By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Connor Osier helped Greece Athena break down zone defenses during the recent high school basketball season.
On Saturday afternoon, the right-hander commanded the strike zone to secure an opening-day win for the Trojans’ baseball team.
Osier hurled four no-hit innings in relief to register the save as Athena defeated Brockport, 7-1.
The sophomore right-hander struck out five, walked two and did not allow a runner past second base.
“The fastball was working,” he said. “They just couldn’t catch up to it. Coach was calling the right pitches and I was just hitting my spots.”
He retired 12 of 16 batters faced, five on ground balls with just two two batters able to get the ball out of the infield.
Conor Osier gets the ground ball, and Jaden Madrid takes it from there for the third out in the top of the fourth. 2 LOB. @AthenaBaseball 4 @bport_baseball 1. pic.twitter.com/NWb0kDQkq5
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 2, 2022
Entering the game with a 4-1 lead, Osier put the first two batters he faced aboard with a hit by pitch and a walk prompting a mound visit from Athena skipper Tim Sova.
“He gets a little amped,” the first-year head coach said. “That’s what the mound visit was. Just went out there and told him ‘settle down and not try to throw the ball a hundred and eight miles an hour.’ He settled down nicely.”
Conor Osier gets his second strike out of the frame and fourth overall. Right-hander has retired 6 of the last 7 faced. Bottom 5: @AthenaBaseball 4 @bport_baseball 1 pic.twitter.com/QsVsIrDl9Z
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 2, 2022
Osier responded with a pair of strike outs and a ground ball to end the threat.
“I just had to calm down and do what I do, throw strikes,” Osier said.
Jayden Rapp sparked the offense. The sophomore infielder didn’t play baseball last season. On Saturday, the quarterback on the school’s football team showed little rust.
“He swung the bat well,” Sova said of Rapp. “I was kinda seeing him as a football player who’s trying to play baseball. I know he’s played baseball in the past, but he just kinda had that feel to him. He played really well today.”
Rapp finished 2-for-3 at the plate. His one-out RBI single capped a three-run third when Athena took a 4-1 lead. He plated another run with a one-out double in the fifth when Athena extended its advantage to 7-1.
“He stayed back on some balls nice today and crushed them,” Sova added.
Jayden Rapp plates two with a two-out double. @AthenaBaseball 7-1. pic.twitter.com/JB5Zx2wWsC
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 2, 2022
TJ Kurtz started and struck out four over three innings of work to pick up the win. The senior right-hander allowed a run in the first inning before retiring five of the last six batters he faced.
“They did a nice job today,” Sova said of his nine. “I’m happy, really happy for them.”
Brockport’s Jacob Cole tripled and scored on a Cooper Hassall RBI groundout to give the Blue Devils an early 1-0 lead. Cole’s three-bagger proved to be the only hit of the day for Brockport (0-1).
Jacob Cole turns a 2-strike offering for the first hit of the game. @bport_baseball pic.twitter.com/qhLi5fS3aU
— Paul Gotham (@PickinSplinters) April 2, 2022
“Ordinarily, I probably would have pulled Osier at the end and eased it up,” Sova said. “I wanted to nail down that first win of the season.”
Aleks Englert went 2-for-3 with an RBI and run scored for Athena. Jaden Madrid walked twice, stole three bases and crossed home twice. Sammy Saucke singled, walked and touched home once.
Osier scored eight points and handed out four assists in early February when Athena basketball defeated Canandaigua, 49-47 to snap an eight-game Braves’ winning streak. When Canandaigua’s defense was able to slow Athena’s perimeter game, the 6-foot-4 forward attacked the interior of Canandaigua’s 2-3 zone.
Athena opened the 2021 season with a no-hitter when current University of Virginia Cavalier, Casey Saucke II and Vic Alongi (Genesee CC) combined on the feat in a 2-0 win over Honeoye Falls-Lima.
Sova took over as head coach of Athena after longtime skipper, Jason Bunting, stepped down after 24 years in the black and gold dugout.
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