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EDWARDSVILLE – For Edwardsville High School pitcher Grant Schaefer, it was one of his best performances of the young season.
Schaefer pitched four very effective innings in the Tigers 10-3 win over Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin Thursday night at Tom Pile Field, scattering five hits while striking out four and not conceding a walk in getting the win. Schaefer was also the benefactor of great run production by Edwardsville, who scored six times during his stint on the mound.
“Yeah, we went out there, and guys backed me up, got me a bunch of runs,” Schaefer said in a post-game interview, “and did my best and throw strikes, get ground balls, fly balls, did good.”
Schaefer's best pitch on the evening was a curve ball that he was able to get into the zone consistently for first pitch strikes, which he then used his fastball to get batters out.
“Tonight was probably the first pitch curve ball,” Schaefer said, “then put them away, low and away fast ball. But everything's different, just had to mix it up and throw what coach told me to.”
Edwardsville's run support was also a big factor as well. The Tigers put together 11 hits in the game in scoring its 10 runs, helping Schaefer and the staff tremendously.
“We really picked it up,” Schaefer said, “came out and got me a bunch of runs, made it not so difficult, did what I needed them to do.”
April may just be underway, but there's some big games coming up for Edwardsville. The Tigers play in their annual game at Busch Stadium Saturday evening against Hillsboro, Mo., then embark on the heart of their Southwestern Conference schedule and other key games. Schaefer's goals for both himself and his club are very simple.
“This year, I just want to go out there and do my best, get my guys the wins,” Schaefer said, “but as a team, we should be fundamentally sound, go out, get the wins, do the best we can. Busch game's going to be fun, but everything else, conference, do our best, just win the most games we can.”
And with Grant Schaefer's determination, approach and hard work, you can expect the Tigers to continue its tradition as one of the area's best teams
