The boys’ baseball team finally played their first game against Trevor Day on April 18. After four game cancellations in a row, the boys had the drive they needed to bring home a 7-4 win.

Their first game, home against York Prep, was scheduled on a typical April rainy day, causing a muddy pitcher’s mound and dangerous conditions for the players, so it was rained out. The second cancellation, on a Saturday, was home against Montfort Academy. Montfort had some scheduling issues and couldn’t make it to the game. The third was against Dwight High School, yet another home game, and was also cancelled due to dangerous conditions in the rain. The fourth and final cancellation was against Trevor Day’s varsity team when they couldn’t make it to Masters due to a scheduling conflict.

Their first game finally happened, two weeks after their initial first game was scheduled. Trevor Day sent their JV team, creating a more relaxed vibe on the field. Freshman Jackson Stanich, the team’s manager, is unsure if the many cancellations are a blessing or a curse.

“I think the players had more time to practice and had more time to get familiar with the signs,” Stanich said. “Because it’s a JV game, a lot of our upperclassmen, mostly seniors, aren’t playing today. It’s probably less pressure because it’s not as serious, but it would be really bad for everyone’s morale if we lost our first game to a JV team.”

The players looked optimistic, especially the freshman players, who were fired up to play their first high school game. Outfielder Nick Moore looked especially happy in the dugout “We are excited and even though it’s a JV game, everyone is here, and it’s fun,” Moore said. The veterans of the baseball team were all pumped to see the newbies try their hand at a JV game, joining their teammates to watch their first game.

The game started out slow, as can be expected for a team that has yet to put all their skills to use. The first two innings served as a warm-up for starting pitcher sophomore George Corrigan who struggled early on, surrendering walks for the opposing team. As the game progressed, Corrigan became more focused and more accurate, earning strikeouts in the last two innings.

Though the boys struggled defensively at first, Masters always remained aggressive at the plate and on base; their high score is in part a product of their base running tactics. The boys always took advantage of passed balls and slow plays in the outfield to take extra bases. In the first inning, leadoff hitter freshman Carter Myers-Brown, stole second, third and home, an impressive move for the first run of the game.

A few other remarkable plays were seen by James Minzesheimer, the starting catcher. Minzesheimer remained alert throughout the first four innings in which he played, throwing runners out in innings three and four. He was also responsible for tagging Trevor Day players out at home and also throwing out steals on third. The Masters boys’ baseball played very well and secured a win during the first game and will undoubtedly improve as their season progresses.