The varsity Longhorns baseball team battled last week in the annual Suburban Central-National conference tournament. The horns knocked off Affton in the first round 5-3. Junior Matt Perego pitched a complete game with only allowing six hits.
“I felt really comfortable on the mound. I focused really hard on pounding the strike zone and good things happened because of that. My defense had a great game which helped a lot,” Perego said.
Junior second basemen Scott Meier stepped up with a huge single into left field to give the Longhorns the lead in the fifth inning.
“The pitcher threw me a fastball up in the zone that I was able to put a good swing on. Those two runs were huge it gave us a good cushion for the rest of the game. Everyone on the team seems to be clicking now at the right time of the year,” Meier said.
In the second round of the tournament, the Horns faced rival Parkway Central. Central won the game 4-3 on a walk-off bases loaded single with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
“It was a heartbreaking loss. We had a great game and just couldn’t close it out at the end. That has been our achilles heal the whole year, putting teams away in the later innings,” senior Matt Blake said.
Blake was a dominant force on the mound only giving up two runs in the contest.
“Central is a team we always play well. Last year we had a walk off against them and this year they got our revenge on us. We play them again in a few weeks and I expect it to be another close game,” senior Evan Shukers said.
The team faces Central again on April 26, at home.
“It is going to be a battle once again. Our defense and offense played well enough to win. We just need to take the next step as a team and I think as the season progresses so will do so,” Blake said.
In the third place game, the Longhorns traveled to Clayton to play the Greyhounds. The team jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first two innings and held on the rest of the game despite a late inning comeback by Clayton. The final score was 6-4.
“A lot of teams would roll over and give up the next day after such a hard loss the night before. We came out and played a great game to come in third for our conference tournament. I think the way we played, bouncing back, shows a lot about the character we have on this team,” sophomore Junior Lopez said.
This Saturday, the Horns host Desmet and Vianney at home in a double header. This marks the beginning of the home stretch for the team with only ten games left in the season.
“We have a lot to be happy about after this tournament. It was a great way to see what we still need to improve on, but it also pointed out what we’re doing well right now too. I am excited about the rest of the year and for districts more importantly,” senior Daniel Bickert said.
![Holding the disc, senior Nathan Thompson waits for an opportunity to pass to senior Timmy Fry. Parkway United’s ultimate frisbee team is made up of students from each of the four Parkway schools. “The one thing I really like about ultimate [frisbee] is the community because it’s so different from any other sport I've been a part of. [My] national teammates are people who we play against in the regular season, so we see each other all the time. It's always fun hanging out with [them],” Thompson said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/C96A6823-1200x800.jpg)
![Senior Josie Grunzinger watches the football game intently from the sidelines on Oct. 18. Grunzinger stood out to the crowd as the only girl on the football team, encouraging other girls who want to play football to take a chance and go for a sport outside of their comfort zone. “If you think you could [play football] and you want to do it, just try it, because all it takes is to actually try it out,” Grunzinger said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Untitled-design-1200x675.png)
![With her arms held high, junior Jenna Rickelman throws the ball across the pool during a girls water polo practice. With hours of practice after school and over the summer, Rickelman saw many improvements in her water polo skills. “When I look at [my] stats, I'm so much better than I was last year,” Rickelman said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Untitled-design-2-.png)
![Putting on his helmet, catcher and senior Tommy Eschbach prepares to get in his primary stance. Despite losing 6-1 against Eureka on April 16, Eschbach didn’t let the tough loss affect his playing or mental health. “It's [so] easy to get caught up in the sport and what you're doing that [after] one bad game or a stretch of games it is hard to remind yourself that your worth as a person isn't directly related to your performance on the field,” Eschbach said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/DSC_0415-1-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Sports organizations have changed lives on and off the field, improving athletes’ muscle strength, reducing their risk of diseases and building energetic work capacity worldwide. However, many student-athletes struggle to balance schoolwork and athletic commitments, hoping to seek more understanding and support from their teachers and coaches. “To lessen mental strain student-athletes [face] and create a healthier, more comfortable lifestyle, there shouldn’t be any homework. I'm already [at school] for eight hours and [homework] creates a bigger load for student-athletes in AP or honors classes,” track and field sprinter and sophomore Lucy Penton said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_0095-1-e1713883278514-1200x847.jpg)
![At the Spring Pep Rally on March 8, boys varsity water poloist and junior Jack Brau stands with the boys water polo team. The group, hoping to include everyone — whether boy or girl, varsity or JV — cheered on the girls water polo team during the sports team runouts. “Even though we all play separate games and have different practices, we like to see ourselves as one big group who represent one water polo [team],” Brau said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_8810-1-1200x800.jpg)
![Looking for an open teammate, freshman Patrick May passes the ball across the court at the Nov. 28 game against Parkway Central. May started in the game against the Colts. ”Growing up, [my parents] always gave me a basketball, [and] we had a basketball hoop outside. I grew up playing [all the time], playing on the [driveway] and shooting hoops with my dad.” May said.](https://pwestpathfinder.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/image2-1-1200x801.jpg)
