Johnson City defeated Del Valle in an eventful non-district contest 8-1 April 1 and beat Center Point 14-2 last Friday to continue its undefeated district season.
The Eagle offense got to work early on the road against Class 6A foe Del Valle, scoring two runs in the first inning and four in the third in the eventual 8-1 victory. Senior Johnny Slawinski pitched five innings of one-run baseball and allowed one hit and walked five.
The game was not without its quirks however– the seven innings of baseball took well over three hours to complete, of which some was contributed by a reptilian friend that made an appearance during the contest. In the end, however, it was another big win for Johnson City.
“We had a rattlesnake come out on the field and join us in one inning,” head coach Rhett Eickenloff said. “With all the different things that happened throughout the night, we came out with the victory and I’m proud of the kids for that.”
Senior Tate Ledbetter put together a five-for-five game at the plate, all singles, and batted in two runs. He and sophomore Wyatt Lorenzen each also pitched an inning in relief, with both allowing one hit, striking out one batter and leaving two runners on base.
On Friday, Johnson City hosted the first of two games against Center Point. Behind Wyatt Lorenzen’s three-inning scoreless start on the mound, Johnson City scored seven runs in the first inning and added on six more by the end of the third. The Eagles scored a total of 14 runs, one shy of the 15 needed to end the game after three innings, and Birck took the mound in relief. He allowed two runs and ultimately closed out the 14-2 victory in the fifth inning to bring Johnson City to 7-0 in district play.
“Everyone’s hitting the ball, pitching was good, everything was excellent,” Luke Lorenzen said. “I’m just hoping we go undefeated in district, get a good start in the playoffs.”
Ledbetter had another strong evening in the batter’s box, going three-forthree with two RBIs. Slawinski and freshman Truett Fry also had two RBIs, and the team as a whole had only one strikeout and one runner caught stealing.
Eickenloff and Johnson City have already started preparations for the playoffs, with the team building a 7-0 district record and with the bid for an undefeated season still alive. A year ago, Johnson City’s playoff campaign saw it compete into the fourth round before a 2-0 loss to Flatonia ended its season. With district play entering its final stretch, Johnson City is preparing to embark on another deep playoff run.
“We talked about in practice, we’re treating every game like a playoff now,” Eickenloff said. “We’re deep enough into the season to really start preparing our minds for what’s to come, and we know that we have a gauntlet when it hits the playoffs.”
Johnson City has the road half of the Center Point series still to play, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8. Following that, Johnson City has two games each against San Saba and Harper. The Eagles were 17-3 prior to Tuesday’s game and are ranked number one in Class 2A in the Texas Baseball Coaches Association poll.
“[Harper has] been beating some teams that beat us,” Luke Lorenzen said. “But I think if we play our best, I think we should be fine.”
