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Blue Springs, MO —
While the Blue Springs Rod’s Sport’s A’s aren’t swinging the bats as well as manager Mike Rooney would like, the American Legion team’s starting pitching has been as hot as the pavement on a sizzling July afternoon at Hidden Valley Park.
“When your team batting average is .287 and you’re 7-0, you better be getting some good pitching,” Rooney said after the A’s claimed the American Legion Memorial Day Tournament.
“We’re not just getting good pitching, we’re getting great pitching – especially from Jay and Corbin.”
Lanky right-hander Jay Corwin has pitched 14 innings and has yet to allow an earned run. He is 1-0 with 15 strikeouts and opponents are hitting .203 when he’s on the mound.
Corbin Hare, 3-0, has allowed just three runs in 14 innings and owns a 1.50 ERA with six strikeouts. Opponents are hitting an anemic .189 when he’s pitching for the A’s.
Overall, the A’s have a 1.47 team ERA.
“Both of those guys finished strong at Blue Springs High School,” Rooney said, “and they’re carrying it over into the Legion season.”
Corwin has been a bit of a tough-luck pitcher early in the season as he recently allowed just one unearned run in a seven-inning stint against Fike.
Hare came in and pitched one inning of relief and picked up the win when the A’s claimed a 2-1 victory in the eighth inning.
“I felt bad about that,” Hare said, grinning.
Corwin quickly interrupted, saying, “No he didn’t!”
They had a good laugh at Corwin’s expense.
Interaction like that indicates why the A’s are off to a perfect start.
“We don’t care about stats – who wins, who drives in the winning run – any of that stuff,” Corwin said. “We just care about winning. Most of the guys on the team played for Blue Springs (High School) and we have great chemistry.
“We care about each other and we’re having a great time.”
While Hare concentrates on baseball, many area sports fans might think of Corwin as a basketball player. He enjoyed a solid junior season at Blue Springs and his deadly accuracy from 3-point range helped the underdog Wildcats make a deep postseason run.
“I love basketball and I love baseball,” said Corwin, who measures at 6-foot-5. “I’ll probably try to play basketball in college, but there’s nothing like the feeling when you’re on the mound and all your pitches are working and you’re in control of a game.
While the Blue Springs Rod’s Sport’s A’s aren’t swinging the bats as well as manager Mike Rooney would like, the American Legion team’s starting pitching has been as hot as the pavement on a sizzling July afternoon at Hidden Valley Park.
“When your team batting average is .287 and you’re 7-0, you better be getting some good pitching,” Rooney said after the A’s claimed the American Legion Memorial Day Tournament.
“We’re not just getting good pitching, we’re getting great pitching – especially from Jay and Corbin.”
Lanky right-hander Jay Corwin has pitched 14 innings and has yet to allow an earned run. He is 1-0 with 15 strikeouts and opponents are hitting .203 when he’s on the mound.
Corbin Hare, 3-0, has allowed just three runs in 14 innings and owns a 1.50 ERA with six strikeouts. Opponents are hitting an anemic .189 when he’s pitching for the A’s.
Overall, the A’s have a 1.47 team ERA.
“Both of those guys finished strong at Blue Springs High School,” Rooney said, “and they’re carrying it over into the Legion season.”
Corwin has been a bit of a tough-luck pitcher early in the season as he recently allowed just one unearned run in a seven-inning stint against Fike.
Hare came in and pitched one inning of relief and picked up the win when the A’s claimed a 2-1 victory in the eighth inning.
“I felt bad about that,” Hare said, grinning.
Corwin quickly interrupted, saying, “No he didn’t!”
They had a good laugh at Corwin’s expense.
Interaction like that indicates why the A’s are off to a perfect start.
“We don’t care about stats – who wins, who drives in the winning run – any of that stuff,” Corwin said. “We just care about winning. Most of the guys on the team played for Blue Springs (High School) and we have great chemistry.
“We care about each other and we’re having a great time.”
While Hare concentrates on baseball, many area sports fans might think of Corwin as a basketball player. He enjoyed a solid junior season at Blue Springs and his deadly accuracy from 3-point range helped the underdog Wildcats make a deep postseason run.
“I love basketball and I love baseball,” said Corwin, who measures at 6-foot-5. “I’ll probably try to play basketball in college, but there’s nothing like the feeling when you’re on the mound and all your pitches are working and you’re in control of a game.
“Really, I can’t wait for baseball to start once the basketball season is over. I think we’re going to have a lot of fun this year because we have the chance to be a very good team.”
Hare is one of a handful of A’s to be hitting at the .300 mark.
“I love to pitch and I love to hit,” said Hare, who is hitting .300. “You can control a game when you’re on the mound, but there’s nothing like the challenge that comes from hitting. There’s nothing about baseball I don’t like.”
He paused, and added, “I don’t like pitching one inning and getting a win when Corwin throws seven strong innings. But like he said earlier, all we care about is winning, so I’ll take it.”
