Prior to Helper American Legion’s recent doubleheader against Westlake, there was a memorial hosted in front of the home crowd for Frank Marquez. Marquez, who passed away on Feb. 9, was a sports fanatic and a great supporter of local teams. The memorial before the games paid tribute to Marquez for his unwavering support throughout the years.
Helper then went on to thump Westlake 11-1 in game one. The contest was called after five innings due to the 10-run rule. Zac Bradley threw all five innings and only gave up the one run on two hits. Rylan Hart scored three times and went 2-3. Cody Lowe also went 2-3 with three RIBs and a double. Anthony Jones knocked in three RBIs as well and Jordan Fossat went a perfect 2-2 in the rout.
“We hit the ball really well [and recorded] nine hits,” said head coach Dakota Cisneros. “We found ways on the base paths to put some pressure on Westlake’s defense by stealing some bases and capitalizing on some hit and runs that worked in our favor.” Hart and Lowe each had one of those stolen bases. Cisneros continued, “We also played extremely well on defense with only one error and a couple double plays behind Zac.”
Runs did not come as easily in game two, but Helper only needed one as Nathan Richens threw a complete game shutout. He gave up five hits and four walks but never let a run cross home plate. Lowe again went 2-3 with a stolen base but added a home run this time around. The blast gives Lowe five on the season.
“[Cody is] seeing the ball really well for us and he is the anchor of our offense. [He and] Anthony are without a doubt our most consistent hitters right now. It’s almost a surprise when either one of them get out because of how well they are both hitting for us. I’ve been pleased with their production at the plate,” said Cisneros. Jones went 2-2 in the second leg with a double.
Helper won 4-0 and improved its record to 9-1 overall and 6-0 in league play.
“These were two more great wins for us back at home in front of our home crowd,” Cisneros said. “The memorial for Frank Marquez was great, and I’m glad we were able to pick up a couple of wins for our great fans in attendance.”
Up next, Helper will travel to Timpanogos on Wednesday before returning home on Saturday against Lone Peak at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. “We are hoping to keep this hot streak rolling into this coming week,” concluded Cisneros.
-
- Photos by Jeff Barrett
