GLADSTONE---Peyton Jurek played on it the second half of the high school basketball season, running up and down the court, both in practice and in game action.
He walked around the school, around town, everywhere, knowing that it could give at any time. Jurek started the 2012 Gladstone Indians baseball season with that same bum knee that limited what he could do during basketball.
And Sunday afternoon when his team played the Channing Railroaders, Jurek led off the game with a triple. The knee looked fine. It still looked fine in the third inning when he caught a fly ball in center field.
And it still looked good when he got a base hit in his second at-bat in the bottom of the third inning, and when he stole second base. But the knee was not fine.
As Jurek advanced to third base on his little brother's sacrafice bunt, the knee gave out. And it gave out completely. Jurek had to be helped off the field for perhaps the final time Sunday, and then his teammates beat the Railroaders, 10-0.
The game was called by the mercy rule after the Indians scored five runs in the sixth inning.
Many people with knee problems like that are on the bench until the knee is fixed. And, indeed, Jurek is scheduled to have surgery on that knee this upcoming Friday. But he wanted to make sure that he played at least a couple of games, and refused to sit down.
But after the game, Jurek looked up and simply said, "I'm done."
Pearson, in his first full season with the Tribe, was in control on the mound throughout the game, despite a light rain that fell throughout most of the contest. Pearson used a nasty curveball that bent in to righthanded batters to get seven strikeouts in six innings of work. Five of those strikeouts were "caught-looking", twice to end innings.
Pearson got help from his teammates. Jared Stenson, playing in left field because normal left fielder Matt Weyers is still at college, made a sliding catch near the foul line, robbing Brad Gustafson of extra bases.
Then, in the third inning, Justin Jurek and Blake Ballard turned a 4-6-3 double play on a Noah Berg grounder up the middle.
Gladstone scored in the first inning when Peyton Jurek's fly ball sailed over the right fielder's head for a triple. Jurek scored on a wild pitch.
In the third inning, after Jurek was helped off the field, Cody Frazer put down a suicide squeeze bunt to bring in pinch runner Christian Groleau. The bunt was so good that Frazer beat it out for a single.
The score grew to 3-0 when Frazer came home on Stenson's first double of the game. Stenson advanced to third on a bad cutoff throw, but was stranded there. The Indians scored two more runs in the fifth inning on a Blake Ballard double, and a groundout by Pearson. Then, in the sixth inning, Gladstone scored five more runs to end the game.
Those runs came in on five consecutive hits against pitcher Logan O'Neil, who pitched well enough to keep his team in the game, but tired as the game went on.
Justin Jurek and Frazer had RBI singles, Stenson drove in another run with his second double, Pearson helped his cause with an RBI triple to left to make it 9-0, and Ballard ended the game with a pop-fly single that invoked the mercy rule.
Gladstone had 11 hits in all, including three doubles and two triples. Channing had three hits: a Bryce Jauquet double, and singles by Noah Berg and Gustafson. The Railroaders loaded the bases with two out in the sixth inning, trailing just 5-0 at the time, but Pearson got Ben Reith to ground out to end that scoring threat.
The teams were scheduled to play a second game, but after sitting around for nearly an hour, decided to cancel it as heavier rain moved into the Gladstone area.
Gladstone (2-0) returns to action Wednesday night with a game against the Escanaba High School Eskymos. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 at Don Olsen Field. The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see more pictures from the game, taken by Pete Weyers and Christian Groleau. You can also listen to some radio highlights from the game there.
He walked around the school, around town, everywhere, knowing that it could give at any time. Jurek started the 2012 Gladstone Indians baseball season with that same bum knee that limited what he could do during basketball.
Indians outfielder Peyton Jurek.
And it still looked good when he got a base hit in his second at-bat in the bottom of the third inning, and when he stole second base. But the knee was not fine.
As Jurek advanced to third base on his little brother's sacrafice bunt, the knee gave out. And it gave out completely. Jurek had to be helped off the field for perhaps the final time Sunday, and then his teammates beat the Railroaders, 10-0.
The game was called by the mercy rule after the Indians scored five runs in the sixth inning.
Many people with knee problems like that are on the bench until the knee is fixed. And, indeed, Jurek is scheduled to have surgery on that knee this upcoming Friday. But he wanted to make sure that he played at least a couple of games, and refused to sit down.
But after the game, Jurek looked up and simply said, "I'm done."
Pearson, in his first full season with the Tribe, was in control on the mound throughout the game, despite a light rain that fell throughout most of the contest. Pearson used a nasty curveball that bent in to righthanded batters to get seven strikeouts in six innings of work. Five of those strikeouts were "caught-looking", twice to end innings.
Indians pitcher Jake Pearson.
Then, in the third inning, Justin Jurek and Blake Ballard turned a 4-6-3 double play on a Noah Berg grounder up the middle.
Gladstone scored in the first inning when Peyton Jurek's fly ball sailed over the right fielder's head for a triple. Jurek scored on a wild pitch.
In the third inning, after Jurek was helped off the field, Cody Frazer put down a suicide squeeze bunt to bring in pinch runner Christian Groleau. The bunt was so good that Frazer beat it out for a single.
The score grew to 3-0 when Frazer came home on Stenson's first double of the game. Stenson advanced to third on a bad cutoff throw, but was stranded there. The Indians scored two more runs in the fifth inning on a Blake Ballard double, and a groundout by Pearson. Then, in the sixth inning, Gladstone scored five more runs to end the game.
Those runs came in on five consecutive hits against pitcher Logan O'Neil, who pitched well enough to keep his team in the game, but tired as the game went on.
Justin Jurek goes to second base as Channing's Noah Berg waits for the throw.
Gladstone had 11 hits in all, including three doubles and two triples. Channing had three hits: a Bryce Jauquet double, and singles by Noah Berg and Gustafson. The Railroaders loaded the bases with two out in the sixth inning, trailing just 5-0 at the time, but Pearson got Ben Reith to ground out to end that scoring threat.
The teams were scheduled to play a second game, but after sitting around for nearly an hour, decided to cancel it as heavier rain moved into the Gladstone area.
Gladstone (2-0) returns to action Wednesday night with a game against the Escanaba High School Eskymos. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 at Don Olsen Field. The game will be broadcast live on WCHT-AM (600), and on-line at www.rrnsports.com.
Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see more pictures from the game, taken by Pete Weyers and Christian Groleau. You can also listen to some radio highlights from the game there.
