The Oxford Baseball team is off to a mediocre start with three wins and three loses this past week.
Against Richmond on April 3, the Wildcats dominated both games 11-6 and 7-6.
In game one, starting pitcher Dave Fisher got the win, going five innings and giving up six runs before being replaced by junior Kyle Oliver in the sixth. Oliver got the save on the mound, providing two innings of scoreless relief. The offensive star for the game was shortstop Bryan Mattack, who went three for five with two RBIs.
The second game was a nailbitter until the Oxford Cats came from behind and scored seven unanswered runs. Third baseman Jim Carrier hit a 400-foot grand slam, driving in what proved to be the winning run in the top of the 6th. It was the first homerun of his high school career.
‘I got up and I took a strike and two balls, and there was this pitch and everything went into slow motion, and I was like ‘I gotta hit this?,? said Carrier, ‘I got carried off the field.That was #1 on my list. It was the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me.?
On April 5, Oxford split the two game series with the Davison Cardinals, winning the first 5-1 and then dropping the second 6-2.
In game one, Carrier again led with three runs in the 7th and a three-run homer. Senior Ryan Stull got the win for Oxford, pitching a complete game and only giving up three hits. He recorded seven strikeouts, and only gave up one earned run, which was to the first batter he faced.
The second game was not as successful for the Cats. The only bright spot was Tim Shafto’s two run double in the top of the first inning.
Later in the week, the team ran into a brick wall ? the Romeo Bulldogs. The Wildcats managed to score only one run all night. Starter Dave Fisher was handed the 6-0 loss in the first game.
In the second game, Oxford registered the one run, from junior Carrier, who reached base on an error in the top of the 3rd. Aside from that, there was no silver lining in the 5-1 loss.
The Wildcats hope to turn their three game losing streak around on April 17 when they travel to Lake Orion.
Mike Stechschulte is a junior at Oxford High School who plans to major in the field of journalism.