OGDEN — With a line-up that features four freshmen and two sophomores, there is one thing Cyprus coach Bob Fratto can count on — inconsistency.
"Today, we came out and played with effort and passion," Fratto said Friday. "Yesterday, we didn't have any of it, and today, they put it all on the line. I wish I could explain it. I don't have any clue why it changes so much, but that's high school kids for you. You never know what you are going to get."
What Fratto got Friday was a team that played hard, capitalized on its opponents' mistakes, put the ball in play and featured a terrific hitting exhibit by one of its seasoned players. The result was a 15-8 win over Weber.
Playing at Lindquist Field, the difference in the Cyprus team between Thursday and Friday was astounding. Thursday, the Pirates were victims of the 10-run rule to Clearfield. Friday, they nearly turned the tables to a team higher in the Region 1 standings.
"We're young," said Fratto. "Not to make excuses, but we are what we are, and that is inexperienced. As these kids get used to playing all the time, I think we will get better, and hopefully, we can come out and play like this all the time."
For a baseball purist, the top of the second inning was pure agony, for a Cyprus fan, pure delight. The Pirates sent 14 men to the plate and scored nine runs. During the big rally, however, only five of the runs came on an RBI, and on only four hits. The majority of the damage came on five errors committed by the Warriors.
The Pirates still had some strong offensive numbers. Austin Shakespear went 2-for-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. Justin Eggers was 1-for-1 with an RBI, three walks and three runs scored, but by far the biggest weapon on the day was first baseman Miki Oshiro. He tallied four RBIs during a 4-for-5 day that included three doubles off the outfield walls.
"Miki has been working really hard both at practice and on his own, and we are starting to see some results of all that hard work. I hope the other players notice it is starting to pay off," Fratto said of his star.
While having an outstanding day, Oshiro still wanted to deflect much of the praise to his teammates.
"It was a complete team effort," he said. "If they are not on base, I don't get the RBIs, but yes it is good to start reaping the benefits of hard work in the (batting) cage."
Cyprus started freshman Jordan Anderson on the mound. It was his first career start, and after a shaky first inning— Weber scored three runs on a Steve Hilliard RBI single, a Mitch Moore RBI double and a Cyprus error— he began playing like a veteran. With his team jumping all over Weber, he did what was expected and threw strikes. If not for some suspect defense— the team committed four errors in the first three innings, his numbers could have looked even better. He threw five innings giving up seven runs on six hits and struck out four.
"Jordan did a good job for us," Fratto said. "He proved that we can count on him. We are going to need him to step in there for us a few more times, and we're going to expect him to deliver."
E-mail: mblack@desnews.com