by Dave DeMars
The Joes hammer Avon 9-4
Brandon Bloch went 4-4 at the plate and led the St. Joseph Joes to a 9-4 win over the Avon Lakers. Bloch drove in three runs for the Joes.
“He’s been hitting the ball well,” said Joes Manager Pat Schneider. “It shows his leadership. He’s a solid ballplayer.”
Tanner Aleshire also chipped in with a 3-5 day at the plate. In all, the Joes collected 15 hits. The Joes scored two runs in each of the first three innings.
“We kind of had our hitting shoes on,” Schneider said. “Avon is one of the better teams in the Victory League, so it was good to see us play well. The guys were knocking the ball all over the ball park. It was really fun.”
Isaac Holthaus held the hill for five innings giving up three runs on four hits, and striking out two. RJ Alpers took over the pitching duties for the last two innings and gave up one run in the seventh before the game was called.
St. Joseph blanks Clear Lake 14-0
The Joes kept the big guns at home for the June 16 game against the Clear Lake Lakers.
“We started out real strong – first inning, two home runs right off the bat – and we just kind of cruised from there,” Schneider said.
The Joes scored 14 runs on 15 hits against a squad that was short on players. Joey Atkinson held the mound for seven innings giving up four hits and striking out eight.
In the hitting department, the Joes were led by Craig Hern who went 2 for 4 on the day driving in three runs and bopping a big home run over the fence. Hunter Blommer went 2 for 5 and also popped one over the fence. Blommer drove in two runs. Hits were plentiful for the Joes, and they seem to have found some power punchers to drive the long ball.
“When we get all our guys together, we have a complete team,” Schneider said. “There are a lot of guys who aren’t starting who are anxious to get in the game.”
St. Joe bats go quiet in Foley loss 6-3
The Foley Lumberjacks unloaded some lumber on the St. Joseph Joes in their June 17 game. The Jacks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning and held it until the fifth inning when Foley pitcher Kyle Kipka got himself into a bit of trouble and gave up two runs to St. Joseph. Mitch Keeler played firefighter and put out the St. Joseph rally.
The game was tied 2-2 going into the seventh inning when the Joes managed to push across a tie-breaking run. But it wasn’t enough as Foley’s Tanner Brosh answered with one swing of the bat and parked the ball in the cheap seats over the fence for a three-run home run in the seventh to take a 6-3 lead.
“It was a good ball game all around,” Schneider said. “They had their best team out there and we were still missing a couple of starters here and there. Down the road I think we’re going to be able to handle them, it’s just that they are a very good team.”
For the Joes, Greg Anderson took the loss as he held the mound for nearly seven innings. Anderson gave up five runs on eight hits including the home run by Brosh.
“It was one of those days,” Schneider said. “When you are playing at somebody else’s ball park, you can’t be playing from behind.”
Schneider said he’s looking down the road. He has one player, Caz Novak, coming in from Boston after finishing up a year at Boston University to join the team and that will make them stronger. Still, it’s going to be a dog fight all the way, Schneider said.
This past weekend, the Joes were slated to play in a tournament in Farming starting June 22.
