HS Baseball: Strong Pitching and Fielding Keeps Shutout Alive in Oak Ridge Win

OAK RIDGE NORTH, TX -- The Oak Ridge War Eagles (12-5-2) put on a strong defensive showing in their shutout win against the visiting New Caney Eagles (4-9-1) by a score of 3-0.

The War Eagles won Saturday’s matchup through strong hitting and a five-run second inning. But with time to adjust lineups and pitching, both teams entered Tuesday equipped to handle a different style of play.

Back-to-back scoreless innings through the first and second saw little production from the plate as the opposing pitchers asserted early control.

Isaiah Reyes handled business against the War Eagle batters, sitting down at the top of the lineup in order in the first before only walking one in a four-batter second.

Meanwhile, Oak Ridge’s Reed Roberts had to deal with some unwanted pressure in the top of the first.

A leadoff walk got New Caney on the bags before a wild pitch and steal advanced the runner to third. But, composure against pressure saw Roberts strike out three of the next four batters to escape the tough situation with no scores.

The fielding took over in the second and third innings for Oak Ridge, securing a scoreless game as the War Eagles came up to bat in the bottom of the third.

Oak Ridge started to turn their luck around at the plate following a disciplined at-bat by Luis Olmeda, who drew a walk after getting pegged by an incoming pitch. Olmeda was then quickly brought home by an outfield RBI double by Dereck Hernandez and aggressive coaching on the basepath.

In an exclusive interview with The Woodlands Online Sports, Oak Ridge Head Coach J.J. Peirce discussed the team’s stance when it came to waving in runners and their aggressive stance on the basepath.

“That is our strategy. Our strategy is we’re going to try to put as much pressure on the team on defense as we can,” explained Peirce. “And there’s nothing more that puts a defense under pressure than guys running and taking extra bases.”

The 1-0 War Eagle lead seemed thin, but with Roberts’ pitching and dependable fielders littering the surrounding spaces, Oak Ridge was safe to play with their methodical hitting.

New Caney’s remainder of the game was at the mercy of Roberts and his pinpoint pitching. A scoreless stretch that spanned until being pulled in the top of the seventh saw the Eagles struggle to build traction on bases.

The only saving grace for New Caney were the three hit batters and four walks dealt by Roberts that put their runners on. But without further support, and eight total strikeouts on the night, the Eagles were forced to strand their runners when they were sorely needed at home.

“He’s been unbelievable the whole year,” said Peirce praising his pitcher. “He’s got like a bulldog mentality. He just gets up there and says, ‘You’re going to have to beat me, and I’m going to do what I do.’ And if they can get the best of him, more power to them.”

Unfortunately for New Caney, they could never figure out how to solve Roberts on the mound, and they remained scoreless for the rest of the night.

Insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth and fifth by the War Eagles appeared to be enough to seal the team’s win. While not flashy and built mostly off of walks, Oak Ridge was not picky in how they picked up their runs on the way to a 3-0 lead with the top of the seventh remaining.

“I don’t think we hit as well as we can,” said Peirce. “But when a team like ours isn’t hitting well, they seem to find it at just the right time. They’ve done it in just about every district game so far.”

The top of the seventh was the final attempt by New Caney to either swing the game into extra innings or simply avoid the impending shutout.

Back-to-back outs immediately jeopardized the Eagles’ plan before three straight batters reached base through varying means. An error, hit by pitch, and single put New Caney in the best situation they had seen all game, with the bases loaded and a chance to completely flip the game on its head.

Too many pitches from Roberts finally saw him get pulled, but a replacement job by Drayton Urbay was enough to seal the deal with a routine strikeout that stranded all three Eagle runners.

Oak Ridge’s 3-0 combined shutout keeps the team near the top of the district standings while securing the 200th win of Coach Peirce’s career. But even with the attempt at a Gatorade shower, banner, and fan ovation, the tenured coach still has his eyes on the prize.

“Our pitching and defense has got to keep playing the way they have,” said Peirce. “We’ve got to get our small-ball game going. We haven’t really been bunting the way we want to. We’re trying to bunt down the first or third baseline, and we just haven’t been doing that this year.”

With adjustments that can be made and worked on through practice, the cool coach believes it can be done.

“I think if we can iron that out,” said Peirce. “We’ll be pretty tough for sure.”

The next battle for Oak Ridge will be on Friday, with the Conroe Tigers coming to pay a visit. Meanwhile, New Caney will hit the road and prepare for their two-game series against the Grand Oaks Grizzlies.

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