April 12, 2012
Baseball Recaps 2012
Pumas Sweep Season Series Against Algoma Christian
The Pumas took the field Monday night, May 14th looking to close out a spectacular conference season. The Pumas won the first two games between these teams and tonight would be no different. The Pumas won game one 12-4 and 10-5 in game two. It wasn’t as easy as the scoreboard would show though. Algoma Christian jumped out to an early 4-0 lead after Algoma’s number six hitter hit a three run homerun in the top of the first inning to take the 4-0 lead. Still, the Pumas would not back down as they responded with six of their own runs in the bottom of the first to bring the game to 6-4 after one inning. The score would stay at 6-4 until the bottom of the fourth inning when The Potter’s House put six more runs on the board and that is where the scoring would end with the Pumas on top 12-4. After giving up the three run home run in the first inning, Freshman Samuel Jansen settled in on the mound and pitched another complete game to earn him the victory on the mound. That win makes him 9-2 on the season. Jansen gave up only four hits and three walks while striking out 12 and giving up no earned runs in the victory. Jansen also had a strong day at the plate as he went 3 for 5 with two doubles. Devon VanderLaan was solid at the plate as he went 3-for-3 with a walk and two stolen bases. Jake Johnson, Ethan Johnson, and Jonah Jansen each had multi-hit games and Peter Bulten went 3-for-3 with a double in the win. Markese Franklin and Jacob Adams each had a hit and Darius Williamson had a clutch sacrifice bunt.
Peter Bulten took the mound in game two and continued his string of strong pitching performances. He gave up four earned runs on seven hits while walking only two and striking out six. The win makes Bulten 9-2 on the season. Bulten and Samuel Jansen led the hitting attack for the Pumas. Bulten went 2-for-2 in the game with a walk and a run scored. Jansen went 2 for 2 with a walk and two runs scored. Jake Johnson had a double in game two and Ethan Johnson also recorded a hit for the Pumas. The Pumas matched up against Algoma Christian Monday night for the Pumas last conference games of the year. Going into the night, the Pumas led the Alliance League in wins and after winning both games against Algoma Christian have put the pressure on the rest of the league. The Pumas are now 23-5 overall and 20-4 in the Alliance League. Zion Christian is the only team in the league that has a chance of matching or surpassing the Pumas win total. So, until Zion’s conference season is over, there is no clear conference champion. The Pumas now turn their attention to preparing for the state tournament as they will take on a string of non-conference opponents before they play their second round district game.
First up for the Pumas is West Michigan Christian who will travel to Grandville Little League to take on the Pumas on Friday night in non-conference action. The first pitch of the doubleheader is set for 4:30 PM.
Pumas Sweep Season Series Against Kalamazoo Heritage
The Pumas continued their strong Alliance League conference play on Thursday night, May 10th, as they beat Kalamazoo Heritage 8-5 and 3-1. In game one, the Pumas found themselves down 4-3 after three innings of play. But, a five run fourth inning proved to be the difference in the game. The Pumas were able to shut down Heritage in the top of the fifth to preserve the game one victory. It was sophomore Jake Johnson who came up with the big hit in the fourth inning that scored two runs and gave the Pumas a 7-4 lead. He would then make his way around the bases to score the final run of the game for the Pumas. Johnson ended game one going 2-3 with three RBI’s. Ethan Johnson continued his streak at the plate as he went 1 for 1 with a double and two walks. Samuel Jansen also was strong at the plate as he went 2 for 2 with a double and an intentional walk that would later end up scoring the winning run. Devon VanderLaan and Jonah Jansen each contributed one hit to the Pumas offensive attack. Samuel Jansen took the mound for the 10th time this year and for the eighth time this year got a victory. He gave up only six hits while walking only two and striking out 10. “Samuel has been great for us all year, I am looking forward to seeing how he develops over his high school career,” said head coach Adam Locker after the game.
In game two Peter Bulten took the mound for the Pumas and he was spectacular. He gave up no earned runs, five hits, and only one walk while striking out three in a complete game effort. “Peter was very efficient and had great location on all of his pitches tonight,” noted head coach Adam Locker. Because of Bulten’s work on the mound, the Pumas only needed to scratch out a few runs and that is exactly what they did. Devon VanderLaan led off the game with a walk and then quickly stole second. Senior Jacob Adams then moved him over on a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt. Then freshman Samuel Jansen came up with a run scoring double to the gap to give the Pumas a 1-0 lead. Two more Pumas would reach on errors and the Pumas took a 3-0 lead after one inning. Kalamazoo Heritage would tack on one run in the top of the third but it would not be enough as the Pumas went on to win 3-1 and achieve their 21st victory of the year. Alex Brill, Ethan Johnson, and Jonah Jansen each added one hit to the offensive attack of the Pumas. The win brings the Pumas to 18-4 in the Alliance League, which makes them the current leader in wins with two conference games to go. The 21-5 Pumas wrap up the conference season at home against Algoma Christian on Monday at 4:30.
Pumas Sweep Non-conference Doubleheader
The day after splitting a doubleheader with Zion Christian, the Pumas traveled north to Big Rapids on Wednesday, May 9th to take on Crossroads Charter. After struggling to score runs for the last 6 games, the Pumas scored 13 runs in the top of the first inning of game one. The Pumas took advantage of the six walks in the first inning as Devon Vanderlaan, Samuel Jansen, and Ethan Johnson each had run scoring hits. Johnson went 2 for 2 in the first inning alone with a single, a double, and four RBI’s. He would end the game going 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Samuel Jansen had two RBI’s in the first inning as well as two runs scored. He finished the game going 3 for 5 with a single, a double, and a triple. Sophomore Noah Roelofs also recorded a hit for the Pumas and his brother Levi Roelofs drew three walks in the game. Jake Johnson took the mound for the Pumas and pitched one of his most efficient games of the season. Johnson spread out seven hits while striking out five and only walking two. The Pumas went on to win game one by a score of 21-5 in the 5-inning mercy shortened game.
In game two the Pumas again jumped out to an early lead but the in the bottom half of the first inning, Crossroads Charter tied the game at 2-2. The Pumas would respond thought with six runs in the top of the second inning to take an 8-2 lead. The Pumas took a 9-3 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning and Crossroads would not go quietly. They scored five runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a one run game at 8-7. The Pumas would again respond to the scoring spree by adding on three runs in the fifth and then four runs in the sixth to secure the 16-9 victory. “We haven’t been hitting well for about a week now,” said head coach Adam Locker, “it was nice to get out of that slump and score 37 runs in two games.” Devon VanderLaan continued his strong approach at the plate as he went 2 for 5 with a double. Samuel Jansen and Peter Bulten both recorded two hits in game two. Senior Ethan Johnson continued his great day at the plate as he went 3 for 5 with a double and two RBI’s. Johnson also pitched a complete game for the Pumas in his first start of the season. He spread out nine hits while walking four and striking out four in six innings of work. The win brings the Pumas overall record to 19-5. They continue play tomorrow as they take on conference foe Kalamazoo Heritage at Grandville Little League. The Pumas swept the first match-up between the two teams earlier in the season. The first pitch is set for 4:30 PM.
Pumas Baseball Take Season Series Against Zion Christian
The Pumas traveled to Zion Christian on Tuesday, May 8th looking to stay in the hunt for the conference lead. After beating the Mountaineers in a home double header earlier in the season, the Pumas were excited for the challenge. The Mountaineers struck first in game one as they pushed across one run in the second and one run in the third and after 4 short innings, the Pumas were in need of another comeback to win the game. Down 2-0 in the top of the fifth, the visiting Pumas would not go quietly. Peter Bulten led off the inning with a walk and Jonah Jansen hit what looked to be an easy out that turned into an error allowing both runners to safely reach base. With two on and one out, senior Jacob Adams hit a sharp base hit to score both Jonah Jansen and Hason McFerrin, who was running for Peter Bulten. Adams ended the game going 2-3 with two singles and two RBIs. With that base hit, the Pumas tied the game at 2-2. Then, still with only one out, freshman Samuel Jansen stepped to the plate and delivered a double to the gap that would score Jacob Adams and give the Pumas their first lead of the game. A couple more Pumas would reach base in the top of the 5th but that was all the scoring they could do. But, with Samuel Jansen on the mound, that was all the scoring they needed. Jansen struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the 5th and then got the Mountaineers best hitter to pop out to center field and end the game with the Pumas winning 3-2. The win gave Jansen his seventh of the year as he is now 7-2. Jansen gave up only one hit and three walks in his complete game effort. He gave up one earned run and had seven strikeouts. The Pumas went into game two tied for the Alliance League lead with Zion Christian. The Pumas this time would jump out to an early 2-0 lead after sophomore Jake Johnson ripped a two out single that scored two. But the Mountaineers responded in the bottom of the first with a one out two run homerun to tie the game at 2-2. The Mountaineers would tack on one more in the second and two more in the third. A third straight comeback was not in the cards for the Pumas in game two as they went down 1-2-3 in the top of the 5th as they watched the Mountaineers get their first victory of the year over the Pumas but also take a one game conference lead. Alex Brill and Jonah Jansen were the only other Pumas to record a hit in the game. Peter Bulten took the loss at the mound to bring his record to 7-2. He ended up giving up seven hits and two walks while striking out three. The Pumas, now 17-5, will travel to Big Rapids on Wednesday to take on nonconference foe Crossroads Charter in a doubleheader. The first pitch is set to take place at 4:30 at the home field of the Ferris State Bulldogs baseball team.
Pumas Baseball Split Double Header with West Michigan Lutheran
After dropping two in a row on Tuesday, May 1st to Black River, the Pumas took the field again on Friday attempting to avenge the losses. Unfortunately for the Pumas, the Mustangs of West Michigan Lutheran were trying to make a statement as well. The Potter’s House was only able to come up with 3 hits on the night and were held scoreless as they lost 1-0. The Pumas loaded the bases with one out in the third inning after back-to-back hits by Mark Peless and Devon VanderLaan. Unfortunately, the next two batters the Pumas were not able to come up with the big hit. They would also leave the tying run in scoring position in the top of the 5th as their comeback effort failed. Freshman Samuel Jansen was sharp on the mound as he gave up only three hits while walking one and striking out eight. The one run scored was unearned. The struggles continued for the Pumas as West Michigan Lutheran jumped out to a 4-0 lead in game two. The Pumas would get one back in the second as Alex Brill came up with an RBI single scoring Ethan Johnson who got on with a one out base hit. But that was all the scoring the Pumas could come up with as they went into their last at bat of the game. Needing three runs just to have the game continue, the Pumas would not go quietly. Devon VanderLaan led off the top of the 5th with a walk and then was followed up by back-to-back hits by Jacob Adams and Samuel Jansen. Jansen’s base hit scored VanderLaan and Adams to make it a one run game at 4-3. With one out, Jake Johnson continued the attack as he reached on a solid base hit. Ethan Johnson followed up with a walk and an error by the shortstop scored Jake Johnson from second to tie the game at 4-4. That was all the Pumas could come up with though in the 5th. They then were able to shut down the Mustangs as Junior Peter Bulten held them scoreless into the 8th inning. In the top of the 8th, freshman Jonah Jansen led off with a walk the was followed up with back-to-back base hits by Devon VanderLaan and Jacob Adams. The hit by Adams gave the Pumas a 6-4 lead. Samuel Jansen followed that with a walk and then sophomore Mark Peless hit a strong groundball through the infield to score both Adams and Jansen and that gave the Pumas an 8-4 lead. That was all the scoring that was necessary as Bulten shut down the Mustangs in the bottom of the eighth to get the win. Bulten ended up throwing eight innings while spreading out seven hits, walking two, and striking out nine. Jacob Adams ended up going 3-4 with three stolen bases and two RBI’s. Samuel Jansen went 2-2 with three walks, a single, a double, and an RBI. And it was Jake Johnson that made the biggest impact as hit went 4-5 with four straight hits that included three singles and a double. The Pumas (16-4) will travel to Zion Christian on Tuesday to take on the Mountaineers who hold a one game lead over the Pumas in the Alliance Conference. The first pitch is set to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
Pumas Baseball Splits Season Series With Black River
PH dropped two games in a row on Tuesday night for the first time this season as they looked to add to their 15 game-winning streak as Holland Black River came to town. In game one, the Pumas carried a 2-0 lead into the top of the fifth inning. Looking to close out the River Rats, pitcher Samuel Jansen was able to strike out the first batter of the inning. Unfortunately for the Pumas, the River Rats would not go quietly. Five of the next six batters for Black River reached on hits and with that were able to push three runs across the plate to take a 3-2 lead. The Pumas would threaten in the bottom half of the inning as they were able to get there lead-off hitter to third with one out. But, the inability to get the ball out of the infield left the Pumas one run short. Jacob Adams led the Pumas offensively as he went 2 for 2 with a big two out RBI in the 4th inning. Samuel Jansen had a double and Jake Johnson rounded out the hitting attack for the Pumas with a single.
Peter Bulten took the mound for the Pumas in game two and suffered a similar fate as Samuel Jansen. The River Rats pulled out to an early lead in game two and did not look back as they beat the Pumas 11-1. Jacob Adams continued his hot streak at the plate as he picked up another hit on the night. Samuel Jansen also stayed hot as he went 2 for 3 with a double. Jake Johnson also had a double and Alex Brill’s lone single rounded out the Puma’s hitting attack. The Pumas look to rebound as they take on another Alliance Conference foe in West Michigan Lutheran. That game will take place on Friday, May 4 with the first pitch taking place at 4:30 PM.
Pumas Get First Non-conference Win, 15th Straight Victory
After playing 14 straight Alliance Conference games, the 14-1 Pumas traveled to Barry County Christian for their second non-conference game of the year. The Pumas were excited for the challenge and by the second inning had to handle not only a strong pitching effort by BCC but also cold wind and snow flurries. That would not slow down sophomore Jake Johnson as he made his third start of the year for the Pumas. In three innings of work, Johnson gave up no hits while walking three and striking out two. BCC was able to score one run in the third but it was unearned as it followed a Puma fielding error. Freshman Jonah Jansen pitched the final three innings and was able continue a strong pitching performance by the Pumas. Jansen gave up one hit, walked one, and struck out one as he did not yield a run to BCC. The lone run for Barry County Christian would not be enough for them to win as the Pumas put up four runs in the first inning, followed by two in the second, and one in the sixth to give the Pumas a 7-1 victory. The offensive attack was led by Peter Bulten and Ethan Johnson who each hit doubles down the left field line. Also recording hits in the game were Jonah Jansen, Alex Brill, Jacob Adams, and Devon VanderLaan. The day was scheduled to feature two games against the two teams but game two was rained out and a rescheduled date has yet to be determined. The Pumas now look to refocus on their conference run as they travel to Zion Christian to finish up the season series with the Mountaineers.
PH Baseball Win Two At Algoma – 14 Wins In A Row
The Puma baseball team traveled to Algoma on Tuesday on a mission. The mission was to complete a first half sweep of the Alliance League. Behind two impressive starting pitchers, mission accomplished. The Potter’s House Pumas won 9-1 & 7-2 to bring their record to 14-1 overall and 14-0 in Alliance League play. Freshman Samuel Jansen got his 6th start of the year and had his bid for his third no-hitter of the year ended with a Knight’s hit in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jansen, now 6-0, finished his sixth complete game of the season as he gave up only two hits and one run while walking three and striking out 10. With a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, Jansen got into a bit of trouble as he gave up a two out walk. But, senior catcher Ethan Johnson took a perfect pitch out as the Knight’s base runner attempted to steal second. Johnson was then able to throw a laser down to second that caught the runner stealing by three steps and got the Pumas out of the early jam. While Samuel Jansen was dominant on the mound, his brother, freshman Jonah Jansen was dominant at the plate. Jonah Jansen finished the game with two hits as he went 2 for 2 with a walk, a sacrifice fly, two RBI’s, two stolen bases, and two runs scored. “Jonah had really quality at bats today and he was a huge spark to our offense,” said head coach Adam Locker after the win. Senior Alex Brill was also strong at the plate as he had a base hit in his only official at bat but was on base three more time as he drew three walks. Brill had two stolen bases and three runs scored. Also making an offensive impact was Devon VanderLaan who reached base twice in game one and was able to record four stolen bases. Peter Bulten, Jacob Adams, and Ethan Johnson rounded out the hitting attack for the Pumas as each recorded a single hit.
Game two saw another quick start for the Pumas as they were able to put two runs on the board in the top of the first inning, then two more in the second, and three more in the third. That was all the scoring needed with Junior Peter Bulten on the mound. Bulten made his fifth start of the season and it ended just like the others, with a win. Bulten, now 5-0, pitched his third complete game and only gave up four hits and two runs while walking two and striking out one. The Pumas offensive attack was led by sophomore Devon VanderLaan. VanderLaan went 2 for 2 in the game with a run scored. Senior Alex Brill went 1 for 1 with a walk, three runs scored, and four stolen bases. Freshman Samuel Jansen had the Pumas lone extra base hit as he went 1 for 2 with a double, a stolen base, and a run scored. Jonah Jansen and Jake Johnson rounded out the Pumas hitting attack with one hit each. The game was called because of darkness in the middle of the top of the fourth inning after the Pumas lit up the Knights with five runs in the fourth inning. It was with no outs and the bases loaded that the game was officially ended. The Pumas face their first non-conference opponent since game one as they hit the road Saturday to take on Barry County Christian in a Saturday morning/afternoon double header. The first pitch will be thrown at 10 AM.
Pumas Baseball Closeout Holland Calvary – 12 Wins In A Row
The Puma baseball team traveled to Holland on Thursday, April 19th to take on the Calvary Crusaders and came with victories, 11-5 and 6-2. PH is now 12-1 on the yea and they have won 12 games in a row. Sophomore Jake Johnson started game one for the Pumas after beating the Crusaders the first time he faced them earlier in the season. Johnson quickly picked up where he had left off and was able to hold off a strong hitting attack by Holland Calvary and get the game one victory for the Pumas 11-5. Johnson pitched a complete game while giving up only three hits with six walks and eight strikeouts. Although the Crusaders scored five runs, only one of those was earned. “If we are going to contend for a conference championship, we are going to need that kind of pitching effort by whoever takes the mound,” noted head coach Adam Locker after the game. The 11 run Puma hitting attack was led by freshman Samuel Jansen. Jansen went 3 for 4 in game one with two doubles and a triple and three runs scored. “He was seeing the ball well tonight,” said assistant coach Jeff Boggs. Sophomore Devon VanderLaan wasn’t far behind Jansen’s effort as VanderLaan went 2 for 3 with two base hits, a run scored, and a stolen base. Also recording hits in game one were Jonah Jansen, Alex Brill, Peter Bulten, Jake Johnson, and Ethan Johnson.
After closing out the Crusaders in game one, the Pumas were looking at an opportunity to sweep the season series against Holland Calvary. Freshman Samuel Jansen took the mound for the Pumas and proved to be too much for the Crusaders as the Pumas won game two 6-2. Jansen finished the three-inning game by only giving up two hits, one walk, and striking out six. Both runs scored by the Crusaders were unearned. The win improves Jansen’s record to 5-0 on the season. Senior Alex Brill led the Puma hitting attack in game two, he went 2 for 2 with a double, two runs scored, and two stolen bases. Freshman Jonah Jansen recorded the only other hit for the Pumas in game two as he went 1 for 2 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Sophomore Hason McFerrin also had his first RBI of the season when he grounded out to the second baseman, allowing Ethan Johnson to score from third. The Pumas would break the game open in the top of the 4th inning but the game was called due to darkness. In the top of the 4th, freshman Samuel Jansen hit a rope to the left center gap with two on and one out in the top of the fourth. He would end up speeding around the diamond and beating the play at the plate to record his first career homerun. “We have a couple of guys that have the speed to record an in-the-park homerun and Samuel is one of them,” said head coach Adam Locker, “as he was running toward third, you could tell he wanted the chance to score and it was exciting to see him make it.” The Pumas now 12-0 in conference play, take on the Knights of Algoma Christian on Tuesday at Algoma. The first pitch is set to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
Puma Baseball Win Two More On The Road – 10th Win In A Row
The Puma baseball team continued its time on the road today as they traveled to Holland to take on the River Rats of Black River High School on Tuesday, April 17th and came away with 5-0 and 7-3 victories. PH is now 10-1 overall, 10-0 in the Alliance League and have won 10 games in a row. The games were two of 12 straight road games for the Pumas. Black River came into the games today statistically tied for first place and the only other unbeaten in the Alliance League along with the Pumas. Fresh off a no-hit effort against Kalamazoo Heritage on Saturday, freshman Samuel Jansen took the mound for the Pumas. Jansen was able to get off to a great start and made quick work of the entire Black River lineup as he recorded his fourth complete game and fourth win of the season. Most impressively though was that he did not give up a single hit to the River Rats. In his five innings of work, Jansen struck out 6, walked 5, and gave up no runs, and no hits. “To be able to record two no-hitters in four days says a lot about the type of competitor Sam is,” said head coach Adam Locker, “To see a freshman start off his varsity career like Sam has is very exciting to be a part of.” The Pumas were also strong offensively in game one, particularly in the bottom half of the order. The Pumas 5 through 9 hitters recorded five of the team’s seven hits. That group included Alex Brill, Ethan Johnson, Markese Franklin, Devon VanderLaan, and Jacob Adams who started the Puma hitting attack with a double in the second inning. Samuel Jansen had a two RBI triple in the third inning and his brother Jonah Jansen had a two RBI single in the fourth inning to complete the scoring for the Pumas and secure the game one victory at 5-0.
Game two featured another standout pitcher for the Pumas, Junior Peter Bulten. Bulten also took the mound for the fourth time this season, also looking for his fourth win. Behind a very balanced Puma hitting attack Bulten was able to record his fourth win as the Pumas beat the River Rats 7-3. Bulten only allowed two hits in five innings of work as he struck out five, walked two, and gave up only two earned runs. Alex Brill and Jacob Adams led the Puma hitting attack as both went 2 for 3 with two singles. Brill also tacked on two stolen bases and two runs scored. Samuel Jansen led off the game with a hard hit double but was thrown out trying to extend the extra base hit into a triple. Then Jonah Jansen, Peter Bulten, Jake Johnson, Ethan Johnson, and Markese Franklin rounded out the hitting attack as each had a hit of their own. “We are always working on putting the ball in play and in game two, our entire lineup did a very nice job of doing exactly that.” said head coach Adam Locker after the game.
The Pumas will look to continue their conference roll as they take on Holland Calvary in a double header at Harbor Lights Middle School in Holland on Thursday, April 19th. The first time the two teams met this year the Pumas won 12-11 and 6-1. The first pitch of this conference rematch is slated to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
Pumas Baseball Take Two At Kalamazoo:
The Potter’s House Pumas baseball team continued to roll on Saturday, April 14th as they traveled to Kalamazoo and recorded two more victories on the young season vs. Heritage Christian. Game one featured freshman standout Samuel Jansen. For the third straight game, he did not disappoint. Taking on Heritage’s ace, Jansen did not allow a baserunner until there were two outs in the third inning. After an error allowed the Eagles to record their second baserunner of the game, Jansen quickly preserved his no-hit bid by striking out two of the last three batters. “It was quite the pitcher’s duel in game 1,” said head coach Adam Locker, “Hutchens (from Kalamazoo Heritage) was great and it was going to take a no-hit effort to beat (Heritage) today.” If all of Jansen’s accomplishments on the mound were not enough, Jansen led off the game for the Pumas with a walk. After a stolen base, he was able to score after his twin brother Jonah Jansen put the ball in play down the third base line. That was all the scoring that was needed for the Pumas as they escaped game one with a 1-0 victory. Jonah Jansen and Markese Franklin were the only Puma batters that were able to record a hit in game one.
Game two started off a little more quickly for the Pumas. They were able to plate 3 in the first inning as they took advantage of some fielding errors by Kalamazoo Heritage. The Pumas would add one run in the second, four runs in the third, and one run in the fourth to give them the 9-4 victory in game two. Samuel Jansen, Alex Brill, Jacob Adams, and Markese Franklin each recorded one hit for the Pumas. Junior Peter Bulten also recorded a 2 RBI double. Senior catcher Ethan Johnson had one of his best days at the plate as he went 2 for 3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Bulten took the mound for the Pumas for the third time this year and he recorded his third victory of the year to bring his record to 3-0. Bulten allowed only four hits while walking three and striking out three. He only gave up one earned run in his four innings of work. Samuel Jansen came in the game in the 5th to preserve the win for the Pumas. In that inning he recorded his 35th strikeout of the year. With that strikeout coming after only 17 innings of work, Jansen is averaging two strikeouts an inning. “Our pitching has been very good in the early season,” noted head coach Adam Locker, “The boys were committed all winter long to becoming better pitchers and we are starting to see that work payoff.” The Pumas will be on the road all week next week as they take on two more conference opponents. They will travel to Holland on Tuesday to take on Black River in a double header. The first pitch is slated to be thrown at 4:30 PM.
Pumas Baseball Sweeps Holland Calvary for 6 Wins In A Row:
Two days after the Pumas took on Zion Christian in a game that featured snow and 20 mph winds, the Pumas from The Potter’s House took on another conference rival in Holland Calvary on Thursday, April 12th. In game one the Pumas came away with a 12-11 victory. Both the Pumas and the Crusaders struggled to get the outs they needed to get. The Potter’s House took an early 10-3 lead but Holland Calvary would not go down without a fight. After the Pumas would add two more runs, the Crusaders scored five runs in the third and one run in the fourth to make it a 12-9 game. The Crusaders opened the 5th with a base hit that began their comeback attempt. After two straight outs, the Crusaders came up with back-to-back hits to bring the game to 12-11. Fortunately for the Pumas, sophomore pitcher Jake Johnson was able to induce a soft ground ball that was fielded cleanly and sealed the 5th straight victory for the Pumas.
In game two, the Pumas jumped out to an early lead and pitcher Jake Johnson was able to shut down the Crusaders hitting attack for a 6-1 victory. Over 4 innings of work, Johnson gave up only two hits while striking out two and walking two, and holding the Crusaders to only one run. The Pumas hitting attack was led by underclassmen. Freshman Jonah Jansen went 2 for 2 with four stolen bases. His twin brother, freshman Samuel Jansen, had a double and two stolen bases. Additionally, sophomore Devon VanderLaan went 1-for-1 with a big two RBI triple. Also recording hits for the Pumas were Peter Bulten, Alex Brill, and Ethan Johnson. “It has been great to be a part of the turn around this team has made,” said head coach Adam Locker after Thursday’s games, “The boys come ready to work hard everyday and it is great to see their hard work paying off.” The Pumas look to continue their hot streak as they head to Kalamazoo to take on Heritage Christian on Saturday in yet another conference doubleheader (the Pumas third in five days). First pitch is slated to be thrown at 1 PM.
Puma Baseball Sweeps Double Header in Thrilling Fashion–4th Win In A Row
On a day when most teams in West Michigan canceled games because of the snow flurries, The Potter’s House Pumas hosted the Mountaineers of Zion Christian on Tuesday, April 10th. After each team won their opening Alliance Conference games, the Pumas were excited to take on the 3-0 2011 Alliance League champions. The Mountaineers started the scoring by putting one run across in the first inning. The Pumas then answered with two runs of their own. After battling back and forth for 3 more innings, the Mountaineers took a 4-3 lead into the Pumas’ bottom half of the inning. But, the Pumas would not go quietly. Freshman standout Samuel Jansen started the bottom of the 5th with a base hit and quickly followed it up by stealing second. After the Zion Christian sophomore Jonathan Moorman struck out senior Jacob Adams, Potter’s House sophomore Jacob Johnson ripped a double into the right field gap scoring Jansen and tying the score at 4. The next batter, junior Peter Bulten, then hit a fly ball to left field. The out was made cleanly, but in an attempt to complete a double play by getting Johnson out at second, the ball was overthrown into an empty right field. Johnson immediately went to third and was waved home and scored the winning run for the Pumas as he slid under the tag at home plate. “It was an exciting win for us,” noted head coach Adam Locker, “especially against a strong, well coached, team like Zion Christian.” Jansen was the winning pitcher improving his record to 2-0. He also improved his strikeout total to 24 in only 10 innings of work. Additionally, he helped his own cause by going 2 for 2 at the plate with a walk, three runs scored, and three stolen bases. The Pumas’ Jake Johnson not only was strong on the base-paths but also went 2 for 3 with two doubles, two RBI’s, and a stolen base. Also recording hits for The Potter’s House were Jacob Adams, Alex Brill, and Ethan Johnson.
Just 20 minutes after the exciting game one, the Pumas and the Mountaineers squared up for game 2 of the Alliance Conference double header. The Mountaineers again jumped out to an early 2-0 lead over the Pumas. But, after the quick start, starting pitcher Peter Bulten was able to keep any more runs from scoring. Bulten pitched 4 strong innings for the Pumas as he gave up two runs on three hits as he struck out one and walked four. After The Potter’s House scored two runs in the bottom of the 4th inning, the Pumas called on their star freshman pitcher, Samuel Jansen, to get the last three outs of the game and earn a save after earning the win in game one. Jansen struck out the first batter he faced in the top of the 5th inning. After a throwing error by the Puma shortstop and a walk, the Mountaineers had the go-ahead run on 1st base with only one out. Then, Jansen perfectly executed an inside pickoff move that fooled the Mountaineers runner at 2nd base. The Pumas were able to tag the base runner out between 2nd and 3rd and then were able catch the Mountaineers other runner off base between 1st and 2nd. After a quick throw to first and quick tag by the Pumas’ first baseman Mark Peless, the Pumas were able to complete the game ending double play to complete the sweep of Zion Christian. Bulten and sophomore Jonah Jansen were the big hitters for the Pumas. Bulten ended the game going 2 for 2 with a double. Jonah Jansen ended the game going 2-2 with two RBI’s. Also recording hits for the Pumas were Alex Brill, Markese Franklin, and Devon VanderLaan. VanderLaan’s lone base hit ended up scoring the Pumas third run and giving VanderLaan the game winning RBI in the 4th. Both teams will be back in action on Thursday as the Mountaineers take on West Michigan Lutheran and The Potter’s House Pumas take on Holland Calvary.
