WORTHINGTON -- Outside of that fifth inning, Monday’s season-opening high school baseball game at the Worthington middle school field went fairly well for the Trojans. Starting pitcher Cooper McCoy hurled four solid innings and the Trojans played visiting Redwood Valley even for four frames.
Things got out of hand, however, in the fifth. The final score in the five-inning game was 12-1.
Not bad, overall, for the first game of the spring.
“Not until that fifth inning,” said Trojans head coach Skyler Wenninger. “The wheels kind of fell off. Too many bad pitches and some hit-by-pitches. Can’t give teams too many outs in baseball games.”
A one-out RBI single off McCoy by Carson Woodford broke the 1-1 tie. McCoy was replaced by Andrew Benson a few batters later, but Benson was wild -- hitting three batters and walking two more. Mathias Noble relieved Benson but hit the first two batters he faced before an infield hit and a two-run single by the Cardinals’ Austin Gunderson ended the damage.
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A single, a walk and an infield error in the top of the first inning led to Redwood Valley’s first run, but McCoy held the visitors scoreless in the next three frames.
“The first inning was just getting back in the groove after I’ve been out for a while,” the right-hander said. “The next three, I think I did pretty good. Then in the fifth I just gave up too many hits.”
Worthington was held scoreless by Redwood’s Isaac Louwagie until the bottom of the fourth, when WHS pinch runner Konner Honius stole second base with one out, went to third on a passed ball and scored when McCoy grounded out to shortstop.
Louwagie went the distance, checking Worthington on two hits. Redwood Valley finished with eight hits off the three Trojan pitchers.
“Cooper McCoy did a good job of pitching, getting ahead of hitters,” Wenninger said.
But there are other things the Trojans need to shore up.
“We need to have a better approach at the plate, not just one or two of us but all of us. Every one of us can get to work on attacking pitches,” said the coach.
Worthington is scheduled to get back on the field Tuesday (April 12) in a home doubleheader with St. Peter that begins at 4 p.m. weather permitting. Wenninger says he plans to start his “horse,” Jake Brandner in the first game. Brandner’s younger brother Tucker is tentatively penciled in for the second game.
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Results from Tuesday’s doubleheader can be seen online at www.dglobe.com .
Redwood Valley 1 00 0(11) -- 12-8-0
Worthington 000 10 -- 1-2-2
