Wildcat Baseball Ends First Week with 9-3 Win Over Ritenour

A blustery cold and windy day in St. Louis proved to be the most beautiful day of the week for the varsity baseball team, which got its first win of the season Thursday afternoon, when it knocked off Suburban North Conference rival Ritenour, 9-3.

“It’s always a nice day when you get a win,” West head coach Matt McClellan, said. “We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re playing better.

"Each day, we’re taking a step forward, so that’s good.”

The Wildcats took all the right steps forward on Thursday, March 24, pitching and playing near flawless defense, while pounding out the nine runs on 11 hits against the host Huskies.

Senior centerfielder Trevor Jones and junior first baseman Joe Gagliardi had two hits and two RBIs apiece for the Wildcats, while sophomore Shane Olmstead (1-1) added two hits of his own at the plate, and picked up the win on the mound, after coming in the relief of starter Jared Fosdick. Fosdick left the game after Ritenour starter Brian Brookes threw a pitch that hit him in the face.

Fosdick, who had begun to establish himself as the ace of the Wildcat pitching staff, was hit while batting in the top of the fourth inning.

With runners on first and third and one out in the inning, Brookes was trying to move Fosdick off the plate by throwing a hard fastball inside. But the toss got away from Brookes and veered far inside, catching Fosdick in face before he could react.

“I talked to his parents at the hospital and they said he’s doing okay,” McClellan said. “I didn’t really see it, but I think it kind of caught his helmet, then hit him in the eye.

"It was definitely scary, (and) we just hope Jared’s gonna be okay.”

Olmstead came in and pitched brilliantly the rest of the way, completing the game for the Wildcats. He allowed three runs on three hits and one walk, with four strikeouts.

“(Shane) really picked it up,” McClellan said. “He pitched really well.

"We were happy to see him do that, unfortunately (under those) circumstances.”

Pitching with the lead surely helped Olmstead’s cause, and West gained the lead almost immediately, when centerfielder Trevor Jones led off the game with a basehit, stole second and eventually scored on teammate Matt Leinberger's infield groundout.

Ritenour had a chance to counter in the bottom of the first, when it loaded the bases with only one out for No. 5 hitter Patrick Winston. But Fosdick fielded a soft tap off Winston’s bat and started a 1-2-3 double play that ended the inning and got the Wildcats out of trouble.

“(Jared) made a big pitch and a big play right there,” McClellan said. “That’s what it takes to win games, and that’s what they’re going to have to do.”

West extended its lead the third inning, thanks to more wildness from Ritenour’s Brookes.

The senior righthander allowed two hits in the inning, but he also walked two batters and allowed two runs to score on consecutive wild pitches. West second baseman Aaron Lohman scored on one errant toss. When the very next pitch bounced away from Ritenour catcher Jacob Perales, West’s Leinberger scored to make it 3-0.

West went up 5-0 in the sixth, Jones delivered a two-out basehit that scored Jordan Yakel and Joe Gagliardi.

At that point, the Wildcats seemed destined to get their first win. But Brookes took some measure of revenge, when his RBI basehit to the left sparked a three-run Ritenour rally.

Still West scored four big runs in the top of the seventh, thanks to a two-run single by Gagliardi, an RBI groundout by Darius Howard and an RBI double by Joey McCune, that put the game out of reach and solidified the Wildcat win.

West has a much deserved weekend off, before getting back to action on Tuesday, March 29, when it will host its home opener against McCluer High. Game-time is 4 p.m.

The Wildcats’ other game action this week will be on Thursday, March 31, and Saturday, April 2, when the team will play road games at McCluer North  at 4 p.m., and at Parkway West at noon, respectively.