Former Philadelphia Phillies All-Star John Kruk proved that a player didn’t have to look like Derek Jeter to succeed in baseball.
Cory McKaig, Lookout Valley’s No. 5 hitter, may look like a smaller version of Kruk, but he also produces like Kruk. Both prove that looks can be deceiving.
The Yellow Jackets’ chunky first baseman went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and a couple of runs scored in his team’s 11-2 victory Thursday against Chattanooga Christian.
“Cory is hot right now, and he’s driving in runs,” Jackets coach David Dinger said. “I told him a year or two ago that the (batting) average didn’t matter and that if he was driving in runs he’d be in the lineup every day. Of course his average is up there right now because he’s been hot, but he’s always knocked in runs. He’s the type kid who loves the game and plays hard every day.”
McKaig’s three-run double in the fourth inning broke open what had been a tight game. Lookout Valley had a 3-2 lead on RBI singles from Aaron O’Dell, McKaig and Carson Bethune. CCS countered in the bottom of the third, closing the gap on Clay Caldwell’s two-run single to left.
The Jackets basically put the game out of reach by batting around in the fourth, a six-run inning that included McKaig’s hit, two doubles by designated hitter Justin Sawyer and RBI singles by Bethune and Tyler Penland.
“Even when we were making outs we were hitting the ball hard,” Dinger said of his team’s 12-hit showing.
The biggest negative was some sloppy baserunning. The Jackets failed to capitalize on advancement opportunities that might have given them a five-inning win via the 10-run rule.
“We pitched well, we hit well and we played pretty good defense,” Dinger agreed. “Our baserunning was poor.”
Starting pitcher Caleb Cass went four innings, giving up no earned runs, and Hayden Turner registered a save by pitching the final three innings. They combined for a five-hitter against the Chargers, who have only four seniors on their squad.
“We don’t really have a No. 1 (pitcher),” Dinger said. “In a way that’s an advantage in nondistrict games, but we need to figure that out. We have several who can pitch, and they all bring different strengths to the table.”
The teams opened their seasons against each other with Lookout Valley winning 7-5.
“That was a close game and we have improved since then, although it has been a slow process, but then we were facing their No. 1. Today we weren’t,” Dinger said.
The season has been an educational work in progress for Chargers coach John Visser.
“It isn’t so much about the season for us but focusing on what we’re doing each week,” he said. “We’re 1-2 this week, so our goal is to go for .500.”