By Ryan Howe - Times-News writer
Ernest Thayer’s baseball rhyme “Casey at the Bat” is a well-known classic about a star player from Mudville.
On Thursday, “Casey on the Mound” was another poetic masterpiece, this one about a star player from Spartanville.
Minico pitcher Casey Christiansen threw a gem in the Spartans’ 10-1 win over Lakeland in the opening round of the Class 4A state baseball tournament. The junior’s line: seven innings, three hits, 11 strikeouts, zero walks, zero earned runs.
“These are the moments you live for, the state tournament,” Christiansen said. “You just gotta love the moment and go out there and give it what you’ve got.”
The defending state champs loved nearly every moment of the lopsided victory, and hope that mojo continues into today’s 4 p.m. semifinals where the Spartans will face Bonneville (23-5), a 5-1 winner over Kuna on Thursday.
“A lot of people didn’t expect us to get to state this year and we’re here to show them that we’re going to give it our all and we’re going to play our best and play our game,” said Minico senior Dylan Winmill, who went 3-for-5 at the plate with a double and an RBI.
“We’ve had a plan all year, we’re the defending state champs and we have to come back and win it again, that’s our goal,” Winmill said. “Everybody’s got the right mindset and right focus to come back and get that.”
Minico (22-11) jumped on Lakeland pitcher Cody Vandever early and never looked back, scoring three runs on four hits in the first inning. The Spartans pulled out their arsenal of offense with clutch hits, heads-up base running and small ball execution.
K.J. Redder batted 3-for-3 with an RBI and Christiansen was 3-for-4 and drove in two runs.
Lakeland’s (13-12) only run came on a Minico throwing error in the fourth.
Christiansen faced five batters over the minimum while Lakeland only hit the ball out of the infield twice — a double in the first inning and a fly out to left field in the fourth. It was a fine pitching performance, especially considering Minico had no scouting report on the northern Idaho school.
“Coach (Ben) Frank said we were going to pitch to my strengths the first time through (the batting order) and see what they’ve got and try to use that as our game plan,” Christiansen said.
Minico 10, Lakeland 1
Isn't this a great article?? ♥ State baseball! More to come ...
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