.0 | 130 | .569 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
PitchingHBP: Connor Teague
WP: Kody Earl
BK: Connor Teague
Pitches-Strikes: Kody Earl 96-56, Connor Teague 34-18
Groundouts-Flyouts: Kody Earl 3-4, Connor Teague 1-3
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Kody Earl 13-24, Connor Teague 4-9
Barr-Reevemore stats
| Pitching | IP | #P | S% | H | R | ER | SO | BB | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pauw | 7.0 | 106 | .660 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
| Totals | 7.0 | 106 | .660 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | 1 |
PitchingBK: Pauw 2
Pitches-Strikes: Pauw 106-70
Groundouts-Flyouts: Pauw 6-8
First pitch strikes-Batters faced: Pauw 18-29
