One of the most underrated qualities of a winning baseball team is good team chemistry. It is also one of the hardest aspects to achieve in modern day high school baseball. Players throughout schools all have different plans after high school. Some are playing for their future, not their teammates.
Over the Wolves five game win streak they certainly have been playing for each other. “We’re starting to play as a team instead of individuals. We’re all doing our job. We’re not arguing, we’re acting like a family,” said senior shortstop Willet Boggs.
Entering Monday’s home matchup against Hagerty High School’s Huskies, the Wolves were coming off a two game series sweep of Oak Ridge High School. Hagerty was 8-1 and ranked fifth in Central Florida. Senior and ace starting pitcher Andrew Perez would get the start for the Wolves. The entire team knew it was an important game, and they were confident with Perez on the mound.
The game started with Hagerty loading the bases in the first inning. However, the Huskies were only able to get one run across the plate after a bases-loaded walk by Perez. Entering the fourth inning, Hagerty was winning 2-1. The Wolves were still in a position to strike, until the Huskies knocked in five runs off Perez and senior pitcher Joey Arce. The big inning gave Hagerty a 7-1 lead and control of the game.
Despite Wolves’ pitchers combining for 12 strikeouts, the team could not overcome Hagertys’ big fifth inning at the plate. It was not Perez’s best outing, allowing four earned runs on six hits and two walks in only three and one third innings.
Replacing Perez in the middle of the fourth was the FAU commit Joey Arce, but he could not stop the bleeding. He gave up two runs himself, and it was tough for the Wolves to comeback from. “We started to give up and not fight to win. I had no confidence we would comeback,” said Perez.
After losing 7-1, senior right fielder D’Quan Matthews felt the offense was lacking and that head coach Tim Beaman should shake up the batting lineup. Despite his speed, Matthews hit seventh in the lineup. “The coaches don’t trust me to hit leadoff. I’m guessing they think I’m not good enough. But I can’t change that though. I can just play the game,” said Matthews.
Maybe shaking the batting order up could help the Wolves gain back their momentum? Matthews, the Bethune Cookman University signee, did have two singles as well as two steals against Hagerty. His speed at the top of the lineup would force pitchers to worry about him on base while they face the heart of Wolves lineup.
Either way, the Wolves must get back to playing as a team in their next game on the road at Lake Nona.