Zion Lutheran Quieted 11-0 By Upstart Atlantic Squad

The Atlantic Eagles are adept at handling adversity.

So with news coming that they will be without their top player for the next few months just on the verge of the season starting, the team was forced to regroup and respond.

Atlantic did just that on Tuesday afternoon, putting forth a solid all around performance as it shut out Zion Lutheran 11-0 in an HSBN Preseason Classic contest held at Highlands Christian Academy.

“We hit the ball and did what we had to do,” Eagles manager Steve Wilson said. “It was a good start and it has been really great for us to play in this tournament the past two years.”

Coach Wilson was even more excited about what he saw from his team both in performance and in character upon learning that their starting catcher and team captain Brad Myott will be sidelined indefinitely due to a complication from contracting mono.

Starter Cody Bryant was staked with a 4-0 lead before he even took the mound, and after allowing consecutive singles to Nick Vasquez and J.R. Meneses leading off the bottom of the first inning Bryant retired the next nine batters he faced in order. The senior right-hander recorded four strikeouts to earn the victory.

“Cody got a little ahead early on and put some runners on,” Wilson said. “But he got out of it and that’s what Cody does. He’s a bulldog.”

The Lions managed just one hit the rest of the way on an Alex Ernestine single in the fourth, and they were just unable to mount any offensive threat.

Meanwhile, Atlantic continued to use their team speed and aggressive style of play to their advantage in adding to its lead. The Eagles put runners on in every frame and continually pressured Zion’s pitching staff and defense, while coming through with many timely hits.

Jesse Kieffer led the way for the offense, going 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a pair of runs. Jake Wallin also had a double and a run, and courtesy runner Joel Perez tallied three runs.

Wilson admits that he also has loads of confidence in his defense, and that he simply asks his pitchers to throw strikes and put the ball in play. Although the team is forced to shuffle their defensive alignments now that their top backstop is down, Tuesday’s results showed that the players are ready and able to plug the holes.

“The players know they have to pick it up,” Wilson said. “The season is going to be played either way.”

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