| Quick feet and fast thinking marked this Helper star safe at first base during a steal attempt. |
After starting the American Legion season slowly, the Helper team picked up their pace last Wednesday evening as they defeated Granger, 9-7.
Mistakes have plagued the team throughout the first two weeks of legion play and it was time for the Helper squad to turn things around. This is just what they did as they hosted Granger.
“We’re just making too many mistakes. I think if we clean things up, we will be able to compete quite well with every team in the state,” explained Helper coach, Jeff Cisneros.
The team got off to a slow start as Granger quickly scored one run in the top of the first inning. The visiting team then followed with two runs in the second and one in the third. Helper remained scoreless.
At this point, the home team launched a rally as they managed three runs in the bottom of the fourth followed by two runs in the fifth and four in the sixth.
East Carbon High athlete, Tony McFarland stepped up to pitch for Helper and performed well for the team, until the seventh inning,
Mike Smith took over pitching duties in the seventh inning and ensured that Granger did not jump back in to the ball game.
Jeff Fielder had a successful showing at bat as he hit a double.
Although Troy Grundy has become a pitching star in Carbon County the last several years, he is quickly adding the title of successful hitter to his list of accomplishments.
Coach Cisneros explained last week that Grundy was becoming one of the top hitters for the Helper team.
During the Granger competition, Grundy backed up this statement by hitting the only home run of the game.
Last Friday evening, Helper welcomed a legion team from Montana. The outing proved to be less successful for the home team than the previous game, but Helper continued to polish up on their skills.
The Bozeman team jumped out ahead of Helper, 1-0 in the first inning. The score remained until the top of the third when Bozeman scored one more run.
Both teams played well and there was little room for error. By the end of the legion battle, Helper found themselves losing to the Montana team, 2-0.
Action will continue this week as the American Legion squad hosts Park City at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Then it’s back on the road as the Helper team travels to Idaho to compete in the annual Pocatello tournament.
During this tourney, Helper will compete in four ball games.
Following the weekend event, the local sqaud will return to Helper to host American Legion team, Bountiful next Monday evening.