Altoona baseball entered the season assumed to be one of the premier Division 2 teams in the entire state and nine games in, there’s little reason to doubt those expectations. The Railroaders swept a doubleheader against Middle Border Conference foe Osceola. The Rails won 9-6 in game one and capped the day off with a 9-2 win in game two.
The bats were working early in game one for Altoona (8-1, 4-0 MBC). The Rails got a pair of runs against Chieftains starter Carson Cole. The first came courtesy of Rails starting pitcher Keaton Camastral who helped his own cause with a ground ball that shortstop Waylan Cole couldn’t make a play on, scoring first baseman Cameron St. John.
Cole then spiked a wild pitch allowing left fielder Kellen Smith to score.
Osceola (0-7, 0-4) turned a nifty double play in the second inning to keep the Rails off the board, but Altoona would break it open in the very next frame.
The Rails first six batters of the third inning reached base and eventually came around to score. Camastral helped himself out again, scoring St. John and shortstop Trent Cornell with a bases-loaded single. Right Fielder Mason Lange followed that up with a grounder back to the pitcher which caused Smith to be caught in a rundown between third and home.
The Chieftains had the Rails junior dead to rights but catcher Tred Hiljus threw the ball into left field while trying to nab Smith at third. The Altoona left fielder easily scored while Camastral and Lange moved to second and third before a pinch-hitting Lucas Duquaine then hit a dribbler to center that brought the pair home.
Just like that, it was 8-0. Altoona chased Cole from the game after just two innings and sent 12 batters to the plate in the third inning.
“We’re starting to understand what makes us successful offensively,” Altoona head coach Craig Walter said. “Not trying to do too much and just moving the ball around and having some fun at it. We had a lot of energy today and that continued into the second game.”
Altoona pretty much went into cruise control from there. Some defensive miscues and timely hitting allowed Osceola to scratch back into the game, but after four innings from Camastral, the Rails handed the ball to sophomore Gavin Lutteke who gave up just a pair of runs over the final three innings.
Any hopes of a bounceback for the Chieftains in game two went out the window in the bottom of the first inning. Altoona jumped all over Osceola starter Braiden Kehren, sending all nine batters to the plate and scoring five times.
Leadoff hitter Dallen Robinson got aboard on a line drive that was dropped by Osceola third baseman Carson Cole. Robinson then swiped second base for the first of many stolen bases for the Rails.
The Altoona center fielder then moved up to third on a passed ball and promptly came home on a St. John single. Two batters in, it was 1-0 Railroaders.
Kehren struggled mightily with his command, walking three of the next five batters he faced and even balked in a run. With the bases loaded, the Osceola junior spiked a wild pitch that scored another and Altoona catcher Conner Scullion put the icing on the cake with a double that drove in two more runs and made it 5-0.
In the first two innings alone, the Rails had 11 baserunners and six runs, effectively taking the wind out of the Chieftains’ sails.
Altoona starting pitcher Kellen Smith struggled with command at times, but ultimately gave up just a pair of runs in five innings of work. Senior pitcher Ajay Lenberg relieved Smith and pitched two efficient and scoreless innings.
“We did a better job in the second game and we’re getting some confidence on the mound [from] some guys that haven’t thrown that well or as much for us,” Walter said.
Walter, like any coach, wants to see improvement from his squad as the season goes on but made sure to highlight plenty of areas where the Rails have been successful this season. The pitching staff in particular he believes has shown growth in its confidence and ability to throw strikes while trusting the defense behind it.
The Rails depth has also been tested early. Altoona has been dealing with several injuries which has caused the Rails to go deeper into the bench, but Walter was complimentary of what his reserves have shown thus far.
An example was in game two of the Rails doubleheader when left fielder Seth Gower made his first appearance of the year for Altoona, hitting seventh and reaching base in a couple of trips to the plate.
“We had to dig a little bit deeper in the depth chart to find some guys that can play,” Walter said. “It’s about finding depth and making sure that guys are enjoying playing and I think we saw that today.”
The season won’t get any easier from here. Altoona’s expectations coming into the year were deserved, but as Walter himself mentioned before the season, it creates a target on the Rails back. How Altoona handles the pressure will be key, but right now the Rails are focusing on themselves.
“We’re starting to learn about who we are right now,” Walter said. “Even with the talented kids we have, you still have to learn how to play together and we are starting to find that out right now.”
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