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Mr. 300: Evans wins 300th game as Celina defeats Anna
BY CHRIS O'DELL, codell@starlocalnews.com
CELINA -- It was a typical afternoon game for the Celina baseball team.
Taking on Anna in a home meeting between former district foes, the Bobcats earned a 10-4 victory to improve to 7-1 on the season.
The win, however, marked a milestone for Celina head coach James Evans by giving the coach 300 career victories.
Leading the charge for Celina was lefty starting pitcher Andrew Bielinski, who lasted 5.2 innings and surrendered four runs on four hits and one walk while fanning six Anna batters.
"[Bielinski] threw great," Evans said. "He had a good tempo and was dominating the game."
Bielinski sat down the first six hitters he faced before an error put the leadoff man on base in the third inning. Anna capitalized on the error and took the game's first lead by scoring two runs in the frame.
The Bobcats bounced back in the home half of the inning with a leadoff double that eventually trimmed the deficit to 2-1 after an RBI single from third baseman Landon Lohman.
The inning marked the beginning of the end for Anna starting pitcher Jeremy Gee, who lasted just 3.1 innings after giving up six runs on six hits and three walks.
"The hits finally came through," Evans said. "We've been hitting the ball well, they've just been right to a defender."
The Bobcats failed to record a hit during Gee's first time through the lineup. However, Celina's bats woke up the second and third times through the order with seven runs on eight hits giving the team a 7-2 advantage after four innings.
Most of Celina's damage was done in the fourth inning when Bielinski helped his cause by leading off with an infield single before second baseman Ridge Sandler came through with a single of his own in the following at-bat.
After loading the bases, the Bobcats scored their first run of the inning on an RBI walk before shortstop Daniel Gerths gave Celina a 3-2 lead with a sacrifice fly to right field.
"We just hung in there," Evans said, "and eventually the hits came."
Lohman added his second RBI of the game the following at-bat by roping a double that scored another Celina run. The Bobcats crossed home plate six times in the inning before Anna made it back to the plate.
Bielinski then closed the door in the shutdown inning by needing just six pitches to record three outs. The lefty sat down six consecutive batters before back-to-back hits, including a two-out home run in the sixth inning, spelled the end of his outing.
"Our pitching staff has done a great job this year," Evans said. "They've really come a long way and just continue to get better."
Bielinski was relieved by pitcher Travis Entrop, who recorded the save after going the final 1.1 innings and giving up just one hit and one walk.
After Anna made it a 7-4 contest to get within striking distance in the sixth inning, the Bobcats responded with a three-run inning that featured an RBI single from Entrop.
Entrop then closed the game with a scoreless seventh after recording two strikeouts to begin the frame before popping up the final hitter of the day.
Celina will put its 7-1 mark on the line Wednesday with a noon game against Howe before ending its spring break slate with a 2 p.m. Thursday matchup at Nevada Community.
"Overall, we've gotten better each game," Evans said. "That's all you can ask for."
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