Brother Rice baseball sweeps University Liggett in doubleheader
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TROY, Mich. – The Brother Rice Warriors (8-3) defeated the University Liggett Knights (8-4) in both of Wednesday’s contests. The Warriors won 9-0 in the first game, and they came back in the second game to win 5-2.
Here are three takeaways from today’s doubleheader:
King of K’s
Senior pitcher Ryan King started on the mound in the first game for the Warriors. After allowing a leadoff hit to senior Knight shortstop Jarren Purify (Clemson), King went on to pitch six scoreless and hitless innings. King had University Liggett batters guessing throughout his outing by complimenting his fastball with a nasty curveball. King finished with ten strikeouts, allowing just one hit and three walks.
Brother Rice head coach Bob Riker said King’s start was just what they needed.
“King really got us off to a good start on the mound throwing strikes,” Riker said. “He really had a good breaking pitch today. It kind of kept them off balance, and he had pretty good life on his fastball. Good pitching always gets you off on the right foot and he did a good job today.”
Junior infielder/pitcher Tristan Crane came in to close the game out in the seventh inning, and he threw three consecutive strikeouts to end the game after giving up a hit to the first batter he faced. Crane also did work at the plate, as he finished the first game 3-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Cool under pressure
Sophomore pitcher Blake Ilitch started the second game on the mound for the Warriors. Ilitch allowed four Knight batters to reach base in the first inning, but kept them to one run. In the second inning, the bases were loaded with no outs when Riker decided to put Crane back on the mound in place of Ilitch.
Crane was able to get out of the inning without taking damage on the scoreboard, and he went on to pitch three scoreless innings. Crane was once again productive at the plate in the second game, finishing 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
Crane said he recently made some adjustments to help his game.
“I’ve been seeing the ball okay lately, I was struggling early on (in the season),” Crane said. “Getting 3-for-3 today felt great and it boosted my confidence. I worked on a few things yesterday with my swing, and I put it in the game today and it worked out.”
With the Warriors down 2-1 in the bottom of the fifth inning, a few University Liggett errors allowed the Warriors to get traffic on the basepaths with two outs. Brother Rice went on to score four runs in the inning, highlighted by a two RBI double hit by senior outfielder Alex Cheeseman.
Rough road ahead
The Warriors host another doubleheader Thursday against Hartland, and they travel to Catholic Central for two more games on Saturday. Wednesday’s doubleheader marked the beginning of a stretch in which the Warriors play 13 games in 14 days, mostly against fellow Catholic League teams.
Riker said they’re going to find out what they’re made of in the next couple weeks.
“We’re going to get our pitching staff tested, but I like our staff,” Riker said. “With these two league games today, we have six within the next four days, and when you go play the central division you get no breathers, that’s for sure.”
