The Drees knees
West Ranch senior hits 3 home runs in crucial road win over Hart
Someone from West Ranch High’s dugout hollered, “Is this guy good at leading off innings?”
The question referred to Wildcat senior Jason Drees as he stepped to the plate to lead off the third inning on Friday at Hart High.
And, really, it was rhetorical.
Drees had already led off the game with a homer. But he went ahead and hit a second solo blast for good measure in the third, and capped the day with a home run as the first batter in the seventh.
Drees’ efforts coupled with lefty Timmy Josten’s strong outing propelled West Ranch to a crucial 5-1 win over the Indians, boosting the Wildcats into a tie for second place in the Foothill League’s standings.
“I think most people around here know he’s been playing baseball on a broken hand,” West Ranch head coach Casey Burrill said of Drees, who broke his thumb shortly before the start of league. “And for him to continue to want to play out his senior year with that broken hand and then have a game like this — (in), to this point, our biggest game — ... that is gutsy.”
Drees has been on a tear of late. He’s nine for his last 15 at the plate since April 6.
West Ranch, too, has come out of spring break on a roll. After starting league 2-3, the Wildcats (16-7 overall, 6-3 in Foothill League) have won four in a row to separate themselves from four-place Hart (11-10, 4-5) by two games.
Drees and Burrill attributed the surge, at least in part, to the
confidence West Ranch gained by going 5-0 and winning the Santa Ana Elks Tournament title over spring break.
The Wildcats now have another title in mind, one that before the break seemed to be slipping out of reach.
“Our confidence coming into the second half of league was sky high,” Drees said, “and now it’s just getting even higher.”
It wasn’t only Drees on Friday. Danny Luevano, an Alemany High transfer who had to sit out until the week of spring break, hit a chopper through the left side in the third inning, good for 2 RBIs and a 4-0 West Ranch lead.
It was the third straight league game Hart fell behind early. The Indians trailed Valencia 4-0 after one inning on April 15 and lagged behind West Ranch 4-0 after the first on Wednesday.
“You can’t keep playing from behind, and that’s where we’ve been lately,” said Hart head coach Jim Ozella. “We didn’t play with a whole lot of energy, but give (West Ranch) credit. That’s our problem. That’s not their problem.”
Friday wasn’t a good day to fall behind either. The Indians had to deal with Josten, who showed more control than the first time he faced Hart this year.
Josten struck out eight over six innings. Battling a strong, outfield-fence-directed wind, he allowed one earned run on five hits, while walking one.
Robert Reeves’ home run in the sixth provided the lone run for Hart, which was without No. 1 starting pitcher Bryce Collins for the second straight game due to injury.
Ryan Carolan battled in his stead, working out of a jam in the first inning with limited damage. But the Wildcats got to him for three runs on four hits in the third.
Hart’s Jake Lewis pitched three solid innings in relief for Hart. And Drees pitched a scoreless seventh for West Ranch.
He is the second Wildcat ever to hit three home runs in a game. Mitchell Thompson did it in 2009.