Chargers split baseball games with Warriors

Boerne Champion split its two baseball games with Pieper last week, both low-scoring contests and with both teams winning at home.

The Chargers took Tuesday’s game in Boerne, 2-0, but the Warriors were able to turn on the tables on Friday and win, 2-1, to split the season series.

Champion is 19-8-1 overall and 6-4 in district. They tangle with Smithson Valley twice this week, Tuesday at SV and Friday at home.

Pieper 2, Champion 1

Pieper only had 4 hits in the game but recorded 3 of them in the second inning to score its only runs of the game.

The Warriors used 3 singles, a hit batter, a couple of fielder’s choices and a walk to take the 2-0 lead.

Champion got on the board in the fourth after Jordan Ballin doubled with one out. Cam Logan singled and moved Ballin to third and then the UTSA commit scored on a Quinn Grable sacrifice bunt to slice the lead in half at 2-1, but neither team scored in the final three innings.

The hits by Ballin and Logan in the fourth were the only two of the game by the Chargers.

Jackson Melanson pitched well but took the loss even though he only gave up 2 runs. He scattered 4 hits, walked just 1 and fanned 2.

Champion 2, Pieper 0

Champion scored early on Tuesday with a run in the first and the other in the second and used stolen bases in both innings to help generate the runs.

In the first, Ethan Harrison singled, stole second and advanced to third on a Jordan Ballin groundout. From there, Harrison scored on a passed ball to make it 1-0.

In the second frame, Gage Goldberg walked, and his courtesy runner Andrew Frei, stole second. After that, Aidan Smith hit a hard ground ball that was mishandled by the Pieper shortstop, allowing Frei to score for the 2-0 lead.

The Chargers won the game even though Pieper outhit them, 3-2. Champion’s defense turned two double plays to help pitcher Rowdy Miller, who earned the shutout win on 80 pitches.

Miller scattered 3 hits, 1 walk, gave up no runs and struck out 3.

Smith and Harrison both singled, with Harrison scoring once, while Smith drove in a run and Frei scored a run in the quickly moving game.