On April 4, Phoenix baseball went up against the Heritage Pride. The game ended after seven innings with the Pride taking the 6-1 victory. 

The Phoenix scored one run with a run batted in (RBI) by freshman Mekhi Motilewa. Following sophomore Jai Kashyp’s single to left field with junior Ari Susser pinch running for Kashyp, Motilewa hit a triple to deep left field, bringing Susser home.

The upperclassmen cheered on their underclassmen teammates with supportive words from the dugout. “Future games will go really well,” freshman Dhruv Vemuri said. “We have a great group of upperclassmen leaders who are helping the rest of the team develop and understand the game at a higher level.”

As the team prepares for future games in their spring season, some of the players have goals of improving their skills. “I would like to improve my pitching,” freshman Donte’ Allen said. 

Allen is not the only player who hopes to improve in a certain skill area. Vemuri wants to work on batting against more skilled pitchers, and having the support of upperclassmen teammates can make goals like this possible. Vemuri also said, “As soon as we find our groove on offense, we will be a well-balanced team that has potential to win a lot of games in the future.”

The team’s only senior, Ryan Buermeyer, pitches for his team and plays third base. Buermeyer has hopes for his team’s future victory. “My goal is to lead my team to win a few games,” Buermeyer said. “We’re continuing to improve with every game.” 

While the baseball team lost this game, the players have hope to win in the future. Through their determination, this goal of theirs is likely to be complete as they look out for one another, and help each other improve.

Gallery • 3 Photos

Rachel Adams

Sophomore Paul Smith (33) catches the ball as the Pride batter swings and misses.