Playing for pride, Laughlin off to great start

Without a postseason or even a league title to play for, the Laughlin baseball team could easily have entered the season in a dispirited mood.

Instead, the Cougars have surged to an 8-2 start, outscoring opponents 97-48 in that stretch.

Laughlin swept a doubleheader from Calvary Chapel on Monday at Paul Meyer Park, 14-5 and 20-10.

“We’re playing for pride and everybody who’s played in our program,” Laughlin coach Tony Petrik said. “We still get the opportunity to play a wonderful game and for the love of it.

“So far, that’s the attitude they’ve had. It’s just a great group of kids.”

Laughlin was scheduled to rise to the Class 2A Southern League this season, but the school elected before the year to only contest league schedules in cross country, wrestling and track.

The Cougars are officially independent until 2012, though Petrik hopes they can join a league as early as next season if the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association’s potential realignment allows.

Laughlin junior center fielder Christian Kruse hit for the cycle in the nightcap. In the two games, he was 10-for-11 with three doubles, one triple, two home runs and 11 RBIs.

“He’s spent a lot of time in the weight room since last year and put on about 20 pounds of solid muscle, and his hard work is paying off for him,” Petrik said.

Laughlin pitcher Dennis Walters earned a complete-game win in the opener. The senior right-hander scattered six hits, walked three and struck out 11.

Walters was 5-for-10 and scored five runs on the day, and Zach Sesulka went 4-for-11 with a double, home run and five RBIs.

The Cougars scored nine runs and sent 14 batters to the plate in the fourth inning of the nightcap to erase a 10-3 deficit.

Steven Shigley hit two solo home runs in the first game for Calvary Chapel (0-3), which committed 23 errors on the day.

The Lions have an 11-man roster, and catcher Hunter Rodriguez is the only player back from last year’s repeat 1A state champion team.

When former Calvary Chapel coach Glen Evans left to become College of Southern Nevada’s pitching coach before the school year, at least three players transferred to 4A schools.

In their first year in 2A, the Lions had only four players and no head coach less than three weeks before the season.

“It’s a work in progress,” Lions coach Kevin Jacobson said. “We’ve kind of built the team as we went. We’ve got a lot of good young men. The baseball is coming.”