EATON — Eaton players weren’t introducing themselves to one another Saturday, but it almost seemed like they should.
The Reds had only played three games the first month of the season, so concerns existed in regards to their sharpness and overall preparedness.
But this is Eaton we’re talking about, and the top-ranked Reds looked like they had no layoff whatsoever in a 10-2 victory against No. 9 Bennett in a Class 3A nonleague game.
The victory marked the 694th in the distinguished career of skipper Jim Danley.
“It’s been difficult not playing much after going from summer, where we play every day,” Eaton catcher Tyler Batt said. “We’ve just been practicing for a week and a half, hoping to see enough pitching to prepare us for a game.”
The Reds (4-0) got on the board with Batt’s two-run single in the bottom of the first, then broke open the tight contest with three runs in the fifth and four in the sixth.
Batt finished 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. Wes Hager and Cory Dyer added two hits apiece for Eaton and combined for three runs scored and three RBIs.
“We’ve tried to create the mental toughness that allows you to prevail no matter what the outside circumstances,” Danley said. “I like that about us. We made a lot of tiny mistakes, like missing some pitches we should have hammered, but generally speaking, I like what we did out there.”
Bennett (5-3) got a solo home run from catcher Derek Rodriguez in the second to cut Eaton’s lead to 2-1, but the Reds soon pulled away from a team Danley lauded as a contender.
“They limit their mistakes and they capitalize on the mistakes you make,” Bennett shortstop Jesse Stemo said. “It means a lot when they respect you, because we respect them so much.”
Eaton used three pitchers in sidewinders Tyler Sieg (a right-hander) and Dante Foos (a lefty) and hard-throwing closer Seth Jackson. The trio combined for 13 strikeouts.
“I think our variety in pitching is one of our best keys,” Batt said. “Nobody really knows what’s coming.”
Bennett 010 001 0 — 2 7 5
Eaton 200 134 x — 10 9 1
Bennett — Wailes rf 4-0-0-0, Stemo ss 3-0-1-0, Wakeham p 3-0-2-0, Thomas cr 0-0-0-0, C. Rodriguez 1b 4-0-0-0, Adams cf-p 2-0-0-0, Brown pr 0-1-0-0, D. Rodriguez c 3-1-2-1, Davis cr-cf 0-0-0-0, Schumacher 2b 3-0-1-0, Roberson 3b 3-0-1-1, Bell lf 3-0-0-0. Totals 28-2-7-2.Eaton — Hager 2b-ss 4-2-2-1, Foos rf-p-rf 1-0-0-1, Jackson ss-p 3-3-0-0, Batt c 4-2-2-3, Tr. Sieg lf 2-0-0-0, Mossberg pr-lf 1-1-0-0, C. Dyer 1b 4-1-2-2, B. Dyer 1b 3-0-1-0, Hall cf 3-0-1-0, Koehler dh-rf 3-1-1-0, Longwell 2b 0-0-0-0. Totals 28-10-9-7.
E — C. Rodriguez, Stemo, Wakeham, Roberson, Wailes, B. Dyer. LOB — Bennett 9, Eaton 6. 2B — Stemo, Batt, C. Dyer. 3B — Roberson, Hager. HR — D. Rodriguez (solo in second). SB — Schumacher, Jackson. SF — Foos.
Batteries — Wakeham, Adams (6) and D. Rodriguez; Ty. Sieg, Foos (4), Jackson (7) and Batt. W — Foos (2-0). L — Wakeham (2-2). T — 2:21.
