The First Academy Wins Over Father Lopez

The Father Lopez Green Wave hosted The First Academy Royals in a 4A District 3 meeting on Friday night. Behind some early offense the visiting Royals grabbed a 5-2 win to strengthen their spot at the top of the district standings.

First Academy (4-1) improves to 2-0 in 4A-3, having won the only two contests played in the district so far this season.

The game saw its first shot of action in the bottom of the first inning when leadoff man, Garrett Milchin, walked and stole second base. First baseman, Bopper Gilot, brought in Milchin on a deep double to the left-center gap. Two sacrifices later, Gilot scored and the Royals jumped out to the first lead of the game; which they never let up.

Tagging on another run in the bottom of the second, Royals manager Scott Grove knew his team had found a comfortable position with the lead and just wanted to harness that opportunity.

“It’s not every game you get an early lead like that,” Grove said. “We knew we needed to be consistent on the mound and to continue hitting the baseball like we started off.”

The Green Wave pushed across their first run in the top of the third after leadoff hitter Austin Gonzalez walked after a 12-pitch at-bat. Shortstop Blake Young singled behind Gonzalez and a ground out to the first baseman brought in Gonzalez to put Father Lopez on the board.

With cleanup hitter Jake Godbee struggling to find his groove at the plate, first baseman and captain Austin Keil put the team on his back for the night. A single in his first at-bat, Keil drew two crucial walks later in the game which put his team in a chance to cut into the deficit.

Unfortunately for the Green Wave (2-3), The First Academy was firing on all cylinders. Royals starter Joseph Charles was dominant for three innings and the win. Charles also went 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs scored to add to his incredible performance tonight.

“I got ahead early and often against these guys. My fastball was on and my slurve was the goodnight pitch,” Charles explained. “And for hitting, well it was the opposite from when I was pitching. I was in good hitter’s counts all night and I got a good swing on a hanging off-speed.”

The Royals set-up man was just as dominant as Charles tonight. Jason Helgeson came on in the fourth inning and maintained the same level of heat Charles was flirting with all night. Helgeson, a long, built lefty was deceiving to say the least. Only allowing a run off one hit, Helgeson helped the Royals maintain a lead going into the seventh.

The Royals closer, Connor Middleton, another lefty in the bullpen for The First Academy, was successful in his first save attempt of the season.

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