Calumet Christian Uses Late Surge to Defeat Casey-Westfield 5-3

The Casey-Westfield varsity baseball team suffered a hard-fought 5-3 defeat to Calumet Christian in a neutral-site tournament game on Friday. Despite a strong defensive effort and holding the lead through the middle innings, Casey-Westfield was unable to contain a late Calumet Christian rally.

Calumet Christian struck early, manufacturing two runs in the top of the first inning to take immediate control. Casey-Westfield quickly responded in the bottom half of the frame, pushing a run across the plate to cut the deficit in half.

The game settled into a tight pitchers’ duel before Casey-Westfield found a breakthrough in the bottom of the third inning. The hosts strung together timely hits to plate two runs, flipping the score and taking a 3-2 advantage.

However, the Calumet Christian pitching staff—spearheaded by starter Jackson Gary and reliever Evan Bundy—locked down the Casey-Westfield offense the rest of the way. Gary tossed five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits while striking out five batters. Bundy entered in relief and slammed the door, tossing two scoreless innings and yielding just one hit to earn the win.

Calumet Christian’s offense utilized aggressive baserunning to systematically chip away at the Casey-Westfield lead. The visitors racked up 10 stolen bases as a team, constantly putting pressure on the defense and moving runners into scoring position. Blake Bogacki led the charge on the basepaths with three steals, while Malcolm Hill and Ryan Jackson added two apiece.

That pressure finally paid off in the top of the sixth inning. Calumet Christian pushed the tying run across the plate to knot the score at 3-3. In the top of the seventh, the visitors delivered the decisive blow. Noah Thompson came through in the clutch, ripping a two-RBI double—the game’s only extra-base hit—to give Calumet Christian a 5-3 lead they would not relinquish.

Casey-Westfield played flawless defense, committing zero errors behind their pitching staff, but the offense managed just four hits and stranded several key baserunners. Calumet Christian pitching forced 12 strikeouts and navigated through three walks to secure the tournament victory.

Game Summary

Score by Quarters

Scoring Drives

• 1st Inning: Calumet Christian jumps out to an early lead with two runs; Casey-Westfield answers with a single run in the bottom half. (Calumet Christian 2, Casey-Westfield 1)

• 3rd Inning: Casey-Westfield takes the lead with a two-run surge. (Casey-Westfield 3, Calumet Christian 2)

• 6th Inning: Calumet Christian manufactures a run to tie the game. (Tied 3-3)

• 7th Inning: Noah Thompson rips a two-run double to give Calumet Christian the lead for good. (Calumet Christian 5, Casey-Westfield 3)

Individual Statistics

Note: Individual statistics were only provided for Calumet Christian.

PITCHING:

• Calumet Christian: J. Gary – 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K (83 pitches); E. Bundy – 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K (24 pitches).

HITTING:

• Calumet Christian: N. Thompson: 2-4, 1 2B, 1 R; B. Bogacki: 1-1, 1 R, 3 BB; M. Denton: 1-3; C. Buckley: 1-3, 1 RBI; M. Hill: 0-1, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP.

BASERUNNING:

• Calumet Christian: B. Bogacki (3 SB), M. Hill (2 SB), R. Jackson (2 SB), J. Deehan (1 SB), M. Denton (1 SB), N. Thompson (1 SB).