By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence had all the answers.
Every time Jeffersonville scored, the Stars came back with more, a statistic that goes untracked but speaks volumes about a team’s tenacity. Every time BNL needed a big out, somebody made a steady play, which reveals a team’s maturity. And on the flip side, the Red Devils had no answers for Cal Gates. Few people have so far this season.
With Lucas Ira dealing strikes on the mound, with Gates crushing pitches to all the remote corners of the ballpark, with a late-inning answer to Jeffersonville’s problematic challenge, BNL pounded out a 9-2 victory over the nemesis Devils on Friday evening. Ira (3-1) allowed only four hits, while Gates blasted a ball over the wall in right and off the wall in left, the highlights as the surging Stars (6-3) won their fifth game in the last six outings.
Coaches love it when their team “answers back.” When the Devils (5-5) unveiled their small-ball attack for a run in the first, BNL came back with three in the bottom of that frame. When Jeffersonville scored in the sixth and threatened more, the Stars exploded for five in their turn.
“That’s one of the things we talk about a lot, answering back,” BNL coach Steven McNabb said. “The kids did a good job, especially in the sixth inning. This was a 4-2 game, the bases loaded, this was nip-and-tuck.”
Part of the nip-and-tuck was the weather, which was drip-and-duck as heavy pregame showers raised the misery index. Once the rain abated, BNL opened up with a three-run first, taking advantage of two Jeff errors. That allowed Ira to settle in.
“That gave me a lot of courage, knowing my team has me,” said Ira, who struck out three. “I just needed to keep throwing strikes. My defense has me.
“The changeup was working, then it was just getting ahead of hitters, challenging them all night.”
While Ira was posting four straight shutout innings, BNL made it 4-1 in the fourth when Gates launched a towering homer to deep right.
Jeffersonville battled back in the sixth. With two out and two runners on, Cash Waters poked a single to left to chase home a run. Gates was summoned in relief, and he walked the first batter to load the bases. But he got Derrick Haynes on a sharp ground ball to second, with Tyler Stigall winning a race to the bag for a force out to end the threat.
The Stars erupted in the bottom of the sixth. Gates smoked a RBI double off the fence in left-center, Cam Gates ripped a RBI single, Tate Tanksley blasted a double to deep right, and Ira dropped a RBI double down the right-field line.
Cal Gates was 2 for 2 with 2 walks, pushing his battling average above .620 and his on-base percentage over the .800 mark. That’s a remarkable stat, even for an Indiana University recruit.
“Cal continues to lead,” McNabb said. “His on-base percentage is a legit number. When he gets his pitch to hit, he’s not missing it.”
Cam Gates and Ira also had two hits, and the Tanksley double was one of five extra-base hits. Tanksley has been hot of late, coinciding with BNL’s recent success. He credits his mother’s lunch choices for his streak – so perhaps she needs to feed everyone – that raised his average to the .500 mark.
“I feel like I’m playing a lot more free than I have been the last couple of years,” Tanksley said. “I don’t have as much stress on myself. And a lot of the young kids are playing to a really high level. They’re showing up, and it’s making a huge difference.”
“It starts on the mound,” McNabb said of the recent run. “Our young pups (three sophomore starters) are giving us a chance. They’re just going out there and battling, throwing strikes and mixing pitches. When guys get on base, they’re leaving them out there. Tate has gone such a great job with a young staff. The year he’s having offensively has been recognized, but even more importantly to our team is what he’s doing behind the plate.”
BNL will visit Washington on Saturday.
