The East Troy baseball team gave new head coach Rick Brandner his first varsity victory April 6.
East Troy gained a split in a non-conference doubleheader with visiting Waterloo, as it won the second game 7-3. The victory came on the heels of an 8-7 loss in the opener.
The Trojans now are 1-2 overall on the young season. East Troy was scheduled to open Rock Valley Conference play Tuesday afternoon against visiting Big Foot.
In the opener Saturday, East Troy scored twice in the first, second and fourth innings to take a 6-1 lead. The Trojans added one more in the sixth, while Waterloo scored twice in the seventh, but couldn’t get any closer.
Josh Oswald led the offense with three hits, including two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI. Will Illoncaie added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI, followed by Troy Ambrose with two hits and two RBI and Nick Rodefer with two hits.
Connor Mitchell added a double, a run scored and two RBI for the Trojans.
Mitchell Sullivan went the distance for East Troy to pick up the win. He allowed 10 hits, two earned runs, two walks and struck out three in seven innings.
For a half an inning in the opener, it looked like the Trojans may give Brandner his first win one game sooner, as they overcame a 5-2 deficit with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.
But the Pirates responded with three runs of their own in the sixth and held East Troy scoreless in its last two at bats to pick up the win.
Logan Parsons led the offense with two hits and an RBI, followed by Rodefer with two RBI and Mitchell and Evan Wick each with one RBI.
Troy Ambrose took the loss, as he worked 4-2/3 innings, and allowed six hits, four earned runs, seven walks and struck out four. Nathan Dallas worked 1-2/3 innings, and allowed one hit, while Sam Walters pitched two-thirds of an inning.
Walters allowed two hits, three earned runs and four walks.
Trojans fall in opener
Host Badger used a nine-run sixth inning to break open a close game Friday afternoon en route to a 13-2 non-conference victory.
East Troy scored its only runs with single tallies in the third and sixth innings.
Troy Ambrose had a hit and an RBI for the Trojans, while Mitchell had one hit and a run scored. Oswald added East Troy’s other hit in the ballgame.
Illoncaie took the loss, as he pitched three innings, and allowed 13 hits, three earned runs, two walks and struck out one. Dallas pitched two-thirds of an inning, and allowed two hits, two earned runs, two walks and struck out one, while Oswald worked two innings, and allowed four hits, three earned runs, three walks and struck out one.
