Blue Springs South baseball stumbles against Ray-Pec

Blue Springs South's Jared Ginter makes contact with a pitch during Wednesday's home game against Ray-Pec. South
lost 11-6 and fell to 12-4 on the season.

A baseball team doesn’t always need its ‘A’ game to win, but if they bring the kind of game Blue Springs South put on the field Wednesday at home against Ray-Pec, a win is almost completely out of the question.

“We didn’t pitch, we gave them too many outs and we didn’t get a timely hit,” South head coach Ben Baier said. “That’s the ballgame. When you play a good team you lose those games.”

Blue Springs South's Landon Mason throws to first base for an out during
Wednesday's loss to Ray-Pec.

It all started in the first when Ray-Pec’s Jacob Boylan smashed a two-out, three-run homer over the fence in right center field for a 3-0 lead that would help the Panthers to an important Suburban Big Six Conference win, 11-6.

“We started off bad. They scored three in the first and that led to everything,” Jaguar third baseman Landon Mason said. “It was one thing after another. It snowballed from there.”

Blue Springs South starting pitcher Chad Worman throws a pitch during
the first inning Wednesday. 

From that point forward, the Jaguars started gift-wrapping runs for the Panthers.

An error to start the third inning led to a pair of runs, making it 5-1. It would only get worse, as three errors led to three more runs and an 8-2 deficit.

The final blow came in the sixth, when a two-out error extended an inning and gave Boylan the opportunity to hit his second three-run homer of the day for an 11-3 lead.

All the errors were made by Jaguar infielders.

“We’ve got to make those plays,” Mason said.

Added Baier, “When we don’t get it on the mound our defense gets on its heels. It’s not an excuse but it happens. … We should have been out of those innings a long time ago.

“We need consistency, especially on the mound. Our guys on the mound have to step up. Maybe that’s too much on them but that’s the truth.”

South had its chances at the plate as well, especially in the first three innings. Ray-Pec starting pitcher Jeremy Mansur couldn’t find the strike zone, walking seven batters in the first three innings to go along with an error.

But all the Jaguars could muster was Jared Ginter getting an RBI with a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly from Austin Simms. They stranded six runners on base and didn’t record a hit until the fifth inning.

Blue Springs South's Austin Simms connects with a pitch
during Wednesday's game. 

“We didn’t have a good approach,” Baier said. “When their pitcher throws seven balls in a row, as a hitter you have to know you’re not swinging at the first pitch. We have to have patience. We didn’t.”

Mason had an opportunity in the second with the bases loaded and two outs but popped up to the second baseman on the first pitch.

“We have to capitalize on situations like that,” Mason said. “He was wild so we have to be more patient. I was thinking that he was about to groove one. I was being aggressive and I just missed it. I have to be smarter.”

Blue Springs South's Kyle Roberts throws to first base for
an out against Ray-Pec.

The Jaguars finally seemed to get fired up in the sixth but by then the score was 11-3. The first four batters reached base and they plated three runs – two on a single by Mason – before the rally fizzled.

And until the sixth, it seemed as if South’s energy had been taken away on that first inning homer.

“I can’t put it into the team,” Baier said. “We talk about it but they have to do it. We can talk about it every inning but it doesn’t matter if nothing changes.”

South is now 12-4 on the season and they will host ninth-ranked Rockhurst tomorrow at 4:30 p.m., as its search for consistency continues.

“Some games we’ve had good defense and hitting but we haven’t pitched well. Other games we’ve pitched and played defense but haven’t hit,” Mason said. “We need to put all three together. When we do that we’re a good team.”