Pitching, hitting, defense must come together for ’Cats
Published 2:29 pm Monday, May 27, 2013
Solid pitching and timely hitting could propel Brandywine to the Division 3 District Tournament championship Saturday.
The first semifinal Saturday will pit Cassopolis against Bridgman at 10 a.m. The host Bucks will battle archrival Brandywine in the second game at noon.
“I think if we throw strikes, field the ball and get some timely hitting, we have a chance to win it,” Bobcats coach David Sidenbender said. “Bridgman is the favorite coming in though. But every team is capable of winning. We have three quality pitchers in Kyle Duncan, Alex Walters and Brock Hartline. I think they are capable of beating any of the teams there.”
Cole Searles leads Brandywine offensively with his .415 batting average. Brian Kline is hitting .413 and Duncan .405 for the Bobcats.
The Rangers will also be facing the Bees for the third time this season.
Cassopolis coach Matt Brawley says his team needs to be focused.
“We need to throw strikes and put the ball in play,” he said. “We need to eliminate the mental mistakes. If we do those things we have a chance.”
Kevin Hatcher (4-3, 0.21 ERA) and Tyler Prestly (4-2, 3.66) are the Rangers’ top two pitchers.
Hatcher and Prestly are also among the top hitters at .455 and .400 respectively.
Lance Sheteron (.365, 28 RBIs) and Vashaun Morgan (.370) are also good hitters for Cassopolis.
The championship game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Cost is $5 per person and no passes will be accepted.