Skylar Bratcher leads off the 2nd inning for Westwood on Friday night vs. Grundy County
In the game of baseball, it is often the case that the little things mean the difference between winning and losing. Such was the case on Friday night as an improved Westwood baseball team lost their season opener to Grundy County 10 to 2 at Fred Deadman Park. A 5 run Yellow Jackets rally in the 3rd inning proved to be the back breaker as Grundy County strung together 6 hits and took advantage of some key defensive lapses from the Rockets. “We are still making too many little mistakes to win games” first year coach Josh Morris told his team following the game. Those little mistakes resulted in 2 charged errors in the inning, but saw the Westwood defense have trouble making several crucial defensive decisions resulting in the Yellow Jackets being able to advance their baserunners.
But make no mistake about it, this Rockets team is much improved over last year’s team which was shut out 7 times as they lost all 17 of their games. “We have a long way to go” said Morris immediately after the game, but in comparison to how far they have come that seems like a short road indeed. Skylar Bratcher got the starting nod for Westwood going 1.2 innings and surrendering 2 runs with 3 strikeouts. Zach Milan came on in relief and got 3 strike outs in 2.1 innings of relief as Morris used 5 different pitchers on the night. Bratcher led the Rockets in hitting as he went 2 for 2 with a walk and a run scored. Nick Smith was 1 for 2 with a walk and scored the other Westwood run. The Rockets open conference play on Monday when they to Huntland for a 5:00 PM matchup.
