It’s been a season of ups and downs for the Dragon baseball team, but with a schedule as packed as they have, there isn’t any time to dwell on either the highs or lows.  Taking on six games in just a week’s time, the MHS team pulled out four wins against Bear Lake at home, Gooding and Lighthouse Christian at the Glenns Ferry tournament, and Declo on the road.  

Each game has brought a different set of challenges and opportunities for the team and through it all they are learning how to make the most of their season.  In high school baseball, pitching is closely regulated to reduce the chance of injury for the young, growing pitchers.  Because of the various rules of how many pitches a single athlete can throw in a single game and how many games he has to sit out after making the count, the same team can have a very different look.

With so many games so close together, the Dragons have to be very deliberate and methodical as they shuffle through their pitchers and reposition their players across the field.  Adjusting midway through a game can be frustrating, but Head Coach Bo Clark is making it work, fine tuning who to start at the mound, when to bring in a relief pitcher and who is ready for the various situations. 

As they rotate through pitchers, they in turn have to change up positions on the field as well.  This requires the Dragon athletes to be ready and able to play across the field from catcher to basemen to outfielder.  Thus far, through the shuffle the team has adapted well to each game’s changes, reducing errors and getting the outs when and where they need them.

On the flip side, the MHS team can face an opponent with one pitcher and then in a second matchup, hit against a different pitcher making it a whole different ball game.  But juggling pitchers is very much a part of baseball.

In their home game against district opponent Bear Lake on Tuesday, April 9, Brady Showell took the mound for Malad.  The hurler threw 71 pitches in 6 innings, allowing only one hit, with zero runs, errors or walks while striking out 9.  Holden Higley at first base had 6 outs to back up his team, getting the assist from Rydon Montgomery at third, Dawsyn Peterson at shortstop, Timmy Jensen at second, and Brady on the mound.  

Showell, Peterson and Higley flawlessly made the double play in the top of the third inning.  With one on base after the only hit of the game, the Bear Lake batter hit a ground ball straight back to Showell.  Scooping the ball up, Showell quickly turned around to connect with Peterson to force the out at second.  Just as quickly, Peterson threw the ball to Higley on first to beat the runner there for the second out of the play.

The Bear Lake pitcher was no match for the Malad hitters who earned 10 runs on the 11 hits.  The Dragons took the lead in the second inning after Montgomery, Cale Briggs,  and Easton Green put runs across home plate.  Green and  Carter Blaisdell added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth innings to make it 5-0.  

The Dragons sealed the win in the sixth inning with five runs, starting with Hubbard who was punched in off a single hit to shortstop by Showell.  Gabe Hooste was on third base when Montgomery was walked on with a 4-1 count for the second run of the inning.  With the bases still loaded, Jensen was hit by the pitch, allowing Showell to score for the Dragons.  Green was next walked on base, punching Ky Willie in, courtesy runner for Carter Carey.  Sawyer Poulson ended the game with a single hit to right field, batting Montgomery in for the run to put Malad up 10-0.

It was a defense dominated game as the Dragons played their opening game against Gooding on Friday, April 12 in the Glenns Ferry Tournament.  Brycen Howe started pitching for Malad, allowing only 3 hits with zero runs, errors, or walks, while striking out 5 batters.  Watching his pitch count, Kurt Ward stepped in to relief pitch in the fourth inning, allowing 4 hits with zero runs, errors, or walks, while striking out 3.

Malad’s fielding kept the potential hits at bay as they scooped up outs across the field.  Blaisdell led with putouts with 7, with Carey adding 4 and Green another 3.  

Willie, running bases for Howe, scored the only run of the game in the top of the second inning as Jensen hit a single line drive to center field. Jensen led the team in hitting with 2 hits on 3 at bats and 1 RBI.

After their win against Gooding, Malad faced off with Wendell.  Hubbard pitched for the Dragons, lasting three innings before coming out.  Blaisdell and Montgomery came in to relief pitch, going up against some strong hitters that were able to convert swings into hits and into runs.  In addition to having great hitters, Wendell also had their own talented pitchers, likely the best of the whole tournament.

Trailing 8-11 midway through the fifth inning, the game was called due to time limitations before the Dragons could make a comeback.  Despite the loss, the Malad offense put together great hits and base running.  Peterson, Howe, and Higley each scored two runs with Poulson and Green each adding one more.

Shaking off the loss, Malad had a stellar game against the 1A Lighthouse Christian High School.  In five innings, the Dragons tallied up 21 runs on 14 hits.  Senior Jensen was hot from behind the plate, putting up 3 hits on 5 at bats with 6 RBIs.  Cael Seamons and Carey each scored 3 runs for Malad, Seamons with only 4 at bats and Carey with 3.

Jensen also brought the heat from the mound, pitching four innings while only allowing 3 hits with zero runs, errors, or walks, while striking out 4 batters.  

In their last game of the tournament, Malad won a sweet victory over Declo 18-0 in an flawless game.  While they shut out the Hornets, the Dragons punched in runs every inning of the game, putting up 4 in the first, two in the second, 3 in the third, 7 in the fourth, and two in the fifth.  Montgomery had an impressive hitting game, as he scored 2 runs on 3 hits, on 5 at bats while punching 5 RBIs.  He was a home run shy of hitting a full cycle, snagging the single, double and triple on his three hits.  Peterson also had a strong game from behind the plate, tallying 2 runs on 1 hits on 4 at bats with 4 RBIs.

It Showell on the mound again, striking out 7 batters while allowing only 2 hits with zero runs and errors, walking 2.   

Unfortunately the Dragon winning streak came to an end as they hosted Marsh Valley Monday, April 15.  The Eagles came out swinging, putting up 15 runs.  They coupled their strong offense with a strong defense, keeping Malad without a single hit or run in the five innings game.

Coach Clark commented, “We have a lot of skill and talent on our team.  What we need to work on is bringing the same focus to every game.  That will be important if we want to be successful towards the end of our season.”

The Dragons have a lighter schedule this week, with only three games at Soda Springs on April 17, Firth on April 19 and Wendell on April 22.