Red-hot Glen Este gets best of Amelia
Glen Este was on an impressive roll going into its Skyline Chili Reds Futures High School Showcase appearance on Thursday night.
Since a 1-0 Eastern Cincinnati Conference loss to Anderson on April 9, the Trojans were riding a five-game winning streak. They had won the last four by an average of 7.75 runs, three over Kentucky teams, including a 7-0 win over Simon Kenton, the No. 10 team in the Enquirer's Northern Kentucky coaches' poll.
The winless Amelia Barons could do little to slow down the Trojans.
Junior right-hander Peyton Burdick pitched and added a two-run homer as Glen Este won the intra-West Clermont Local School District grudge match, 6-0, at Midland Field.
"It's always nice beating Amelia," Burdick said, adding about his homer, "I knew it was gone when I hit it. I thought it was going to go foul for a second."
"That's one of those that's tough for the umpire because it's so high above the foul pole," Glen Este coach Mike Hatfield said. "(Burdick's) starting to lock in. He's a dangerous middle-of-the-order guy for us. Several guys are driving in runs for us right now. The key has been our ability to hit with two outs."
Junior shortstop Ronnie Murphy added a two-run double for Glen Este, the No. 10 team in the Enquirer's Ohio Division I coaches' poll.
Burdick (1-1), who had a total of nine strikeouts in seven innings over three games this season, had nine through four on Thursday and finished with 11.
He took a no-hitter two outs into the fourth inning before junior designated-hitter Jacob Helton lined a single to left field. He lasted one more inning, allowing two hits and two walks while hitting a batter and throwing a wild pitch.
"I didn't feel like my pitching was 100 percent," said Burdick, who relied heavily on his breaking ball. "I couldn't get a feel for the mound, but you can't blame that."
Senior right fielder Tyler Burdick drove in his brother with a sacrifice fly and junior left fielder Cody Mays added an RBI single for Glen Este.
PLAY OF THE GAME: Peyton Burdick's first-inning, one-out home run, which easily cleared the 8-foot fence directly down the left-field line, 330 feet from the plate, for his first homer of the season.
STAR OF THE GAME: Peyton Burdick, who walked to help set up his brother's sacrifice fly.
VIEW FROM THE SIDELINE: First-year Amelia coach Steve Nicodemus on the Barons: "That was our best game of the season. We've been committing five or six errors a game. Tonight, we had zero. We played with more focus."
EXTRA INNINGS: Glen Este is scheduled to play Lancaster on Saturday at 11 a.m. before returning to ECC action with a home game against Turpin on Monday. The rematch with the Redskins is scheduled for Wednesday at Anderson. … Amelia is scheduled to be at Williamsburg Friday and play a doubleheader at Northwest on Saturday.
WP – P. Burdick (1-1, 11 Ks). LP – Sunday (n/a). Hitting leaders: A – Thompson 2B, Helton 2-2, 2B. G – P. Burdick HR, 2 RBI, 2R; Murphy 2B, 2 RBI; Moores 2B. Records: A 0-8, G 9-1.