ARGYLE - Sophomore pitcher Colton Ploessl isn't surprised by the Argyle baseball team's hot start this season and he doesn't rule out the Orioles winning a Six Rivers East Conference championship.
Ploessl tossed a three-hitter and sophomore Brock Bruehlman went 2-for-2 and had four RBI to lead the Orioles to a 16-0 win over Albany in five innings Monday, April 29. Argyle (6-1, 5-1 Six Rivers East) is looking to go from worst to first in one year. The Orioles finished 2-20 last year and last place in the conference. What is the difference in the turnaround this year?
"I think we have more talent this year and more guys who want to win and practice hard," Ploessl said. "We call it buying into the coach's system. I believe we are all buying in and making it work. I definitely think we can beat anyone we play on any given night. I think we can contend for the conference championship this year."
Bruehlman said there were several players who started as freshmen last season.
"I think the team as a whole is just a lot more focused," Bruehlman said. "We are a year older and got more experience. We definitely have some confidence at the plate compared to last year. One of our goals this year was to beat every team in the conference at least once and we swept Albany. We can compete with any team we play. I think we can definitely contend for conference."
Albany (1-6, 1-3) got off to a rocky start in the first inning, committing three of its six errors in the six-run inning. The big blow came on Bruehlman's three-run double, which he crushed to left field off Albany starting pitcher Ethan Pfeuti.
"This has been going on all year," Albany coach Brandon Bakken said, of the errors. "Until we get those figured out, I don't expect us to win any more games."
Albany went to relief pitcher Mitchell Trow in the second. Trow pitched three innings and gave up nine runs, but only four were earned runs. The Orioles scored four unearned runs in the third after Trow walked two and hit one.
"They were hitting (Pfeuti) pretty hard," Bakken said. "We decided to pitch by committee to minimize our arms."
The Orioles broke through with a six-run fourth off of Trow that featured six hits. Seven different Argyle players had at least one hit and six different players drove in runs. Argyle's Kyle Olson, who went 2-for-4, singled leading off the fourth. Ploessl then lined a double to center. Bruehlman delivered an RBI single to give the Orioles an 11-0 lead. Argyle's Pablo Vives and Will Herman followed with RBI singles to right. Argyle freshman Derek Flannery then lined a two-run single to right center to give the Orioles a 14-0 lead. Alec Treuthardt, who was 2-for-4, then delivered an RBI single to left.
The Orioles went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
"We hit the ball harder this game than we have all year," Argyle coach Chuck Bredeson said. "We have come a little ways in our hitting. We are getting better. That is what we have been preaching all year - hitting the ball hard. If you can hit the ball hard, anyone can make errors."
Ploessl pitched five innings to earn the shutout. He struck out seven and gave up three hits, while walking three. He walked the bases loaded in the second, but was able to work out of the jam by getting Albany freshman Tyler Dahl to pop out to second. Albany's hits came on Pfeuti and Mitchell Kauk's doubles and senior Patrick Deegan's single in the fourth.
"Early, I struggled," Ploessl said. "I found the strike zone and got going. I got out of the innings I needed to get out of. I won the battles I needed to win."
Bredeson said Ploessl struggled early because he was getting his pitches up in the strike zone.
"After I told him to follow through he started to get the ball down in the zone," Bredeson said.
Ploessl tossed a three-hitter and sophomore Brock Bruehlman went 2-for-2 and had four RBI to lead the Orioles to a 16-0 win over Albany in five innings Monday, April 29. Argyle (6-1, 5-1 Six Rivers East) is looking to go from worst to first in one year. The Orioles finished 2-20 last year and last place in the conference. What is the difference in the turnaround this year?
"I think we have more talent this year and more guys who want to win and practice hard," Ploessl said. "We call it buying into the coach's system. I believe we are all buying in and making it work. I definitely think we can beat anyone we play on any given night. I think we can contend for the conference championship this year."
Bruehlman said there were several players who started as freshmen last season.
"I think the team as a whole is just a lot more focused," Bruehlman said. "We are a year older and got more experience. We definitely have some confidence at the plate compared to last year. One of our goals this year was to beat every team in the conference at least once and we swept Albany. We can compete with any team we play. I think we can definitely contend for conference."
Albany (1-6, 1-3) got off to a rocky start in the first inning, committing three of its six errors in the six-run inning. The big blow came on Bruehlman's three-run double, which he crushed to left field off Albany starting pitcher Ethan Pfeuti.
"This has been going on all year," Albany coach Brandon Bakken said, of the errors. "Until we get those figured out, I don't expect us to win any more games."
Albany went to relief pitcher Mitchell Trow in the second. Trow pitched three innings and gave up nine runs, but only four were earned runs. The Orioles scored four unearned runs in the third after Trow walked two and hit one.
"They were hitting (Pfeuti) pretty hard," Bakken said. "We decided to pitch by committee to minimize our arms."
The Orioles broke through with a six-run fourth off of Trow that featured six hits. Seven different Argyle players had at least one hit and six different players drove in runs. Argyle's Kyle Olson, who went 2-for-4, singled leading off the fourth. Ploessl then lined a double to center. Bruehlman delivered an RBI single to give the Orioles an 11-0 lead. Argyle's Pablo Vives and Will Herman followed with RBI singles to right. Argyle freshman Derek Flannery then lined a two-run single to right center to give the Orioles a 14-0 lead. Alec Treuthardt, who was 2-for-4, then delivered an RBI single to left.
The Orioles went 7-for-16 with runners in scoring position.
"We hit the ball harder this game than we have all year," Argyle coach Chuck Bredeson said. "We have come a little ways in our hitting. We are getting better. That is what we have been preaching all year - hitting the ball hard. If you can hit the ball hard, anyone can make errors."
Ploessl pitched five innings to earn the shutout. He struck out seven and gave up three hits, while walking three. He walked the bases loaded in the second, but was able to work out of the jam by getting Albany freshman Tyler Dahl to pop out to second. Albany's hits came on Pfeuti and Mitchell Kauk's doubles and senior Patrick Deegan's single in the fourth.
"Early, I struggled," Ploessl said. "I found the strike zone and got going. I got out of the innings I needed to get out of. I won the battles I needed to win."
Bredeson said Ploessl struggled early because he was getting his pitches up in the strike zone.
"After I told him to follow through he started to get the ball down in the zone," Bredeson said.
