Shiner Gazette

Cards beat Indians 10-0

  • Kade Leist catches a fly ball against Sacred Heart during the Cardinals’ shutout win April 19. Photo courtesy of Photos by Lori Raabe.
    Kade Leist catches a fly ball against Sacred Heart during the Cardinals’ shutout win April 19. Photo courtesy of Photos by Lori Raabe.

    The St. Paul baseball team completed the series sweep against rival Hallettsville Sacred Heart with plenty of offense and defense.
    The Cardinals blanked the Sacred Heart 10-0 in five frames April 19 at the Shiner Starplex.
    “We came out a little shaky but once we started executing and when we execute, we are a solid team,” Cardinals head coach Charlie Mieschen said. “We just have to keep our focus with one district game left before playoffs, take care of business and have the regular-season ending like we want.”
    Zak Johnson picked up the win with a one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts, two batter hits and two walks.
    “When you have a guy like Zak who can control the game and you have fielders that field the ball really well. Zak pitches with more confidence when he knows he has a great defense behind him and does not have to worry about striking everyone out,” Mieschen said. “We prefer teams get a couple of hits off him so it keeps his pitch count low.”  
    “This game felt good. My arm felt good, as good as the last time we played them,” Johnson said.
    The Indians started the game with a hit and later got two batter hit to load the bases but St. Paul got the final out as they caught Sacred Heart’s  Garrett Matura stealing between third and home.
    In the bottom of the first, Noah Boedeker was hit by the pitch, followed by a hit by Nate Boedeker and Fisher Davis was hit by the pitch.  Noah Boedeker later scored on a passed ball; Jackson Ulcak scored Nate Boedeker as runner Jake Yackel was thrown out at third, allowing Ulcak to reach base.
    Sacred Heart got just one base runner, via an error, in the second and third innings as Johnson struck out five batters in that time.
    In the bottom of the third, Zeke Rodriguez got a leadoff walk, later got to third on an error and scored on Sean Humes’s RBI triple. Humes put the Cards up 4-0 when he scored on a sacrifice by Noah Boedeker.
    St. Paul did not score in the third inning and in the fourth, Sean Humes was hit by the pitch and went to third on Noah Boedeker’s double.  Sean Humes went home on the passed ball after Nate Boedeker was walked. Both Boedekers scored on the Fisher Davis double.
    In the bottom of the fifth, Sacred Heart put Matura on the mound and he did not have a good start as Johnson doubled to start the inning. Ethan Easterling reached second on a two-base error while Johnson scored. Blaine Humes was walked and went to second on another error that also saw Easterling’s runner, Jacob Wachsmuth, score for a 9-0 lead. Sean Humes later tripled in Blaine Humes  for a 10-0 lead and to activate the mercy rule.
    St. Paul hitting/offense — Sean Humes, 2-2, 2 runs, 2 triples, 2 RBI, 1 stolen  base; Zak Johnson, 2-2, 1 run, 1 double, 1 stolen base; Noah Boedeker, 1-1, 2 runs, 1 double, 1 RBI, 1 stolen base; Fisher Davis, 1-2, 1 double; Nate Boedeker, 1-2, 2 runs, 1 stolen bases; Jacob Wachsmuth, 1 run; Zeke Rodriguez, 1 run, 2 stolen bases; Blaine Humes, 1 run;Jackson Ulcak, 1 RBI.
    St. Paul pitching —Johnson, 5 IP, winning pitcher, 1 hit, 2 hit by pitch, 2 walks, 9K.
    St. Paul fielding/defense — Nate Boedeker, 3 putouts; Ulcak, 1 putout, 1 assist; Kade Leist, 1 putout; Johnson, 1 putout; Ethan Easterling, 2 assists; Blaine Humes, 1 assist.
    St. Paul 10, Sacred Heart 0
    SH    000    00x    x    0    1    3
    SP    220    33x    x    10    7    1
    SH —Tyler Hawkins, Garrett Matura (5) and Wade Shimek. SP —Zak Johnson and Fisher Davis. W — Johnson. L —Hawkins.
    3B — SP: Sean Humes (2)
    2B — SP: Noah Boedeker, Davis, Johnson,