Western Boone Jr. - Sr. High School

To win close games in baseball, it comes down to the little things to make a difference. On Wednesday night, it was the WeBo baseball team that did the little things right against rival Lebanon, and they were rewarded in a 4-2 win. "I can't say enough about our defense tonight," Western Boone head coach Michael Nance said. "Our pitcher gave us a chance and threw a lot of strikes, but they put the ball in play and our defense made the plays. That was the best game of the year for us defensively." The Stars did commit three errors in the game, but two came on errant pick-off throws. Coming into the season, Nance believed the Stars defense could be one of their strengths, but there have been some tough errors in the early part of the season. Wednesday was a step in the right direction to where they want to be, Nance said. "I thought this is who we would be," Nance said. "We aren't going to walk people and when the other team puts it in play, we are going to make the plays." Western Boone led 1-0 after an inning, when Gavin Hawkins scored on a wild pitch. freestar They doubled the lead an inning later when Kahne Reid knocked in Brennan Kopriva with a squeeze bunt. For Western Boone, Hawkins, Evan Kiplinger and Reid all had two hits. "It felt good to get those early runs but I felt like we left a couple on the board honestly," Nance said. "We didn't execute some bunts early in the game, but it always feels good to score early in games and then hand it off to the pitcher." Lebanon got back within a run in the top of the third on a 1-out double by Joe Susong, and after Bryce Nelson reached on an error and stole second, had two in scoring position with one out. But WeBo starter Easton Nance got a strike out then a ground out to get out of the jam. Lebanon head coach Riley Benner said leaving runners in scoring position is something the Tigers have to improve on. "We had chances with runners in scoring position, and just didn't get the ball in play," Benner said. "They did the things they needed to - they put balls in play with runners in scoring position. We are in a spot right now offensively, where we aren't making productive outs with guys on base. The thing that hurt us today was the situational hitting with guys on third base. When you put the ball in play, it's easier to score runs." The Tigers left three runners on in the game, all in scoring position. freestar Benner said the team as a whole needs to be better at situational hitting as they move forward. "It's partly a mindset thing but at the same time, we had a situation with runners on second and third and we try to hang a big number there and strike out," Benner said. "I don't hate that effort, but we need to get the ball in play there. We hit a deep fly ball there, we get at least a run or two. We have to put the ball in play hard in those situations." Western Boone extended the lead to 3-1 in the fourth thanks to a Hawkins single, but Lebanon cut the lead back to one a half inning later on a Bryce Nelson single. The Stars got an insurance run in the sixth, with Owen Howe hitting a sacrifice fly. Lebanon is back in action Thursday against Lafayette Jeff at Loeb Stadium. Western Boone, now 6-5, travels to Pike on Friday and Tri-West on Saturday. "We need to have a good practice tomorrow and we are really going to get after it," Nance said. "We got some stuff we still want to clean up and then hopefully we carry that over into a couple games this weekend." Will Willems is the Sports Editor of the Lebanon Reporter. Follow him on Twitter @Will_Willems. Western Boone JV Stars Hold Off Lebanon for 5-4 Victory The Western Boone Junior Varsity Stars jumped out to an early lead and fended off a late rally to edge past Lebanon, 5-4, on Wednesday night. The Stars built a four-run cushion by the third inning, sparked by a two-run triple from Johnny Rutherford and a sacrifice fly from Luke Shirley in the opening inning. They added two more in the third when Sam Rausch drew a walk and Luke Cummins grounded into a fielder’s choice, each bringing in a run. Lebanon made things interesting, closing the gap with runs scored via a walk, a single, and a solo homer in the sixth inning. Despite the pressure, Western Boone defense held on. Jack Mallory was dominant on the mound for the Stars, striking out 10 and allowing just three hits over seven innings and a complete game. He gave up four runs mostly due to 7 walks. Catcher Elijah Anderson had a great game behind the plate and Owen Oakley played defensively great as well. Rutherford led the offense, going 1-for-2 with two RBIs Including the standup triple in the 1st. Mallory, Cale Scagnoli, and Rutherford each tallied a hit for Western Boone, which also turned a nice 4-6-3 double play to support their pitcher. The Western Boone JV Stars will be back in action Saturday as they travel to face Tri-West Hendricks.