Crusaders run past Leopold for third straight win

Cold winds and a wet sloppy infield, due to a persistent drizzle throughout the game, didn't stop the Saxony Lutheran baseball team from stealing bases against Leopold on Monday afternoon.

After attempting just 13 steals in their first seven games, the Crusaders swiped 11 bags to put runners in scoring position on their way to a 10-0 victory in six innings over the Wildcats at Saxony Lutheran High School.

"We made things happen when it mattered," Saxony Lutheran coach Paul Sander said. "We ran hard on the bases and pushed that a lot harder than we normally would have because we felt like we were facing a very quality pitcher for Leopold. That was to try and get things going. And when we did, we came up with key hits in those spots to really push things in our favor."

Leopold (2-7) committed five errors and only had one extra-base hit in its second straight loss to Saxony (6-2).

"We definitely beat ourselves up and they capitalized on all our mistakes. We didn't come ready to play," Leopold coach Jon Sauer said. "It's frustrating, but when you make a mistake you have to shake it off and get your head back in the game."

The Crusaders couldn't figure out Leopold starting pitcher Zach Elfrink for the first two innings. The right-hander recorded the first eight outs without allowing a hit, which included retiring Saxony in order in the second.

The Crusaders finally got to him with two outs in the third when Chase Steffens reached on an infield single. He stole second on the first pitch of Paris Johnson's at-bat before Johnson sent an 0-2 pitch up the middle to advance Steffens to third. Johnson stole second before Nathan Hurst reached on an error that allowed Steffens to score to give the Crusaders a 1-0 lead.

Johnson advanced to third on the error, and Hurst moved up to second with Saxony's third straight steal with Tyler Amos at the plate. After lining out to second base in his first at-bat, Amos choked up with an 0-2 count and waited back on a curveball from Elfrink before lining it into center for a base hit. Johnson and Hurst both scored to extend the lead to 3-0.

"I've put in all that hard work this offseason, and coach believes in me," Amos said. "Going into my at-bats today, and really all season, I don't want to waste opportunities at the plate, especially against a good pitcher. He got me on the curve the first time, but I stayed back and turned on it the next time."

The sophomore stole second on the first pitch of the next at-bat and scored two pitches later on Luke LeGrand's base hit.

Amos, who saw some playing time at the varsity level last season, went 2 for 3 with three RBIs and a walk. He has caught the attention of Sander and his coaching staff.

"He's got an opportunity to be a really good player here, and he's really shining as a sophomore," He said about Amos. "This isn't the first games he's driven in runs and really picked us up, and we all notice that. You need young guys to mix with your old guys, and he's really doing the job."

Johnson improved to 3-2 with a complete-game shutout on the mound after a rocky outing in his previous start.

"He had a bounce-back game today," Sander said. "The last time he went out he got knocked around a little bit, so it was nice to be able to come back and take control of the ball game. That's good for his confidence."

Johnson only gave up three hits and struck out four.

"Throwing first-pitch strikes was the key difference for me today," Johnson said. "I trusted my defense behind me, and they had my back the whole game. That and then keeping their big hitters off balance with my curve and offspeed stuff really gave me confidence today."

The Crusaders scored three runs in the fifth on four straight hits and an error, and they stole three more bases. They added three runs in the sixth on three errors, capped by LeGrand's sacrifice fly to right field, which scored Johnson.

Saxony is riding a three-game winning streak and will look to keep the momentum at North Pemiscot on Thursday.

"I told them, 'You have to build off of this,' and I think we are," Sander said. "What we're really building right now, and in the last three games, other than the running game, is our defense. It's let us down in a few games, and so we challenged them, 'Hitting and pitching comes and goes, but you can play defense every day to give yourself a chance.' It's been down to two or less in our last three games, so that's a good step in the building process."

Leopold 000 000 -- 0 3 5

Saxony 004 033 -- 10 6 0

WP -- Paris Johnson. LP -- Zach Elfrink. 2B -- Elfrink (1). Multiple hits -- Saxony: Chase Steffens 2-2, Johnson 2-3, Tyler Amos 2-3.