Boys Baseball bests Sterling during “Senior Morning”

On March 5, CVHS Varsity Boys Baseball put out a stellar performance, shutting down Ross Shaw Sterling High School in a 3 innings 15-0 win, uplifting their season record to 9-4 and staying as the third seed in the league.

This game featured an aloha theme as the team celebrated seniors Theordore (Teddy) Herce, Grant Go and Justin Leahy in their accomplishments and dedication to the baseball team. All 3 players have played since they were freshman, and were honored at the beginning of the game with a some parting words from coaches and announcements on the senior’s plans for the future. Teddy Herce will be attending Wharton County Junior College to further his baseball career in hopes of transferring to a division 1 school in the coming years. Go will be attending University of Texas at Austin where he intends to major in business. Leahy will be attending Yale University where he intends to study political science and environmental science in hopes of eventually attending law school.

As the first inning honed in, CVHS set the tone quickly, with Teddy Herce quickly striking out Sterling’s first 2 hitters, and an easy to catch fly ball to close out the beginning of the first. 

As the first inning began, CVHS quickly set the tone. Teddy Herce struck out Sterling’s first two hitters, then closed out the top of the inning with an easy-to-catch fly ball.

Go led an explosive offensive effort, hitting first for the Rhinos and reaching first base with a swing down center field. Teddy Herce kept up the momentum, batting second. While Herce was at bat, Go seized an opportunity and stole second base on a wild pitch. Herce then followed up with a line drive down the left field line, allowing Go to score and Herce to reach second base.

Leahy batted next but struck out early. However, Teddy Herce advanced to third on another wild pitch. The offense didn’t let up.

A line drive from sophomore Jack Herce brought Teddy Herce home and pushed Jack Herce to second. Another sharp hit by sophomore Max Law drove Jack Herce in and extended the Rhinos’ lead to 3-0. Freshman Tyler Moroson followed with a line drive between first and second, adding another run.

After a walk loaded the bases, Go came back up to bat and hit a deep shot to right field, bringing in two more runs.

The inning finally ended after Teddy Herce’s long hit was caught in the outfield, but the Rhinos held a comfortable 8-0 lead.

At the start of the second inning, Teddy Herce returned to the mound and again showed dominance, recording three straight outs without allowing any contact.

Opening up the offense for CVHS was Leahy, who laid down a well-placed bunt to reach first base and then stole two bags back-to-back on wild pitches. Jack Herce was caught out by Sterling’s pitcher, but Law and sophomore Aaron Salazar both walked on wild pitches. Both later scored, bringing the Rhinos’ lead to 11-0.

Go came up to bat for the third time and hit a deep shot to center-right, sprinting to third base. Junior Cristian Rodriguez followed with a line drive, reaching first and sending Go home.

Herce came up for his third at-bat and swung the highlight of the game: a home run, his second of the season, bringing the Rhinos’ lead to 14-0.

Leahy batted last in the inning but struck out, sending the teams into the third inning.

To start the third, the Rhinos switched pitchers from Teddy Herce to Leahy. Despite it being only his second time pitching all season, Leahy delivered three straight strikeouts against Sterling’s hitters.

The Rhinos quickly closed out the game. Jack Herce hit a line drive to reach second base, then stole home to end the game 15-0 by mercy rule after three innings.

With the win, the seniors were given a game to remember as the Rhinos hope to carry their momentum into their first playoff game against Westbury High School on April 26.