Rossville, Tri-County baseball advance in Class 1A sectional
CHALMERS - Tri-County couldn't afford to let off the offensive pressure against an opponent it had soundly beaten twice already this spring.
The Cavaliers swung hard and made Faith Christian pay for its rash of self-induced mistakes repeatedly during the IHSAA Class 1A first-round sectional game Wednesday night at Frontier High School.
Sophomore Tyler Burns hit two triples while senior Koby Bahler reached base five times to hammer the Eagles, 18-5.
"They liked to throw a lot of curve balls early in counts," Burns said. "We were ready for anything."
Tri-County (15-6) took advantage of seven errors made by Faith Christian after Rossville beat South Newton, 17-0, in the previous game.
Rossville and Tri-County will meet in the sectional semifinals at 5:30 p.m. Friday at Frontier.
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Faith Christian (2-16) looks to build on a program that carried nine freshmen on its roster. Senior Noah Hill was a bright spot in the Eagles' lineup. Hill ended his career going 3-for-3 with two RBI.
The Eagles have produced just one .500 season, which occurred in 2014 since the program's first games were played in 2008.
"This freshman class is hungry and I think they are athletes," coach Vernon Ford said. "For some of them it's their first option. So if we can get more student-athletes with baseball as their first option, anything is possible. This group loves the game."
Ethan Hanson is the sports reporter for the Journal & Courier in Lafayette. He can be reached at ehanson@gannett.com, on Twitter at EthanAHansonand Instagram at ethan_a_hanson.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Rossville, Tri-County baseball advance in Class 1A sectional
