It wasn’t the prettiest game for the Helias Crusaders, except maybe on the scoreboard. “It’s an ugly win, but a win is a win,” Helias coach Chris Wyrick said Monday after the Crusaders used a three-run fifth inning to rally for a 5-3 victory against the Eldon Mustangs at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex. “We cannot survive playing like this, we have to play cleaner baseball.”
The approach remains the same, no matter the opponent.
“Have good at-bats, pump the strike zone, make the routine plays,” Helias coach Chris Wyrick said Tuesday after the Crusaders defeated the Owensville Dutchmen 11-1 in five innings at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex.
“That has to be the philosophy.”
For the longest time, it looked like one run would be enough. Just two batters into Monday’s game, the Blair Oaks Falcons led 1-0 against the Helias Crusaders. That remained the score until Helias sent the game to extra innings with a run in the bottom of the seventh, then won it 2-1 with a run in the ninth at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex. “When it got to crunch time, we performed,” Helias coach Chris Wyrick said.
The Helias Crusaders didn’t play their best game. But when they needed it, they put enough together to find a way to win. “The last couple of innings, we shored things up and got the win,” Helias coach Chris Wyrick said after the Crusaders defeated the Fatima Comets 5-3 on Thursday at Lions Field.
The Helias Crusaders did a little too much watching. “We didn’t have many competitive at-bats for the majority of the game,” Helias coach Chris Wyrick said Tuesday after the Crusaders dropped a 5-1 decision to the Ozark Tigers at the American Legion Post 5 Sports Complex. “Nine strikeouts, five looking, we weren’t competing. Their pitchers were good, but that doesn’t mean we can’t compete.”