Freeport spreads out game balls after Section 1 win over Deer Lakes

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, April 11, 2018 | 9:18 PM

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Following every victory, Freeport baseball coach Ed Carr takes out a sharpie and jots down a player's name and a key contribution on a baseball to highlight the significance in the role he played.

In the early part of this season, handing out only one game ball hasn't sufficed.

Multiple players have stepped up, and that was the case again in Wednesday's 4-2 win over Section 1-4A rival Deer Lakes at Freeport Community Park.

Freeport is off to a 4-0 start in Section 1 play and having different players step up in high-leverage situations has been a major factor.

On Tuesday, Carr handed out two game balls after a 5-2 win over Derry and upped the ante to three the next day.

Carr gave one to sophomore reliever Jarrett Heilman, who pitched two scoreless innings of relief for his second save in as many days. Another went to Griffin Cohen for a pinch-hit groundout in the fifth that moved two runners into scoring position who later scored. Another was awarded to Coulton Stewart for scaling the steep hill in left field to rob Tyler Smith of extra bases in the seventh.

“It seems like we have a different hero every game,” Carr said. “The difference in this team this year is that we have calmness. We don't let mistakes swallow us up. We keep saying we have a quiet confidence, and it's been there all year.”

That quiet confidence was tested in the seventh when Deer Lakes got a leadoff single by Jake McCaskey, and Smith followed by belting a ball to left field, but Stewart raced out and caught it at the base of the steep hill in the outfield. Stewart then fell into the hill and held on to the ball.

“I got a good jump on the ball, and we were playing deep, because we had a no doubles defense, so that helped,” Stewart said. “We haven't got on the field a lot, but when we do practice the outfielders have been planning and working on how to adjust to the hill.”

Will Meyer singled to put the tying run on first with two outs, but Hileman got Greg Geis to swing through a 3-2 pitch after a long battle for the final out.

“We talk a lot about our top two guys (Sean Furlong and Brodey Cowan), but we have a great No. 3 (pitcher) in Jarrett Hileman. That was his second save in two days,” Carr said. “If that's not stepping up then I don't know what is.”

McCaskey, a Cal (Pa.) recruit, started for the Lancers (4-3, 1-2) and battled all game, stranding seven runners through the first three innings. He ran into trouble in the fifth when the first three Freeport hitters reached base and then some miscues in the field allowed the Yellowjackets to capitalize. After Alex Ehalt hit a sacrifice fly to center to score Brodey Cowan, McCaskey induced a ground ball by Gavin Skradski for what looked like the final out, but an errant throw allowed the inning to continue and another run to score.

Then, Freeport tried a delayed steal with runners on the corners and Skradski was tagged at second, but the ball popped out of second baseman Jake Kelly's glove. Skradski was safe at second, and Zach Allen scored on the play.

“That gave them two runs; otherwise it's still a 2-2 ball game,” Deer Lakes coach Josh Tysk said. “It was a sloppy game in the field at times for both teams, but we kicked it around a little more than they did, and I thought that was the difference.”

McCaskey struck out eight over five innings and took the loss. Cowan pitched five-plus for the Yellowjackets, allowing six hits, and struck out one to earn the win. Kelly had both RBIs for Deer Lakes, one on a single in the fourth and the other on a groundout in the sixth. Geis scored both runs.

Deer Lakes stranded 11 runners, and Freeport left nine on base.

“We had to work hard at the plate today, and so did they,” Tysk said. “They did a good job grinding out at-bats, and that's what you have to do when you're facing a pitcher as good as Jake. Brodey did a good job, too. We made him work today.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer.

Tags: Deer Lakes, Freeport