The Blair High School baseball team's winless start is over.
The Bears went 2-for-3 Thursday through Saturday, besting Class B No. 8 Waverly and York with a loss to No. 2 Norris in-between.
“Our hitting is what's been the best for us right now,” pitcher Colton Flynn said Saturday. “We've been hitting the ball really well. We've been seeing it real well.”
Thursday's victory against the Vikings ended a five-game losing streak to start the spring. Now, though, the Bears are 2-6 and looking forward to what's next.
“We're going to capitalize on it,” junior Aiden McBreen said.
Bears upset No. 8 Vikings
Hans Sorensen pitched a two-hit complete game Thursday as BHS secured its first win of the season by 3-2 road upset.
The right-handed Bear struck out five batters as coach John Roan's squad bested the eighth-ranked Waverly Vikings by a single run. A Viking runner reached third base during the seventh frame, but the victors kept him at bay to avoid extra innings.
Blair, meanwhile, scored all three of its runs during the fourth frame. Trailing 1-0, Flynn, Thomas Chikos and courtesy runner Owen Mann all scored. Chikos, Carter Saylor and Nelson Kosch logged RBIs in the inning, too, as the Bears earned five free bases and a Flynn single during the frame.
The Bears notched four hits altogether during the road contest with Nathan Murray, Lucas Matejka and Chikos joining Flynn with one apiece.
Titans beat Bears
Norris wasn't the right team for BHS continue its winning ways against, though.
The second-ranked Titans visited Vets Field on Friday and won in six innings, 13-3. They scored six first-frame runs, notching a couple on Blair mistakes before a bases-clearing hit into the gap.
Norris added one run during the second inning and none in the third, but then two apiece during the fourth, fifth and sixth frames to win by run-rule.
The Bears, meanwhile, scored all three of their runs during the bottom of the third. Brevin Leggott, Murray and Kosch singled back-to-back-to-back to start half inning before Matejka hit into a run-scoring error.
Still trailing 7-1, Blair's Colton Nixon pushed across a second run by sacrifice before an interference call by the umpire allowed a Jakob Gaskill RBI.
Four pitchers — Finn Soderberg, Brock Hamm, Hudson Hamm and Mann — threw for the Bears in defeat. Soderberg struck out three batters, while Hudson Hamm tossed a team-best two innings, allowing just one hit.
BHS holds off York
After the home squad jumped out to a six-run lead through three innings Saturday, McBreen closed out the Bears' 7-5 home win against York.
“With that lead, you've just got to come in and throw strikes,” he said.
The junior threw two frames, striking out three batters — including two during the seventh frame — before a flyout ended the chilly afternoon matchup.
Flynn, meanwhile, earned the start and the pitching win with five innings of work. He allowed just three hits, striking out four batters along the way.
“I really just wanted to go out there and perform as best as I can with as much confidence as I can,” the starter said.
Flynn said his most-effective pitch against the Dukes was his two-seam fastball. He threw it with run support as Coach Roan's squad scored twice during the first inning, four runs during the second and their seventh in the third.
Matejka hit 2-for-3 for Blair, tallying two RBIs — the team-high met by Murray. Leggott and Nixon plated a pair of runs, too, while Andrew Smutny, Chikos and Mann also logged hits.
BHS BASEBALL LINE SCORES
Saturday
Blair 7, York 5
YHS (5-3) 1 0 0 1 1 2 0 — 5 6 2
BHS (2-6) 2 4 1 0 0 0 X — 7 7 2
Friday
No. 2 Norris 13, Blair 3, 6 inn.
NHS (8-2) 6 1 0 2 2 2 — 13 8 2
BHS (1-6) 0 0 3 0 0 0 — 3 5 3
Thursday
Blair 3, No. 8 Waverly 2
BHS (1-5) 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 — 3 4 2
WHS (5-4) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 — 2 2 2
