Churchill Recaps

Lancer Land
Monday May 22nd State Playoffs
Churchill Shuts Out Madison
The Lancers blanked the visiting Madison Senators 7-0 in the first round of OSAA playoff action in Eugene on Monday. Senior first baseman Jerad Thompson and junior left fielder Antony Kreitz wielded the big sticks for Churchill, accounting for six of the team's 11 hits. Kreitz doubled in the first inning and Thompson followed up with a two-run homer to get the offense moving. Kreitz finished 3-4 with three doubles, 2 RBI and a sacrifice fly. Thompson also went 3-4 with a double, a dinger and four RBI. Senior short stop Josh Hogan went 2-4 with a pair of doubles and an RBI. Sophomore second baseman Peter Straka was 2-2 and hit by a pitch. The Lancers started junior right-hander Andrew Schumacher who pitched 5 shutout innings with 4 strikeouts, 5 hits and 2 walks. Freshman Matt Myrmo took the hill in the 5^th and pitched 2 scoreless innings, with 2 strikeouts and one walk. The Senators started senior right-hander Nate McConnell who pitched 6 complete innings, giving up 11 hits, no walks and 7 runs. The Lancers will head south to face South Medford in the second round on Wednesday.

Friday May 12th BYE END of League Season - MWL CHAMPS 3rd YEAR IN A ROW

Wednesday May10
Lancers ThreePeat As MWL Champs
In a game in which the bats from both dugouts dominated the action, the host Lancers walked away with the league crown on Wednesday with its 11-2 win over Willamette. Pitchers from both teams were lit up all day with Churchill belting 17 of the game's 27 hits. Led by Drew Irsfeld's 4-4 performance with 2 doubles and 2 RBI, the Lancer bats warmed up in the second inning and grew hotter as the game progressed. Jerad Thompson finished 3-4 with a double and an RBI. Peter Straka went 2-3 with 3 RBI and Andrew Schumacher had a 3-5 outing with and RBI. With a starting rotation that has been squeezed the last couple weeks with Thompson resting his arm, Churchill went with a platoon of hurlers. Schumacher started on the hill for C-hill and went 3 innings giving up 5 hits, no runs and tallying 3 strikeouts. Irsfeld was brought in for the 4^th inning and went three innings giving up 3 hits, including a solo home run by Wolverine 1^st baseman Chad Metzel. Freshman Matt Myrmo closed it out in the7th, letting up 2 hits, before the Lancer defense closed the door and coach Hoberg took his ice water dousing. The Lancers have the bye on Friday and start preparing for their first round playoff opponent, the fourth seed from the PIL.

RBI count: Straka 3, Trautman 2, Irsfeld 2, Franke 2, Schumacher 1, Thompson 1

Multi-base hits: Irsfeld (2 doubles), Thompson (double), Schumacher (double)

Winning Pitcher: Schumacher

Monday May 8
Churchill overcame a first-inning hangover from its two recent losses and went on to beat host Springfield 14-2 on Monday night, putting the Lancers one win away from its third consecutive league title. The league leaders pounded out 12 hits, punctuated in the 4^th by Jerad Thompson's grand slam line drive over the left field wall. Junior Drew Irsfeld started on the hill for Churchill and after a shaky first inning, giving two hits--including a 2-run home run, he settled in and kept the Miller bats quiet for two more innings. After getting blanked in the 1^st, the Lancer bats woke up and drove in 3 runs in the second, 5 in the third and 6 in the 4^th. With a 12-point margin, Churchill took Irsfeld out after his third inning of work, throwing only 32 pitches with 3 strikeouts, no walks and the 2 hits and 2 runs from the first inning. Freshman Matt Myrmo came in to pitch and kept the Millers scoreless for two more innings until the 10-run rule stopped play. Thompson finished the day 2 for 3 with a double, a dinger, and 4 RBI, Peter Straka went 2-3 with 3 RBI and a double, Adam Trautman went 2 for 3 with 3 RBI and a triple, and Justin Hoffman finished 2-3 with 3 RBI.

RBI count: Thompson 4, Straka 3, Hoffman 3, Trautman 3,

Multi-base hits: Thompson (HR, double) Straka (double), Trautman (triple)

Friday May 5

Lancers Can't Overcome Fielding Woes

Errors told the story as Churchill dropped its second consecutive league game, this time to South Eugene, 8-6. A rowdy crowd was on hand at Civic stadium to witness the hosts jump ahead and extend their lead on 6 hits and 8 Lancer errors. Axemen ace Michael Ward kept the Lancers bats quiet for two innings before Churchill was able to peck out a couple runs in the middle innings. The wheels fell off the Lancer defense in the 4^th giving away five runs on five errors. The Lancers went with Andrew Schumacher on the hill pitching five innings with 7 hits, two strikeouts, 3 walks and a hit batter. While the team struggled behind Schumacher in the field, his performance at the dish kept the Lancers within striking distance. His two-run double in the 6th spurred a 3-run rally to bring the deficit back to two runs. That proved be enough as the Lancers tried to mounted a last-inning rally on Antony Kreitz' lead-off double. But Ward struck out two and dodged a long fly ball in the top of the 7^th to seal the win. He finished the day with 5 strikeouts and two walks. In the end, Churchill's performance a the plate was close to their league average for both hits (9) and runs, but the errors in the field kept them two wins away from the league title. At the plate, Schumacher went 3-4 with two doubles and two RBI. Kreitz was also 3-4 with a double and an RBI.

RBI count: Schumacher 2, Justin Hoffman 2, Kreitz 1, Adam Trautman 1

Multi-base hits: Schumacher (2 doubles), Kreitz (double)

Pitching: Ward gets the complete-game win, Schumacher is credited with the loss, Myrmo replaced Schumacher in the 6^th

Wednesday May 3

Sheldon Wins In A Barn-Burner

WOW! Nine innings, 3 hours, more than 30 hits and 6 pitchers later, Sheldon triumphs over Churchill 13-9. Churchill took the early lead behind the pitching of Drew Irsfeld, but the Irish rallied behind Sheldon hurler Brandon Hayes after Irsfeld was lifted with a 4-3 lead in the 7^th. After Irsfeld plunked the lead-off batter in the top of the 7^th, senior closer Jacob Franke took the hill. Sheldon got to Franke early and junior Alex Besaw laced a two-run homer to left to put the Irish up 5-4. But Churchill ralled back in the bottom of the 7^th, getting to Hayes early. Sheldon put senior Corey Moran on the bump and with runners on first and second, Irsfeld re-entered in his batting slot to drive in the tying run, before Moran grounded out Peter Straka to end the inning. Franke gave up two more runs for Churchill in the top of the 8^th but the Lancers bats answered back yet again in the bottom of the inning. Churchill tied the game back up and with runners on 2^nd and 3^rd and two outs, Sheldon elected to walk clean-up hitter Andrew Schumacher, noticing that Irsfeld was no longer in the lineup to protect him. Churchill had made a defensive adjustment in the outfield in the top of the inning and put freshman Matt Myrmo in right field to replace sophomore Ryan Layson, who in turn had replaced Franke defensively when Franke went in to pitch for Irsfeld. Moran notched a bases-loaded strikeout on Myrmo to end the inning. In the top of the 9^th, Sheldon recorded 6 more runs, touching up Franke and his reliever, junior Jon Michael Murray, with a procession of hits and walks. Down 13 to 7, the Lancers rallied yet again, scoring two more runs before Sheldon lifted Moran for junior Ace Alex Besaw with two outs. Besaw got a ground ball to end the game.

C-hill RBI count: Jerad Thompson 2, Josh Hogan 1, Tony Kreitz 1, Shumacher 1, Irsfeld 1, Adam Trautman 1

Multi-base hits: Hogan (double), Shumacher (triple), Hoffman (double), Trautman (double and a triple)

Pitching: Irsfeld gets a no-decision, going 6+ innings with 6 Ks and allowing 8 hits and 4 runs. Franke gets the loss.

Monday May 1
Lancers 12-2 Over Marshfield In Five Innings

With winds gusting to 35 mph, it looked doubtful that batters would hit for extra bases at Marshfield on Monday, but Churchill didn't read the weather report. Sophomore catcher Justin Hoffman went yard to lead off the top of the 5^th and it opened the floodgates for six more runs that inning to put the Lancers up 12-1. Prior to that, Andrew Schumacher and Jacob Franke each pounded out triples to right center and Adam Trautman knocked a 2-RBI double to right field. Churchill finished with 12 runs on 12 hits. Franke went 3 for 4 at the plate. Schumacher started on the hill for the Lancers, facing Ricky Rexine for the Pirates. Schumacher pitched 4 innings, giving three hits and one run. Franke took over in the 5^th and the Pirates scored one more run, but succumbed to the 10-run rule.

RBI count: Franke 3, Jerad Thompson 2, Peter Straka 2, Adam Trautman 2, Schumacher 1, Hoffman 1

Multi-base hits: Hoffman (dinger), Shumacher (triple), Franke (triple), Trautman (double)

Winning pitcher: Andrew Schumacher

Friday April 28th
Lancer Bats Come Up Big Against North
Bouncing back from its lackluster offensive attack on Wednesday, Churchill pounded out 12 hits to beat the visiting North Eugene Highlanders 8-2. After dropping the previous game to Thurston, the Lancers were able to consistently set the table and drive in runs tonight. Each team showed a different pitching attack from the earlier match-up, with North starting senior Shawn Peterson and C-hill putting junior Drew Irsfeld on the bump. Hitters got to both pitchers sporadically through the first couple innings with only Churchill able to manufacture runs after good lead-off hitting. The Lancer bats really came alive in the third inning, touching up Peterson for 4 earned runs. Irsfeld was able to get out of jams with regularity by forcing ground balls to good fielding behind him. He gave up 4 hits and two runs in his complete game effort. Peterson was replaced by Woodke in the fifth. Josh Hogan led the offensive attack from the lead-off spot with a triple/double/single in his 3-4, 2-RBI effort. Andrew Schumacher also went 3-4 with an RBI and Peter Straka finished 2-3 with two RBI.
RBI Count: Hogan 2,Straka 2, Kreitz 1, Irsfeld 1, Schumacher 1, Hoffman 1
Multi-base hits: Hogan (triple, double), Franke (triple)
Winning pitcher: Irsfeld (complete game)

Wednesday April 26th (Courtesy of a Colt fan)
Thurston 5 Churchill 3
Colt Grant Willis got the Win pitching 4 2/3 innings. Dan Straily came in to finish the 5^th with runners at second and third and got the Save. Darrell Hunter hit a Double and scored 2 runs in the first inning to put the Colts on the board. Danny Urness had a bunt base hit and Andrew Harris hit a 3-run bomb in the third, which ensured the win for the Colts

Monday April 24th
Churchill 6 Lebanon 1
After losing a game to Lebanon each of the last two seasons, Churchill removed the hex tonight with its 6-1 win over Lebanon to remain undefeated and move three games up on the three-team pack in second place. Jerad Thompson started on the hill for Churchill, going 5 innings with 4 strikeouts, 3 hits and no runs. Drew Irsfeld took over in the 5^th giving up a run with 2 strikeouts and 3 hits in his two innings of relief. Neither Lancer hurler walked a batter. The bats started early for both teams. Lebanon produced no runs on two hits in the top of the first and Churchill knocked in 3 runs on three hits in the bottom of the first. Then the bats went quiet until the 5^th inning when the Lancers scored three more runs. Josh Hogan went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI, Andrew Shumacher was 2 for 3 with a double and 2 RBI, and Jacob Franke went 2 for 3 with an RBI. Churchill had 8 hits on the day; Lebanon finished with 6 hits.
RBI count: Schumacher 2, Hogan 1, Franke 1, Thompson 1
Multi-base hits: Hogan (double), Thompson (double) Schumacher (double)

Friday April 21st Bye

Wednesday April 19th
Churchill 10, Willamette 1
The Lancers can hit the long ball. It took them 14 games into the season to prove it but the big lumber made a brief appearance Wednesday as Churchill outgunned Willamette 10-1 to finish its perfect first half of league play. The 8-0 Lancers had been getting their runs the hard way until Jerad Thompson's third-inning solo bomb looped around the left-field foul pole. The same inning, Drew Irsfeld launched a two-run dinger over the left field fence. The fireworks continued within the yard after that as Josh Hogan finished the day 3-for-3 with an RBI, Andrew Schumacher went 2-3, and Thompson finished 3-4 with 2 RBI. Schumacher got the win for C-hill with five innings of 3-hit work, striking out six and walking three. Freshman Matt Myrmo finished out the 5^th and 6^th, giving up 2 hits, one run and a walk with one strikeout.

RBI count: Thompson 2, Irsfeld 2, Krietz 2, Hogan 1, Peter Straka 1, Justin Hoffman 1

Multi-base hits: Thompson (HR), Irsfeld (HR)

Winning Pitcher: Andrew Schumacher

Tuesday April 18th
Churchill 9 South Eugene 2

The radar guns were bristling behind the backstop with scouts in abundance but the billed pitchers' dual turned into a hit fest as the Lancers prevailed 9-2 over the visiting South Eugene Axemen. The sun was finally out and it heated up the bats to the tune of 20 combined hits on the day. South ace Michael Ward faced off against Churchill's Jerad Thompson and neither intimidated batters on this outing. Andrew Schumacher led Churchill's 11-hit effort, going 2-4 with a triple, double and three RBI. Josh Hogan finished 2-4 with two doubles and 2 RBI and Thompson went 2-3 with a double. On the hill, Ward went 5 innings, giving up 8 hits, while Thompson completed 6 innings with 7 strikeouts, 8 hits, no walks and 2 earned runs. Jacob Franke closed in the 7^thfor C-hill, giving up one hit.

RBI count: Schumacher 3, Hogan 2, Krietz 1, Franke 1, Peter Straka 1, Adam Trautman 1

Multi-base hits: Schumacher (Triple, double), Hogan (2 doubles), Thompson (double)

Winning Pitcher: Thompson

Churchill 6, Springfield 2

With Springfield leading 2-1 after three innings, Churchill finally started moving some base runners and knocking in runs. The Lancers scattered 11 hits on the day. Leading the mid-game charge was Jerad Thompson (2 for 2 with two walks, a double and an RBI) and Drew Irsfeld (3 for 4 with 2 RBI). Andrew Schumacher finished 2-4 and Josh Hogan went 1-3 with a double. Lancer starter Irsfeld notched 8 strike outs, giving up 2 hits and one earned run over six innings. Jacob Franke closed in the seventh with one strike out and one hit.

RBI count: Irsfeld 2, Thompson 1, Franke 1, Matt Myrmo 1

Multi-base hits: Hogan (double), Thompson (double)

Winning pitcher: Irsfeld

Thursday April 13th Record 11-0

Churchill 11, Marshfield 1

The third time was a charm for the Lancers' date with the Pirates. The skies opened in the first inning on Monday in Eugene and again on Tuesday as the Churchill bus pulled into Coos Bay. But the dark skies stayed dry today and the Lancer bats were hot. Following Josh Hogan's lead-off triple in the bottom of the first, Churchill finished the inning with 7 runs on five hits. Andrew Schumacher saw his first league start, going 5 innings with 3 strikeouts before the 10-run rule went into effect. Hogan followed up his first-inning fireworks with a double and a single, going 3-4 on the day with 4 RBI. Antony Krietz was on base all day going 2-2 with two RBI, a walk and hit by a pitch. The Lancers finished with 12 hits, five of them for extra bases.

RBI Count: Hogan 4, Krietz 2, Jacob Franke 1, Drew Irsfeld 1, Peter Straka 1, Justin Hoffman 1

Multi-base Hits: Hogan (triple, double), Jerad Thompson (double), Franke (double), Hoffman (double)

Winning Pitcher: Schumacher ( 3 Ks, 4 hits)

Wednesday April 12th Record 10-0

Churchill 8 Sheldon 4
What looked at first like a pitchers' dual turned into a free-for-all in the 4^th inning as Churchill defeated Sheldon 8-4 while being out-hit by the Irish. Lancer hurler Jerad Thompson tossed a complete game striking out 10 and giving up nine hits and two walks.

Sheldon starter Alex Besaw struck out one and gave up 8 hits before being relieved in the 4^th by sophomore Caleb Carter, who held the Lancer bats in check for the rest of the game. Churchill third baseman Adam Troutman finished 1-1 and tapped a 2-RBI triple to deep center. Right fielder Jacob Franke went 2-3 on the day with a double, and catcher Justin Hoffman finished 2-4 with an RBI to lead the Churchill attack. Lancer first baseman Drew Irsfeld also recorded an RBI on a first inning single.

RBI count: Trautman 2, Irsfeld 1, Hoffman 1

Multi-base hits: Trautman (triple), Franke (double)

Friday April 5th Record 9-0

Churchill Over North 6-1

Lancer ace Jerad Thompson notches another complete-game win, striking out six and allowing six hits with no walks and an unearned run. The Highlanders run came on a throwing gaff during a double-play attempt. North starter Jon Keller was replaced by Shawn Peterson with no outs in the 5^th. Andrew Schumacher went 2-3 with a walk and an RBI. Adam Trautman finished 2-3 with two RBI. Antony Krietz knocked in a pair of runs and Josh Hogan had an RBI on a sacrifice fly.

RBI count: Trautman 2, Krietz 2, Schumacher 1, Hogan 1

Wednesday April 5th 8-0
Lancers Squeak By Thurston 3-2
Adam Trautman drove in the winning run in the 6^th on a triple to left-center, putting Churchill up 3-2. Both starting pitchers (Drew Irsfeld for C-hill and Grant Willis for the Colts) limited the hitters for six innings, Irsfeld giving up 4 hits and Willis allowing 7. Irsfeld finished with 5 strikeouts and the win. Trautman was 2-3 with and RBI; Antony Krietz and Jacob Franke also finished 2-3 on the day. Franke also came in for the save in the 7^th, giving up one hit. Andrew Schumacher knocked in a run on a single in the first, and Josh Hogan logged the other RBI on a sacrifice fly in the second.

Multi-base hits: Trautman (triple)

RBI count: Schumacher 1, Hogan 1, Trautman 1

Winning pitcher: Irsfeld

Monday April 3rd League Opener
Churchill Over Lebanon 5-1
Jerad Thompson struck out 10 in six innings with one hit (a solo home run) to pace the visiting Lancers to a 5-1 victory over the Lebanon Warriors. Closer Jacob Franke retired the side in the seventh with one strikeout. Franke led the Churchill offensive attack, going 2 for 3 with a double. Antony Krietz was 2 for 4 with a double and Drew Irsfeld added an RBI double.
C-hill Team Hits: 5
RBI Count: Irsfeld 1, Josh Hogan 1, Peter Straka 1
Multi-base hits: Franke (double), Krietz (double), Irsfeld (double)

Thursday March 30th 6-0
Churchill Downs Ashland 11-3
Churchill's bats showed some signs of life this afternoon as the Lancers pounded out 11 runs on 10 hits. Drew Irsfeld took mound duty for C-hill, throwing 6 innings with 5 hits and 5 strikeouts for the win. Irsfeld also went 2 for 3 at the plate with an RBI. Josh Hogan had a pair of hits, and Jerad Thompson had an RBI double.
RBI Count: Tony Krietz 2, Thompson 1, Irsfeld 1, Jacob Franke 1, Adam Trautman 1, Bill Witt 1
Multi-base hits: Thompson (double)

Wednesday March 29th
Churchill 5, McMinnville 4 (Ashland Tourney)
Churchill trailed most of the game and Lancer ace Jerad Thompson was roughed up early by the hard hitting McMinnville Bears, but it was timely hits by some of C-hill's younger players that pulled it out in the end. The Lancers had only 7 hits on the day. Sophomore catcher Justin Hoffman knocked in two runs on a liner to right to tie the game in the 5^th. Then in the 6^th, Jerad Thompson drove in the winning run on a double to deep left/center. Thompson went 4-2/3 innings with three strikeouts and gave up 6 hits. John Michael Murray took over on the hill, finished out the inning and started the 5^th before freshman Matt Myrmo came in finish the inning. The Lancers then went with closer Jacob Franke in the 6^th. Franke held the Bears in check to pick up the win. The Lancers advance to tomorrow's championship game against the winner of tonight's Sheldon/Ashland contest.
RBI Count: Hoffman 2, Thompson 1, Krietz 1, Franke 1

Multi-base hits: Thompson (double)

Winning pitcher: Jacob Franke

Tuesday March 28 4-0
Churchill 7, Rex Putnam, 4

After more than week off due to rainouts, the Lancers spent their first outing of the Ashland Tourney this morning knocking the rust off their game. Churchill started off hot knocking in six runs on four hits in the first inning, but their bats remained quiet for the rest of the game save for a stray run in the 6^th. Starter Andrew Schumacher went 5 innings on the hill. Matt Myrmo and Jacob Franke worked the 6^th and 7^th respectively. C-hill finished with 7 runs on only 6 hits. Even more uncharacteristic were the four Lancer errors. Churchill faces McMinnville in the next round tomorrow at 12:30.

RBI: Trautman 2, Franke 2, Irsfeld 1, Hogan 1, Hoffman 1

Multi-base hits: Franke (double)

MONDAY 20th
Churchill Wins Wet Pitchers Dual 4-1
The rain didn't dampen Lancer Ace Jerad Thompson, who threw a complete game, striking out 13 and allowing 8 well-spaced hits against West Salem. Churchill made the most of its four hits on the day. The Lancers struck first in the 4th when Antony Krietz singled and moved to second on a passed ball. Drew Irsfeld lined to the gap in right center to knock in the run. In the 5th, Josh Hogan doubled to the gap in left center knocking in another run. Two more runs scored on passed balls in the 5th.

Once again, the Lancer defense gave up no errors.

RBI: Irsfeld 1, Hogan 1

Multi-base hits: Hogan (double)

WEDNESDAY 15th
Churchill Handles South Salem 13-2
The Lancers did a much better job of moving runners in scoring position today with 13 runs on 9 hits against South Salem, as opposed to 5 runs on 10 hits in Monday's game against McKay. Drew Irsfeld led the scoring parade with 5 RBI on two doubles. Jacob Franke added 3 more RBI on two hits and Josh Hogan and Jerad Thompson each tallied a pair of RBI. Andrew Schumacher started on the hill for Churchill and went four innings, giving up two runs. John Michael Murphy and Drew Irsfeld finished off the 5^th and 6^th respectively on the mound before 10-running the Saxons in the bottom of the 6th. The Lancer defense was sticky once again, giving up no errors.
Schumacher gets the win.
RBI's:
Irsfeld 5, Franke 3, Hogan 2. Thompson 2. Ryan Layson 1
Doubles:
Irsfeld 2, Adam Trautman 1

MONDAY 13th Five Games
Churchill No-hits McKay 5-0
The Churchill's pitching staff started off strong with a combined no-hitter in the wind and rain in Salem. Lancer ace Jerad Thompson went 6 efficient innings, striking out 8 until he reached the coach-imposed, early-season pitch-count limit. Jacob Franke cleaned up the last inning in order, striking out one batter. C-hill tallied 10 hits. Josh Hogan, Andrew Schumacher and Antony Kreitz recorded an RBI each. Hogan and Adam Trautman logged doubles. The Lancer defense was stingy all game with one team error.