Loper adds an arm

The Sage Hill School baseball team continues to prove that visitors

to the Lightning baseball diamond are putting themselves in “arms”

way, as the Lightning defeated Brethren Christian, 7-3, in an Academy

League game that went eight innings Wednesday at Sage Hill.

The designated visitors (Brethren Christian could not obtain a

home site for its scheduled home game) rolled up four runs in the

eighth to break the game open and remain atop the league standings.

Senior starting pitcher Zach Friedrichs threw five strong innings,

striking out seven and yielding just one earned run. Lightning Coach

Bert Emerson then went to sophomore Matt Loper, who worked three

hitless innings of relief to earn his first victory of the season.

Loper fanned six, proving the Lightning have the kind of pitching

depth that Academy League foes may struggle to match.

“It’s really becoming a big difference for us,” Sage assistant

coach Steve Wishek said. “We beat Whitney, 11-0, (in Friday’s league

opener) and they never trotted out a second pitcher. Today, Brethren

Christian’s starter went the distance. But, in addition to our two

top guys (Friedrichs and junior Tim Wilkins, who no-hit Whitney and

has 23 strikeouts in 10 innings), we can bring in a guy like Loper,

who can shut the other team down.”

George Dempsey led off the eighth by reaching on an error and

Wilkins followed with a walk. Friedrichs, who has also been keying

the offense, laced a two-run double, then came around to score when

Brethren made an errant throw to third trying to catch him advancing

on a throw to the plate.

David Packard singled and was tripled in by Mathew Kornswiet to

add insurance for the Lightning.