Bluejays take three of four in busy conference baseball week

The Three Lakes-Phelps varsity baseball team hit the diamond four times last week, all against conference foes, and walked away with three wins and a share of first place in the Northern Lakes Conference with a 5-1 record. They also sit at 7-3 overall, which also tops contenders within the conference. 

The Jays traveled to Elcho last Monday, where starting pitcher Carter Flannery and relief pitcher Cruz Melton held the Hornets hitless while striking out 11 batters. Meanwhile, the Bluejays’ bats heated up throughout the evening with 14 hits and 12 runs, including 10 in the fourth and fifth innings alone. 

Although the Hornets were held hitless, they were able to score two runs through a series of walks, errors, and a wild pitch in the fourth inning, and the game ended with a 12-2 victory for the traveling Bluejays. Hitting stars were plentiful, starting with Reece Bollman, who went 4-4 from the plate, including two doubles while also scoring three runs.  

Doug Koshuta was hot, going 2-4 in the box, including a triple in the fourth inning, in addition to driving in three runs. Flannery also drove in three runs and scored a run. Every member of the Bluejays got a hit plus contributed a run scored or a run batted in.  

Next up was a home game on Tuesday where the Bluejays hosted the Patriots of Goodman-Pembine.   The Jays lit the scoreboard early with four runs in the first inning and grabbed a 15-0 lead after four innings. Melton was the hitting star in the victory as he went 4-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored.  Two of his hits were extra base hits as he blasted the ball deep for a double and a triple. He also added a stolen base to his stat sheet and is now batting .633 for the season.

Other high offensive production came from several Bluejays, including Charlie Liebscher, Sawyer Szews, Eragon Wenberg, and Sam Koshuta. Each of these players had at least two runs scored and at least one base hit in the 15-2 one-sided home victory. Doug Koshuta chipped in four RBIs and Flannery was 2-2 with two runs and two runs batted in. Melton picked up the win by pitching four innings without allowing a run while striking out eight Patriots.

The only blemish on the Bluejays calendar last week took place on Thursday as the team traveled to Florence, only to fall flat while riding home with a difficult 11-3 loss. The Bobcats were red-hot coming into the contest, winning five of their prior six games, with the only loss falling at the hands of the Bluejays. Even so, the Jays gave up too many unearned runs through defensive mistakes, by striking out 13 times, and leaving too many men on base. Flannery had a 3-3 night at the plate,  while Bollman and Szews each added two hits. 

The Bluejays rebounded quickly two days later as the team faced Laona-Wabeno on the road Saturday morning and left with a 14-0 victory. Melton started the game on the mound and went five innings while only allowing one hit with no runs scored and throwing five strikeouts.  

He also went 3-3 in the batter's box, including a home run, while scoring three runs and driving in three.  Bollman was 2-4 with five RBIs, and Doug Koshuta was 3-5 with two runs scored and three runs batted in.  

The Bluejays will have two early home conference games this week before hitting the road on Thursday, May 15, for a game with Crandon. The team will then play a home doubleheader against Lakeland on Saturday, May 17, at Don Burnside Park in Three Lakes. The first game is scheduled to start at 10 a.m.