Big Hits, Strong Pitching Kickstart Undefeated Baseball Season

A dominating pitching performance by junior Devon Jones led to an 8-0 victory at New Boston Huron on Friday.

Jones threw a shutout, striking out 10 Chiefs and allowing only three hits.

“I felt great," he said. "I was getting the strikes over. Everything was working." 

Head coach Brian Cotner visited Jones on the mound in the sixth inning, but let him finish the game.

“He said he wasn’t even interested in pulling me, so I just kept throwing strikes,” Jones said. 

Cotner said the key to Jones' excellent outing and longevity was that he avoided throwing too many extra pitches.

“He was real efficient,” Cotner said. “He allowed them to put the ball in play and let (the fielders) pick it up for him.”

Wyandotte hitters gave Jones plenty of run support, had he needed it.

The Bears grabbed an early lead in the second inning, then put Huron away with a big sixth.

Second inning scoring included an opposite field RBI single by Travis Rodery.

In the sixth, sophomore Devan Stewart knocked in two runs with a double. A sacrifice fly by Ben Mekolon later brought Stewart around to score.

Rodery reached base again in the sixth. He scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Hunter Matt, ultimately putting the game out of reach for Huron.  

Thursday's Game Was Just as Sweet

scored all of its runs in the first three innings of Thursday’s 8-5 victory over visiting Grosse Ile.

Two big hits from seniors Chase Schmittou and Ben Mekolon helped the Bears build a sizeable lead.

Schmittou, a left-handed hitter, drove a hard ground ball down the third base line for a first inning double. His hit brought in senior Steve Caldwell and put Wyandotte up 2-0. 

In the third inning, Mekolon knocked in two runs with a hit and later scored, putting the Bears up 8-2 after three. 

Senior Travis Rodery also made a major offensive contribution. He scored three runs, each time getting into scoring position by stealing bases or advancing on passed balls.

“We focus on the short game, small ball,” head coach Brian Cotner said. “So far, we’ve done pretty good at that.”

Senior Steve Caldwell started on the mound for the Bears on Thursday.

He gave up a first inning solo home run to Grosse Ile’s Keeton Ross. He hit the next batter, but escaped the inning only yielding the one run.

Caldwell pitched three innings. He only gave up two runs, but was erratic at times.

“I didn’t feel too good; I had a little problem with control,” Caldwell said. “But my fastball looked well and I just need to keep working on my curveball … and work on throwing more strikes.” 

Junior Adam Peterson took over on the mound and breezed through the fourth. Struggles in the fifth had Cotner relieve him with Schmittou, who finished the game.

After allowing a seventh inning run, Schmittou struck out Grosse Ile’s Johnathan Shoup to end the game.  

A Look Back and a Look Ahead

Wyandotte finished the opening week of action with a 3-0 record. The team outscored opponents by a total of 27-8 in the three non-league games. 

The Bears have the weekend off before starting Downriver League play at a 4 p.m. Monday game at Taylor Truman.