Johnson City defeated Randolph 20-0 and went 4-0 in the Hamilton tournament the following weekend in its final games before district play begins in Junction after press time Tuesday.
The Eagles have not lost since a 6-1 defeat to Blanco on Feb. 17. Since then, the Eagles have swept tournaments in Brady and Hamilton and picked up a big win over Randolph at home. Head coach Rhett Eickenloff and Johnson City will enter district play with an eight-game winning streak and with eyes on another playoff run.
“We prepare for district every day,” Eickenloff said. “These guys really come out and prepare themselves every day for big situations, big time district games.”
The first game of the week for Johnson City was also its only home game of the winning streak. Hosting Randolph, Johnson City got started quickly with a seven- run bottom of the first inning. The Eagles added on two more in the second, but the standout offensive performance came in the third inning, where Johnson City scored another 11 runs to increase its lead to 20-0.
“In a game like this, you know, it’s really important to stay composed. It’s really important to keep your head into the game,” Eickenloff said. “A lot of people got in, a lot of people got quality reps.”
The 11-run third inning saw players up and down Johnson City’s roster contributing, but the loudest hit came from freshman outfielder Truett Fry, who capped off Johnson City’s lucrative third inning with a home run to bring home the 20th run of the game.
“We came out, hit them hard, got ahead early, and just kept the gas pedal down,” Fry said. “Once we got ahead, we didn’t start playing late, we didn’t start getting lazy.”
Defensively for Johnson City, senior pitcher Johnny Slawinski III stayed in control in all four innings of his outing as the Eagles shut out Randolph.
“Four innings, I think, 56 pitches, no hits,” Eickenloff said. “When you get performances like that, it just seems to keep the game moving along pretty quick. Gets you off the field and back in the dugout to get ready to hit.”
Johnson City’s 20 runs was enough to end the game after five innings.
Following the big win over Randolph, Johnson City competed in the Hamilton tournament and won all four of its games in a final showcase before district play. The Eagles faced De Leon and Millsap on Feb. 27 and defeated them 8-0 and 10-6, respectively, and returned to Hamilton the following day to defeat Moody 11-2 and Rio Vista 10-3. In sweeping the tournament, Johnson City carries its eight-game winning streak into district play.
Johnson City gets its first taste of district opponents on March 4 and March 7, when it faces Junction in a two-game series. After those games, however, the Eagles take a break from district to face Harper in a non-district game and compete in Burnet’s tournament. District play returns on March 11 against Goldthwaite and continues through Friday, April 25, with a few non-district games scheduled in between as well.
Last season, Johnson City finished the season 10-2 in district and 22-10 overall before reaching the fourth round of the playoffs. Going into district play, the Eagles currently stand at 8-1 overall.
