Apaches tame Tigers with shutout
Zach Clack-Perez (left) congratulates D.J. Gonzales as he arrives at home plate after hitting a solo home run against Smithville.
Dalton Kuntschik (right) of Gonzales bowls over the Smithville pitcher who was covering home plate after a passed ball allowed another Apache run to score. Aaron Gayton (background) was the batter when the ball got away from the catcher.
Devin Benes of Gonzales celebrates his two-run homer in the first inning Thursday, the first of 10 runs in a shelling of Smithville.
Stellar pitching and opportunistic base running were a recipe for victory for the Apaches Thursday, as only four Smithville batters reached base safely in a 10-0 Gonzales win.
Tyler Janota pitched another gem as he went the distance. Janota threw 14 strikeouts while giving up one hit and two walks in six innings of play.
The Apaches’ scoring started early and quickly with back-to-back home runs in the first inning. Aaron Gayton reached got on with a base on balls, then Devin Benes blasted the ball to deep center field for an impressive two-run homer. D.J. Gonzales then followed with a blast of his own to extend the lead to 3-0.
Although there were no more home runs, the scoring did not stop for the Apaches. Eight batters went to the plate in the fourth inning, with runs scored by Gayton, Dalton Kuntschik and Dylan Gomez.
The fifth inning was more of the same, with seven batters coming to bat. Zach Clack-Perez led off with a single, and Janota advanced him with a base knock of his own. Later in the inning, Kuntschik drew a walk to load the bases. A single by Gomez drove a run, then Gayton hit the ball towards shortstop to add another score for an 8-0 score.
Due to Janota’s pitching performance and great fielding by the Apache defense, the Smithville Tigers never threatened to score until the sixth inning. With two outs on the board, Janota gave up his first walk of the inning before Gayton mishandled a ball to allow a second Tiger to reach base. Janota then loaded the bases when he hit the next batter. Although the bases were juiced, Janota took care of business and struck out the final batter, leaving all three Tigers stranded.
With the game at 8-0, the Apaches needed two more to force the 10-run rule. Benes started the inning with a lead-off double before scoring on an RBI double by Gonzales. Coming in for Clack-Perez, Zachary Akers brought in Benes with a walk-off hit to the outfield for the 10-0 final.
Devin Benes ended the night going 4-for-4 with three RBIs, and was one triple away from hitting for the cycle. Dylan Gomez had an RBI as well, as he went 2-for-3 for the night.
The Apaches host La Grange today at 7 p.m.
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