Gunnison baseball defeats Olathe, 11-3

The Cowboys baseball team overpowered Olathe 11-3 in a seven-inning ballgame on June 18 at Gunnison High School.

Jorge Perez led the Cowboys on the mound in the top of the first inning, getting balls in play for his defense and shutting down Pirate batters. Avren Hartzell led off for Gunnison with a walk before Jack Stone hit a single. With two runners on base, Perez walloped the second pitch he saw over the center fielder’s head. With a Cowboy crossing home and Perez reaching second, the Cowboys took a 1-0 lead to start the game.

The top of the second inning started in similar fashion with a strong defensive presence from the Cowboys. Catcher Asher Woytek secured the first out of the inning by throwing out a Pirate trying to steal second base. Perez locked in the other outs of the inning with two strikeouts, keeping the score 1-0.

Deegan Bennett started the offensive charge in the second inning after a string of Olathe errors helped him reach second base. The Pirates quickly adjusted and secured two outs before Hartzell reached first base and Bennett moved to third. Stone drove in a teammate with a line drive to center field. Perez followed Stone’s lead with another RBI, making the score 3-0. The red-hot Cowboys bats continued as Woytek hit another RBI to score two runs. The Cowboys finished the second inning with a daunting 5-0 lead.

Gunnison’s defense stood strong in the third inning, allowing no Olathe runners to score. The Cowboys returned to work in the bottom half of the inning as Jakob Miller secured a single and Parker Vick launched a ball off the center-field fence to score Miller. Vick reached third base on the play and soon after stole home to put the Cowboys up 7-0.

The Cowboys’ momentum continued defensively with two plays from second baseman Bodhi Bacalis and a play from Bennett in right field. Gunnison continued to look unstoppable with RBIs from Perez and Woytek, ending the inning leading 9-0.

The fifth inning went scoreless for both teams, and by the sixth inning, the Cowboys finally started to slow down. The Pirates, desperate to stay within reach, put together several scrappy at-bats to score three runs. Leading 9-3, Gunnison responded quickly with a double by Perez and RBIs from Woytek and Lane Stone, leading the Cowboys into the final inning up 11-3.

Lane Stone finished the game on the mound for Gunnison, supported by two outs from Hartzell at shortstop. The Cowboys then defeated Olathe again, 14-4. 

The Cowboys play their final game of the summer season at home on June 29 against Buena Vista.