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Late Week Downfall Drops Eagles 18 & Under Baseball From 1st In SLABA
By Jim Wieners
American National 18 And Under Baseball started the season with 17 wins and seven losses including a 9-1 start in SLABA 18 And Under games
However, During a five-game, three-day weekend American National stumbled with three losses before salvaging the weekend with a pair of wins. That put the Eagles, unofficially, at 19-10 overall and 11-4 in SLABA 18 league games prior to June 26. That put the Eagles out of first and in a battle with the Jefferson County Blazers, the Southwest Stars and the Stallions, a St. Charles County team.
American National’s downfall began June 22 with 14-1 loss to the Stallions at the Hazelwood Sports Complex. It was the second time the Eagles lost to the Stallions. On June 6 at Founders Park, Lake St. Louis, the Stallions shut out the Eagles, 6-0, and the Stallions out scored the Eagles 20-1 in two SLABA games.
In the June 22 game at Hazelwood the Stallions broke the game wide open with an eight-run fourth inning after leading 3-1 through three innings. The Stallions added three more in the fifth and the Eagles could not score in their half of the fifth and the game was called due to the 10-run rule. The Eagles were held to three hits in that loss including a lead-off solo home run by Michael Hardin in the third inning.
On June 23 at Lutheran High School North American National was swept by Southwest, 4-1 and 8-4. The Southwest Stars are coached by Grayling Tobias. The Stars and Stallions are the only teams to each go unbeaten against the Eagles.
In Game One the Eagles were held to a fourth inning run as Steve Kinnison scored on a two-out single by Shane Olmstead, son of American National coach Al Olmstead. But the Stars scored a run in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings.
In Game Two the Eagles scored four runs in the second inning after spotting the Stars a first inning run. However the Stars scored seven runs in the fourth inning and never looked back.
The Eagles salvaged a rough weekend June 24 at Lutheran North with a doubleheader sweep of the Jefferson County Barnstormers. The games were played in 100-degree heat, so hot the American National coaches left as soon as they could after the second game.
With a 2-1 lead after four innings of the second game the Eagles scored two runs in the fifth, one in the sixth and sixth in the seventh to seal an 11-3 win. The Barnstormers, who were the home team in game two, managed to score a run in the sixth and seventh inning. American National won game one over Jefferson County, 7-1.
Prior to the rough weekend the Eagles rolled over the Tigers Orange team, 25-3, May 21 at Lutheran North. It was the second win over the Tigers Orange including a 12-1 rout June 5 in Clayton. The Eagles also played the Tigers-Black, winning 6-2 June 12 at Hazelwood West and the two teams were to play June 27 at Harris-Stowe State University, St. Louis/
After giving up two runs to the Tigers-Orange in the top of the first the Eagles countered with eight runs. Going in the bottom of the fourth with a 12-3 lead the Eagles sealed the game by scoring 11 runs and the game was called in the middle of the fifth inning.
The Eagles had three home runs. Curtis Nothdurft, who had scored three times and drove in seven runs, had a three-run inside homer, Duane Johnson had a three-run homer and Justin Dertinger had a two run homer. Cory Lubinski had three doubles, scored four times and drove in three.
On May 20 the Eagles routed the Jefferson County Travelers, 18-5 at Northwest High in Cedar Hill, marking the second Eagles rout over the Travelers. On June 1 at Hazelwood Sports Complex American National won 10-4.
In the rout at Cedar Hill the Eagles, who had 17 hits, scored five runs in the second, sixth in the fourth and five more in the fifth as the game was called after five innings. Lubinski stole three bases and scored four runs, Hardin, who had a triple, and Jack Adler, who had five hits including two doubles, each drove in three runs.
On May 19 at Hazelwood the Eagles, thanks to a five-run third, defeated the Blazers, 7-2 as Olmstead drove in three runs and Shane Hartwig struck out nine. The two teams meet July 10, 5:45, at Fox High School, Arnold.
