Despite a difficult season, junior Hawthorne Moody struck out 15 hitters on one game. He led UPrep to their first win of the season. UPrep beat Seattle Christian 9-2, on March 16. Starting pitcher Moody gave up one earned run while pitching a complete game.
“The thing I love about pitching is being in control, and my curveball was really working that game, and I got more confident deeper into the game,” Moody said.
He also had three doubles at the plate.
“I love playing both ways because you’re always in there.”
The rest of the season has not gone as smooth for the Pumas. They took on Granite Falls on March 22. The Pumas dug themselves into a hole quickly, and they were down 3-0 after the first inning, with Moody on the mound.
“I know that the reason those guys scored is because they got on base in the first place, so my focus has to be on preventing that,” Moody said.
UPrep was down 5-0 after the second inning. Moody didn’t give up a run with the bases loaded in the fourth.
“Getting out of a jam feels great, but you need to remember that those guys still got on base,” Moody said.
Moody then struck out all batters in the sixth, and junior Jasper Schmidt eventually stole home.
“That was the best moment of the game for sure,” Moody said.
After six innings, Moody was pulled having walked two and struck out ten.
“My guys made a couple great plays in the fifth, and watching them do that feels great because you know they have your back,” Moody said.
The Pumas would go on to lose 5-1. This was just another game in a rough start. The team kicked off the season with a 15-4 loss against Blaine, on March 11, despite being up 3-0 after the first inning.
“One error led to another, and we just got anxious and lost our composure,” coach Greg Bell said.
UPrep looked to get their season back on track with a game against Roosevelt three days later. Roosevelt is the only Metro League school that UPrep plays in any sport. The Pumas scored on a double by Moody in the top of the first.
“That was one of my favorite at-bats of the game,” Bell said. “It was some nice hitting with runners on base, which is something we’ve struggled with.”
Junior Jasper Schmidt, the starting pitcher for the game, gave up no runs in the first inning, aided by sophomore catcher Grady Stone, who caught a runner stealing second.
“Jasper was striking out people left and right, and he threw a lot of good strikes,” sophomore first baseman Avi Kunins said.
Schmidt pitched another scoreless inning, helped by a catch by senior Colin Carberry with the bases loaded. Sophomore shortstop Owen Bradley got a hit to start the next inning, and eventually stole third. The Pumas tacked on another run with a grounder by senior Patrick Northcott, which allowed Bradley to score.
“Owen did really well, and he is a really valuable asset,” Kunins said.
The Pumas led 2-0 after the third inning.
Schmidt eventually surrendered the lead, and UPrep was losing 6-2 at the end of the fourth inning.
“We just need to keep progressing,” Bell said. “We were better this game than we were in Blaine.”
Eventually, coach Bell took out Schmidt in the fifth after he gave up six runs and had five strikeouts.
UPrep went on to lose 8-2.
One thing that stood out to Coach Bell was an infield hit by Moody when the Pumas were down to their final out.
“Out of our sixteen players, nine of them are either freshmen or sophomores,” Bell said. “So, leadership from guys like Hawthorne, who beat out grounders when we’re down to our final out, is really important.”
The Pumas are 1-7 as of April 1.
