HOLLAND — The Granger Lions varsity baseball team picked up a much-needed 7-3 win over the Holland Hornets on Thursday, April 17, thanks to a late offensive surge and strong pitching down the stretch.
Ryder Bice and Wyatt Rochner combined for four RBIs to lead the way for the Lions.
Granger got on the board early with a sacrifice fly in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead, but Holland answered with a sac fly of its own in the bottom half to tie the game at 1. After a scoreless second inning, the Hornets pulled ahead 2-1 with a solo home run in the third.
The Lions threatened in the fourth, putting runners on first and second with two outs, but a flyout ended the inning. Holland extended its lead to 3-1 in the fifth, taking advantage of an error.
Granger responded with a big sixth inning, scoring six runs to take control. The Lions loaded the bases on singles from Marcus Martinez and Chase Selucky, then tied the game at 3 on a groundout that brought in two runs.
They took the lead on a Holland error that allowed two more runs to score, making it 5-3. Another error and an RBI double by Bice capped the inning, giving Granger a 7-3 advantage.
Rochner sealed the win by recording the final out.
Wyatt Johle started on the mound for Granger, pitching five innings and allowing three runs while striking out six. Tre Castillo came on in relief, giving up just one hit with two strikeouts.
With the win, Granger improved to 10-8 overall and 7-4 in district play. The Lions will host Rosebud-Lott on Tuesday, April 22, at 7 p.m. to close out the regular season.
