• Ashley 2 West Brunswick 7 - The Ashley Screaming Eagles varsity nine were back in action Tuesday night as they hosted the West Brunswick Trojans. The Eagles could not battle back from an early 6-0 deficit, and fell to West Brunswick by a score of 7-2. Ashley spotted the Trojans 6 runs in the first 3 innings, including 4 in the second, although West could only muster a bunt single. Walks, errors, passed balls, and wild pitches allowed 4 runs to score. Kevin Mintz, Jordan Fentress, and D.C. Russ all pitched for Ashley.
The Eagles scored a run in the bottom of the 4th, as Donovan Francis led off the inning with a double, and would later score on a sac fly by Lee Fentress.
Ashley would score their second run in the 5th, as Lee Fentress drove in Alex Highsmith with a double to the gap, after Alex had reached on a 2-out single up the middle.
Sean Ross also had a hit for Ashley, whose record is now 8-7, sporting a 3-5 conference record. Ashley travels to Jacksonville on Thursday for a non-conference game.
• 4/16 – Ashley 3 Jacksonville 4 - The Ashley baseball team drove up Highway 17 today for a non-conference matchup with former conference foe Jacksonville High School. The Screaming Eagles came up just short on the road, falling to the Cardinals by a score of 4-3.
Senior Kyle Hunter Stewart saw his first action on the bump, and pitched effectively for 4 innings after giving up 2 runs in the first. D.C. Russ threw the last 2 innings, allowing 1 run on no hits. Offensively, senior Jordan Fentress paced the team, collecting 2 hits and scoring a run. Alex Highsmith and Russ were each 1 for 3 with a run batted in. With the loss, Ashley evens their record at 8-8, and returns to conference play tomorrow evening with a 6 PM game against South Brunswick.
• 4/17 – Ashley 6 South Brunswick 4 - At the Ashley High School baseball field tonight, the Ashley Screaming Eagles varsity baseball team got back in the win column behind a strong performance on the mound by sophomore Christian Tafoya, coming away with a 6-4 victory against South Brunswick. Tafoya threw a complete game, picking up his fourth win of the season. After falling behind 1-0, Ashley got it going in the bottom of the second, as Kyle Hunter Stewart walked, stole 2nd, then scored on a Tafoya base hit to left. Tafoya would then cross the plate on an RBI single by Evan Laverick, pushing the Ashley lead to 2-1.
With the game tied in the bottom of the 3rd, Alex Highsmith would lead off with a triple to the gap in left-center. He would score on a 2-strike single to right by Donovan Francis. Francis then stole 2nd, advanced to 3rd on a passed ball, and scored on a sacrifice fly by D.C. Russ.
Ashley would push the lead to 6-2 in the fifth as Highsmith was hit by a pitch, stole 2nd, then scored on a single to right off the bat of Lee Fentress. Russ then drove in Fentress with a single.
The Cougars scored 2 runs in the 7th to shrink the Ashley lead, but Tafoya finished the game for the win.
The Eagles are now 9-8, 4-5 in the Mideastern. Ashley is back in action on Monday at 5 PM, as they host the Pender Patriots to finish a game that was suspended earlier in the year due to rain. We will pick up in the 2nd inning with a 1-0 lead and a Pender runner on first with no outs.