The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

The online student news source of Lovejoy High School

The Red Ledger

Baseball wins area championship

Senior+catcher+no.+14+Ralph+Rucker+hits+the+ball+scoring+a+run+for+the+Leopards.+Rucker+is+a+multisport+athlete%2C+also+playing+football.+
Matt Bolden
Senior catcher no. 14 Ralph Rucker hits the ball scoring a run for the Leopards. Rucker is a multisport athlete, also playing football.

The baseball team defeated Hillcrest with three doubles, finishing the game  2-0 and advancing the team to regional quarterfinals.

“On Friday, we played great defense under pressure,” sophomore center fielder Aidan Smith said.“We struggled hitting under their pitcher, who is a D1 commit.” 

 After losing the coin toss, the team played a one and done game against Hillcrest rather than a three game series. 

“Going into the Hillcrest game was definitely nerve racking knowing that if we didn’t perform or execute our season would be over,” Smith said. 

The game was tied 0-0 until the sixth inning when Leopards were able to take the lead 2-0. 

“It took us some time but we broke through in the bottom of the 6th inning,” head coach Jason Wilson said. “We are built on strong pitching and great defense first and then rely on timely hitting (which is what we got).”

The regional quarterfinals will be a three game series against Prosper Rock Hill starting Thursday and ending on Saturday.
“In the games against [Rock Hill], I’m expecting a big playoff atmosphere and lots of crowds,” junior shortstop Kolby Branch said. “The whole series will be close games and a great rivalry series.”

The team defeated Rock Hill 8-2 and 2-1 during the district season. 

“During districts we were able to defeat Rock Hill,” Smith said. “But, we have both improved since then, so we are going into these games knowing the competition will be tough.” 

If the team defeats Rock Hill, they will advance to the semi-finals, and following that, the state championship game. 

“Our mindset for finishing off the season is to stay focused and win at all costs,” Branch said. “We have come so far and want to finish out strong by giving each game our all.”

 

Leave a Comment
More to Discover
About the Contributors
Margo Friloux, Section Editor
Entering her final year on staff, Margo is excited to work with her Co-Sports Editor and Leopard Life alum, Will Doig. This year is bittersweet to Friloux. She is ready to soak up the rest of her high school years in the newsroom. Out of the newsroom, Friloux is hoping it up, hanging out with friends, going to Braum's, watching “Grey’s Anatomy” or “Star Wars” and hanging out with her sisters. Friloux is an avid Harry Styles and Anakin Skywalker fan. She gets the chance to see her idol, Mr.Styles, in concert this year, and she is determined to make him fall in love with her. In school, Friloux is a part of the Patient Care Technician (PCT) class, NHS, LARK and basketball. Although she’s still shedding tears over the retirement of Parker and Lindsey, she and Doig are still carrying on the Leopard Life legacy. Live. Laugh. Love. TRL. 
Matt Bolden, Photographer
Everyone always says “third time’s the charm,” but Junior Matt Bolden finds that hard to believe. In his 16 years of life, Bolden never dreaded anything more than his third year of high school. Running solely on Starbucks and Britney Spears, Bolden somehow finds a way to juggle the responsibilities of junior year such as college applications, AP classes, TRL and marching band. Even with his busy schedule, Bolden always makes room for his friends and anyone who needs help. In his (limited) free time Bolden likes to binge Netflix, (currently “Lucifer” and “The Good Place”). He also collects “Sillybandz,”writes short stories and drinks what some would consider to be an unhealthy amount of coffee. Bolden is somewhat excited for the opportunities before him but for right now is just glad to live in the moment with the people he cares about.

Comments (0)

The Red Ledger values the opinion of its readers and encourages them to discuss its content. All comments are subject to approval by The Red Ledger staff. The Red Ledger does not allow anonymous comments and requires a valid email address. The email address will not be displayed but will be used to confirm your comments. Comments are reviewed as often as possible. Comments with inappropriate content will not be published. Once submitted, comments become the property of The Red Ledger. To see our full Comment Policy, visit https://www.theredledger.net/about-us/policies/
All The Red Ledger Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *