APRIL 5, 2016 - ANSONIA
It has been hard to get games in due to the recent cold weather, but Covington coach Mitch Hirsch has been able to establish a solid pitching rotation despite having three straight games cancelled.
That's because of the performance of junior hurler Kenny Atkinson, who in twelve innings of action has only surrendered four walks through Covington's first four games.
"Kenny is a gamer," praised Hirsch after Atkinson threw a complete game 18-3 victory over Ansonia on Tuesday. "He's not fancy, but does what we ask of him - throw strikes and keep the ball down. He's earned his spot in the rotation, no questions asked."
Atkinson threw a gem on Tuesday, allowing just three hits while striking out nine batters. He also helped the Buccaneers overcome three fielding errors.
"We knew coming into the season that Kenny would be one of our pitchers, but we wasn't one-hundred percent sure what we'd get," said Hirsch. "He threw a lot for us last year at the junior varsity level, but that's different from pitching here (at the varsity level). But, like I said, Kenny is a gamer. He's earned our confidence."
Atkinson received plenty of help from the offense as Covington pounded out 17 hits in the contest.
"We hit the ball well, especially after the first inning," Hirsch said. "We scored seven runs in the first, but only had two hits. After that, we hit the ball hard and took advantage of their mistakes."
James Grilliot went 3-for-4 with an RBI, while both Coleman Ryan and Nathan Blei drove in two runs each on a pair of hits.
Sophomore Mason Dilley had a huge night at the plate by driving in three runs on two hits and Jordan Maschino went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI.
Ben Kuether also had a big hit for Covington, a double in the gap.
"Everyone on the team but two people had hits tonight," Hirsch explained. "I think the kids were excited to get back out there and play a game. By the looks of things, the rest of the week doesn't look good from a weather standpoint, but we need to stay focused and worry about the things we can control."
What Covington can control is continuing to improve as it's record stands at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the CCC.
SCORE BY INNINGS:
Covington - 7 2 4 1 4 - 18 - 17 - 3
Ansonia - 1 0 0 2 0 - 3 - 3 - 4 |