On Thursday, April 10, the men’s varsity baseball team beat the Field School, 15–6, at Fort Reno Park.
The Hoppers were coming off a dominant 11–0 win against D.C. International that improved their record to 3-10 heading into their game against Field.
The Field School started out strong with a pair of runs that gave them a 2–1 lead at the end of the first inning. The Hoppers’ offense erupted in the second inning, in which they scored five runs and shut the Field School down on defense. The Hoppers’ offensive momentum continued into the third inning. GDS scored six more runs and found themselves up 12–3.
The GDS defense dominated as well, led by their pitcher, senior Eli Zucker, who notched seven strikeouts and allowed only three hits and three runs in four innings of play. After a shutout fourth inning, Zucker exited, and sophomore Noah Petty took over. Petty struck out three batters and helped seal the game in the sixth inning, with a final score of 15–6. High school baseball games are usually seven innings, but if a team is ahead by eight or more runs in the sixth inning, the game ends on a mercy rule.
GDS’ standout offensive performance was thanks in large part to senior Robert Orseck, who scored three runs with two hits and two stolen bases. Zucker and senior Leo Cohen each added fuel to the fire with multiple runs and RBIs, along with sophomores Caleb Clark, Lawson Massey and Petty. Clark stole three bases, and Petty and Massey notched a combined five RBIs.
After the game, junior Aarav Malhotra expressed his pride and enthusiasm for his team. “I’m really proud of my team; that is now two wins in a row,” he said. With the win, GDS improved their season record to 4–10.
“It was really a team effort, and that’s something that’s been really valuable these past couple of games,” head coach Shawn Miller said. “We’ve really come together as a team.”
Miller spoke highly of the team’s upperclassmen. “Our senior leadership has been awesome,” he said. “Eli Zucker, Leo Cohen, Rob Orseck—these are people who have really stepped up for us overall.”
Massey also highlighted the performances of Cohen and Zucker, the team captains, and told the Bit they “showed great leadership throughout the entire game.”
Malhotra said cohesiveness will be important in maintaining their momentum in upcoming games. “We’ve got to have the same energy and play together as a team,” he said.
GDS will next play St. Andrew’s Episcopal School on Tuesday, April 15.