Freshman Charles Howard has a great deal of responsibility on the McCluer North baseball team.
Heading into Wednesday’s game against rival McCluer, Howard was the Stars’ starting pitcher as well as the leadoff hitter.
Howard handled both tasks very well, helping lead the Stars to an 8-3 victory over their district rivals. Howard had two hits, reached base four times and scored two runs. He also pitched the first three innings on the mound for the Stars.
“It was a big win for us,” Howard said. “We wanted it pretty badly because it was our rival. I was really looking to get on base and get the team going.”
The Stars opened the game with two runs in the first inning after Howard got on base with a lead-off single, stole second base and scored on a fielder’s choice by Josh Kim. Kim came around the score on a single from Maury Lockhardt.
McCluer responded with a run in its half of the first when center fielder Andre Bell singled sharply to right field and then stole two bases. He scored on a wild throw to third base. The Comets took the lead in the second inning when Lavonte Davis laced a run-scoring double to score Israel Owens to tie the game. Davis scored on a wild pitch to give the Comets a 3-2 lead.
McCluer North then scored six unanswered runs to take the victory. The big hit came in the fifth inning on a RBI single by Brayden Sharp, giving the Stars a 4-3 lead. Sharpe came around to score the Stars’ fifth run. McCluer North secured the win with three runs in the top of the seventh inning. Curtis Howard delivered the big hit with a two-run double. Howard also pitched four shutout innings to close the game.