Stoaks steps to perfection

LENOX — As an eighth-grader, TJ Stoaks was one of the area’s leaders in strikeouts and repeatedly showed the ability to make opposing hitters look silly.

One persistent issue that the young pitcher continued to face in the summer of 2017 was control, as she issued 140 walks in 196 1/3 innings.

Fast forward to Wednesday. Stoaks was a portrait of being in control, as it took her just 55 pitches in five innings for her first perfect game and a 10-0 Lenox victory over visiting Fremont-Mills.

“She got in a rhythm tonight and it just kind of flowed,” Lenox coach Mandy Stoaks said.

Stoaks threw only 10 balls and reached a three-ball count once, a battle she won by picking up one of her 12 strikeouts.

Through 133 innings this season, Stoaks has walked 41 batters and owns 184 strikeouts.

“It’s always my main goal in the count is to get ahead in the count, start early and keep it going throughout the inning,” TJ Stoaks said.

Coming off an 8-0 loss to Wayne Monday, a team the Tigers already owned a victory against this season, left the young pitcher feeling hungry to take back to the circle and after having Tuesday’s game against East Union postponed, it was the Knights who had to feel her wrath.

The nearly unhittable riseballs and other heaters TJ whipped toward home Wednesday evening developed even further from a winter and spring of extra dilgence.

Fellow freshman Lauren Christensen caught Stoaks’ perfect outing.

“I worked a lot on hitting my locations during the offseason, focusing on hitting all the spots that I needed … and just limiting these walks,” she said.

Hitters on the prowl

As much as it has been satisfying for Lenox to continue to pick up contributions throughout its young lineup, the senior leader has contined to bash her way from the top.

With her 3-for-3 day with a triple, two runs and four RBIs, including a the hit that finalized Lenox’s win in the fifth, Jessica Anderson’s batting average sits at .500 exactly.

Anderson walked in the first, tripled in the second to plate two runs, singled in a run in the fourth and hit the winning single in the fifth.

“Last year she kind of struggled at batting and she worked on her own through the winter,” Mandy Stoaks said. “Worked on tweaking a few things and when we started practice and games we tweaked a few more things and she’s really rolling along.”

Cassidy Nelson continued her hot hitting with a 2-3 night and a run scored.

Lauren Christensen and Camryn Douglas both had a hit apiece and scored twice from the bottom two spots of the lineup and Morgan Parrish drove in two runs in the fourth.

“We’ve really focused on hitting the middle of the ball and watch(ing)the ball,” Mandy Stoaks said.

Continued instruction on the base paths from coach Stoaks and Creston native assistant coach Maddie Haines showed off Wednesday as the Tigers repeatedly took extra bases on steals, ground balls and bunts. Stoaks said that the squad’s baserunning has been its biggest improvement.

UP NEXT — Lenox (17-5 overall, 8-4 in the POI), plays host to Southwest Valley (4-12, 1-8) today (Thursday).

Lenox 10, Fremont-Mills 0 (5)

R H E

F-M 000 00x — 0 0 3

Len 120 34x — 10 9 0

Len: TJ Stoaks 12K 0BB and Lauren Christensen. W — Stoaks (17-5) HR — none. 3B —Anderson 1. 2B — none. RBI — Len: Jessica Anderson 4, Morgan Parrish 2, Camryn Douglas 1. Multiple hitters — Shen: Anderson 3, Nelson 2.