Swamp Foxes look to be more consistent
Noah Seguer throws heat for Ashley Ridge.
By Roger Lee
Contributing Writer
Summerville – Key injuries have hampered Ashley Ridge on the baseball diamond this season, but the team is holding on while it works to get replacement players up to speed.
The Swamp Foxes were ranked in the Top 5 for 5A, Division 1 during the preseason but quickly dropped out of the rankings after their No. 2 pitcher was injured and their growing pains became more noticeable. Still the team has kept most of its games tight and easily handled teams it was expected to handle.
The Swamp Foxes enter this week with an 8-12 record with a 5-4 mark in Region 8, which makes them tied for second place with Summerville in the region behind James Island.
“We still do some things wrong but we are trying to keep trusting the process and being a little more competitive,” said Ashley Ridge coach BJ Bellush. “We are a really young group but we don’t have to get 10 hits a game if we can get timely hits that drive in runs. We just have to play well consistently.”
The team returned 13 varsity lettermen, including nine seniors.
Ace Noah Seguer is committed to pitch for Charleston Southern University next year. Cohen Parker, who moved from the No. 3 spot in the rotation into the No. 2 spot, is committed to The Citadel.
Infielders/pitchers Easton Thorpe, Alan Carden and Jackson Christopher are committed to play for USC Sumter. Hurler Ethan Lopez is committed to Erskine College. Catcher/outfielder Hunter Hunt is committed to USC Salkehatchie.
Catcher Luke Lash and pitcher/infielder Caleb Roberts are the other two seniors. Other returning varsity lettermen are sophomore infielder/pitcher Jagger Spivey, junior infielder Kason Kuhn and junior outfielder/pitcher Jack Healing.
Noah Bailey was pulled up from the JV program to do some pitching and has been a spark in the outfield. Braxton Sherrouse, Brodie Tuthill and Will Jutzeler are among the other pitchers competing for time on the hill. Also new to the varsity squad are infielders Kruse Kuhn, Jeremiah Alford and Mason Wilcox.
Tuthill is leading the team at the plate so far and Kruse Kuhn also brought a welcomed bat to the order.
Brian Givens, Bobby Marion and Chris Brame returned for another season as Bellush’s assistant coaches. The team notched key wins over region rivals Fort Dorchester, where Bellush, Givens and Brame used to coach, and Summerville. However they lost both those series 2-1.
The Swamp Foxes handed the Patriots a 12-4 loss in North Charleston. Parker got the win on the hill and Lopez closed the game out. Offensive high lights included a two-run homerun by Carden, RBI double by Kruse Kuhn and a pair of hits from Tuthill.
The home team was triumphant in all three games during the Patriots’ series against Summerville. The Green Wave claimed a 2-1 win at Green Wave Park April 8 and a 2-0 home victory April 11. Ashley Ridge claimed a 4-3 win April 9 in The Swamp.
“Both teams definitely wanted Game 1,” Bellush said. “We threw our guy and they used a combination of two of their guys. It was a really good game but we just couldn’t get any key hits. For us to bounce back in Game 2 was big. We are starting to put it together a little bit.”
The Swamp Foxes had strong pitching throughout the series. During their win at home Parker and Tuthill combined to throw a three-hitter while the Swamp Foxes tallied eight hits.
“Credit to our guys,” Bellush said. “Cohen pitched good and then Brodie came in and handled a little adversity well in the last inning to get us out of a jam. We feel good about that win.”
