After 14-0 win, Bureau Valley humbled by Orion

MANLIUS - Bureau Valley coach Ryan Schisler has been around the game of baseball long enough he knows it can humble you from one game to the next.

Two days after ambushing Mendota 14-0, the Storm mustered just one hit in an 8-0 defeat to Orion in nonconference play Thursday at Bureau Valley High School.

“It’s an up and down game,” Schisler said. “That’s what I told the boys. That’s the beauty of it and the tough part of it. It only takes one day for it to change and tonight nothing went our way.

“Hand it to them. They’re a young squad. They have some really nice approaches. They have some nice ballplayers. Today was their day. It wasn’t ours.”

The Chargers jumped on Storm starter Bryce Helms for three runs on four hits in the first inning, including an RBI infield single by Mason Laleman and a RBI double to left field by Dayne Franks.

Orion (5-3) added one run in the third on a wild pitch and four more in the fourth to go up 8-0. Maddux Anderson had a RBI double in the fourth for the Chargers, who also scored one run on a bases-loaded walk and two more on wild pitches.

That was more than enough support for Laleman, the Orion starter, who shut the Storm out for five innings on one hit and a walk while striking out seven.

Drake Taylor had the Storm’s lone hit of the day with a pop single to center field with two outs in the fourth inning. He stole second, but was stranded there.

“Their kid was good. He’s a nice little pitcher and we just got to have a little better approach at the plate and get tougher there mentally,” Schisler said. “This is kind of the point of the season you start to figure out who you are. Hopefully, we’ll do that in a better way Saturday.”

Orion coach Larry Anderson said it was nice outing for Laleman.

“He did real well. Had good command of his fastball and his curveball,“ he said. ”We’re pleased with that. He started off real good. Ended up throwing 64 pitches, I think."

Griffin Tennant relieved Laleman in the sixth and proved to be just as tough to face, pitching two hitless innings with three strikeouts to preserve the shutout.

BV senior Elijah Endress said the Storm (6-3) need to use this loss as a learning experience.

“They got up 4-0. Kind of feeling sorry for ourselves. We got to get better. Just got to flush it and get some runs,” he said. “We’re a good squad. We get in our own heads sometimes.”

Coach Anderson said the Chargers struggled against Helms last year (a 2-1 loss) and was glad to see them have much more success Thursday. They collected seven hits, two by Maddux Anderson, who doubled twice.

“I thought we had some quality at-bats, especially early the first couple innings,” Coach Anderson said. “That same pitcher faced us last year and we only had two hits off him and we did much better off him this year.”

Helms was tagged with the loss, allowing three runs, all earned, on four hits with three strikeouts. Schisler sent four relievers to the mound as Endress, Taylor and Landen Birdsley each hurled one inning and Brock Rediger two.

The Storm will make its debut in the Lincoln Trail Conference on Saturday with a doubleheader at West Central starting at 11 a.m.

“We got a nice long bus ride to get ourselves psyched out so we’ll see how that shakes out,“ Schisler said.