Senior RJ Anglin picked up the pitching victory and drove in six runs, with a three run homer and a three run double higlighting La Porte’ 9-2 win over Portage Tuesday night.  It was the Duneland Conference opener for both teams.

 

The game didn’t start out well for Anglin or the Slicers. In the top of the first Mark Calmbacher smacked a one out single to center. After Antoine Pearson lined out to centerfielder Ryan Bruemmer for the second out, Devon Ortiz and Dylan Supthin both singled. Supthin’s hit to right field drove in Calmbacher to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. La Porte ended the inning with a solid defensive play. Portage had runners on first and third and attempted a double steal. Catcher Carter Moses threw to second. Second baseman Kade Flores cut the throw off and fired a strike back to Moses cutting down courtesy runner Colin Nolder at the plate for the third out.

 

In the Slicer half of the first inning Moses was hit by a Montgomery Cunningham pitch with one out. Courtesy runner Drew Flores stole second base but was thrown out trying to steal third to end the inning. LP sent only three hitters to the plate in the inning and struck out twice.

 

Both teams went three up three down in the second inning leading up to the game changing third inning. 

 

Portage scored their second run in the top of the third with three singles to take a 2-0 lead. Tyler Browning led off with a hit to left. Anglin struck out JT Haitz before giving up back to back singles to Calmbacher and Pierson. Pierson’s drove in Browning.

 

In the bottom of the third the crafty Cunningham retired Drew Catron and Kelli Hay for two quick outs. The soft throwing right hander had faced the minimum eight hitters, striking out four to this point. Then, suddenly, he lost control of the strike zone. He walked both Ben Dubbs and Kade Flores before Carter Moses put the Slicers on the board with a ground ball single to right, scoring Dubbs. Anglin stepped up with two on and blasted a three run homer over the left field fence to give the Slicers a 4-2 lead after three innings. 

 

In the fourth, after striking out Derric Calmbacher, Anglin gave up a single to Matt Krostag. The next hitter Ben Tollard hit a short popup between the mound and the first base line. Anglin moved to catch it but dropped it. The ball rolled into foul territory before Anglin retrieved it and made the long throw to second forcing out Krostag at second. Browning then struck out to end the inning.

 

La Porte broke the game open in the bottom of the fourth. Tommy Samuelson got the inning started with a single to right. Kai Jones then ripped a double to left center field putting runners on second and third with no outs. Krostag came in to pitch and Portage pulled their infield in. Catron grounded out to third, the runners were unable to advance. Kelli Hay hit a ground ball to second baseman Nolder. Samuelson tried to score on the play but was thrown out at the plate. Jones advanced to third and Hay stopped briefly at first. After Hay stole second, Dubbs singled, driving in two runs making it a 6-2 game. Kade Flores walked and Moses reached on an error to load the bases. They weren’t loaded long. Anglin hit a line drive double that one hopped the left field fence clearing the bases stretching the lead to 9-2.

 

Portage went down in order in the top of the fifth. La Porte tried to get another two out rally going in the bottom of the inning. Samuelson popped out to center and Jax Land grounded out to short to start the frame. AJ Mrozinske singled to center and Hay hit a double to putting runners on second and third. Dubbs grounded out to second and the LP came up empty.

 

Kai Jones came in to pitch the sixth and seventh innings for LP and he was brilliant. Ortiz hit a hard grounder that looked like a hit. Third basemen Catron dove to his left making the stop, hopped up and threw a strike to Samuelson at first for the out. That was the only ball the Portage put into play against Jones, who struck out the last five hitters to end the game.

 

A strange double play ended the Slicer sixth. Moses had a one out single and courtesy runner Drew Flores entered. Anglin flew out to medium right field. Flores went halfway down the line. Right fielder Mark Calmbacher threw a strike to first just beating Flores for the rare 9-3 double play.

The win moves La Porte to 2-1 on the year and 1-0 in the DAC. Portage falls to 0-3. Anglin threw five innings, giving up two runs and seven hits. He struck out 7 and issued no walks. Jones struck out five in two impressive innings of work. Offensively, Moses reached base four times with 2 hits, a hit by pitch and an error. He drove in a run and his spot in the order scored two runs. Dubbs drove in two runs and scored twice. Defensively, La Porte was errorless for the third straight game. Anglin was named the Salisbury and Spence Player of the Game.

 

Wednesday’s game at Portage has been postponed. It is rescheduled for Thursday at 4:30. The JV game has been moved to Thursday also but will be played in La Porte.

 

Photos Courtesy of Susan Anglin.