Armstrong baseball team ‘steals’ victory from Highlands

By: George Guido
Friday, April 23, 2021 | 7:43 PM

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Armstrong’s track team was on the road Friday.

But it was hard to tell by watching the baseball team on the basepaths.

The River Hawks stole nine bases, with six of the seven runs scored by runners who stole a base along the way, as Armstrong defeated Highlands, 7-5, in a nonsection game.

Eli Wiles had four hits, stole three bases and scored twice in the River Hawks’ home victory.

Armstrong, winner of four of its last five games, is 6-7 overall. Highlands slipped to 6-5.

Jesse Hepler, who struck out twice earlier in the game and was pinch-hit for in the fourth inning, drove in the go-ahead run in the sixth.

Said River Hawks first-year coach Pat Fabian: “What I saw from his body language those first two at-bats and over the previous two games, I told him I didn’t have confidence in him. But he responded later in the game. He was upset, and if you don’t like the situation, do something about it, and he did that. He had the game-winning hit, and I’m very proud of him.”

Highlands opened the scoring with two runs in the second on a bases-loaded walk and a single by Jimmy Kunst. Armstrong starter Dustin Coleman, however, struck out the next two to limit the damage.

The River Hawks got their running game in gear in the third, stealing four bases and scoring three runs. Alex Colwell’s two-out single drove in Wiles and pinch-runner Seth Weinskovich, making it 3-2 Armstrong.

The Golden Rams, who left seven runners on base over the first three innings, tied the score at 3-3 in the fourth when Seth Helgert and Kunst engineered a double steal. Helgert scored from third while Kunst got in a rundown between first and second.

“We practice that at least once a week,” Highlands coach Jeff Campbell said of the double steal. “We work on that, and Kunst almost beat the rundown.”

Armstrong grabbed the lead back quickly in the bottom of the fourth. Coleman opened with a single and took second — not on a steal but on a bunt by Lane Peat. Zane Lasher, pinch-hitting for Hepler, scored pinch-runner Zach Damore with a single.

Wiles and Zach Streightif opened the fifth with singles. Wiles and pinch-runner Weinskovich pulled off a double steal, and Wiles scored on Ethan Prugh’s sacrifice fly to make it 5-3 River Hawks.

“Coach likes us to get on early, then really run quickly,” Wiles said. “We get runners in scoring position and get some RBIs. We’ve won four out of our last five, so we’re ready to make a push.”

Highlands tied the score in the sixth as Trent Bielak doubled to deep center, scoring Helgert and Kunst with two outs.

In the bottom of the sixth after Hepler’s RBI single, Wiles tripled to score Hepler after yet anther stolen base.

“We like to be aggressive,” Fabian said. “We don’t have a lot of team speed, so what we do is the little things a lot to get an advantage all the time.”

Said Campbell: “Our pitchers kept us in it. But we just couldn’t get that key hit the ball in key spots. We get guys on second and third and hit pop ups. You can’t win games that way.”

Shortstop Tanner Nulph started a pair of double plays to keep Highlands in the game.

Tags: Armstrong, Highlands