Former Jackson, Three Rivers athlete coming along for 'Fish

Former Jackson, Three Rivers athlete coming along for 'Fish

Former Jackson High School baseball standout Lane Crowden had a limited spring this year in his final season at Three Rivers College.

The second-year infielder played in just 18 games and got 31 at-bats, so this summer he is taking advantage of early playing time with the Cape Catfish.

“He got injured this spring,” Catfish assistant coach Josh Meyer said of Crowden following his team’s 4-0 loss to O’Fallon on Tuesday at Capaha Field. “So, he has had to get his feet back under him. But he is a really good player. We’re really happy that he’s here.”

Crowden has played well early offensively, which was evident in Monday’s 4-3 road win at Springfield, in which he played a key part. However, his defense has been slower to come around. But that wasn’t the case on Tuesday.

Late in Tuesday’s game, Crowden used his 6-foot-3 frame to go to his left, deep in the hole, field a ball, and gun a Hoot runner out at first.

In the eighth inning, he raced to his right and reached a ball that had been hit so hard it got past third baseman Kolten Poorman, saving a run by keeping a Hoot runner at third base.

“His length is valuable to us,” Meyer said. “That is also him getting comfortable again, seeing the ball off the bat a little bit better, and getting better first steps.

“The first few nights (of this season), his steps weren’t quite as good as he was just trying to get acclimated again.”

In Monday’s win, Crowden put the Catfish (3-4) ahead 3-2 after lacing a triple and later scoring on a wild pitch.

Earlier, he had reached on an error, stole second, and scored on an RBI double by Dante Zamudio.

Crowden, who will play in the fall at the University of Southern Indiana, ranks fifth in the Prospect League with 10 hits, leads the league with three triples, and is sixth in total bases (16).

He is hitting .385 after connecting twice on Monday.

None of the Catfish hit the ball well on Tuesday, as Cape was limited to just four hits. However, Crowden had one of those.

“Lane is a guy who comes to the ballpark in a good mood all of the time,” Meyer said. “If he has a bad day, he washes it and goes right back the next day. That is what you have to have in a summer league, where you are playing every day.

“He is really starting to swing the bat well. He’s gaining a lot of confidence in the field, too.”

O’Fallon (2-4) and Cape will play again tonight in O’Fallon at 6:35 p.m.

The Catfish will visit Springfield on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) before returning to Capaha Field on Friday to host Burlington (2-5) at 6:35 p.m.

 

Tom Davis - Semoball.com