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By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
WOODSTOCK --- The Woodstock Academy Centaurs' baseball team might have had an intense week last week, and it might have been marked by the heartbreak of losing the first division game, but the week also marked the accelerated jelling of the boys' team.
Head coach Dave Austin said from where the team started this year, the boys are now playing much better baseball. "They are getting to know each other very well and playing well as a team," he said. That means that every member of the team is contributing to each game. Last year --- when the boys took home the ECC Large Division crown --- that point had not been reached yet at this time in the season. The cohesion happened much later last year, he said.
This year, even though it is a much younger team, experience wise, the teammates are all working well together already. "We're five games into the season and we're 3-2 on the year," said Austin. At this point last year, the team was 2-3. "I couldn't be happier with how they're all doing," he said.
The week started with an 8-3 win against Plainfield. Paul Lindstrom, a senior, was the winning pitcher and also had two hits and scored two runs. He had a double. Junior Kevin Bonitz had one hit and two runs. The high point, Austin said, was Lindstrom's pitching: He struck out nine and gave up seven hits. "Everyone contributed" in this game, Austin said.
The next day, the team suffered a loss to Wethersfield, 6-2. Ross Lincoln, a senior, was two for three and had an RBI, a triple and scored a run. Cody DeGray had two hits. Why the loss? Austin said, "We came with no energy for the first five innings." The game the day before, coupled with a long bus ride to Wethersfield, accounted for the doldrums. By the time the Centaurs woke up in the sixth inning, it was too late.
The heartbreaker of the week came on April 14 against Fitch when the Centaurs lost 5-4 in their first division game.
Jeff Higgins gave up three hits and struck out six, Austin said.
"It was a great game, but someone had to win and someone had to lose," Austin added.
Austin said the Centaurs were leading 4-1 going into the sixth inning, but with some younger players in key positions, there is still progress to be made in "closing up the game," he said. "They are learning the job," he added. "I told them, if there's such a thing as a good loss, this was a good loss. We represented ourselves well."
Ross Lincoln was the hitting star of this game. He was 2 for 2, scored a run, an RBI and stole a base. Paul Lindstrom had a "monstrous" double, Austin said. Had the team been playing at any other field, it would have been a home run, he said. "I'll bet that ball went 390 feet. I've never seen such a hit at the high school level," Austin said. Zak Kozey's one base hit and two RBIs "were key," Austin said.
By the time the Tourtellotte game rolled around, April 16, the pitching staff was "stretched," Austin said. Woodstock won, 13-7 on the young arm of Brady Matteau, a junior. Matteau pitched the entire game. In his first varsity start, Austin said, Matteau struck out six and keep the Centaurs in the game to crank up their hitting machine.
"We had 14 hits --- a lot of guys contributed," Austin said. The contributions started with Lincoln, who Austin said he nominated for Athlete of the Week. In the four games last week Lincoln had an incredible .583.
In Friday's game Lincoln had three hits, a double, scored three runs, drove in one run and had two stolen bases. Kozy had three hits and four RBIs. Lindstrom had two hits, an RBI and walked three times.