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Curtis was definitely caked head to toe in dirt — and a little blood — on Tuesday after he helped the Independence/Gilmanton High School baseball team get a 5-0 win over Augusta.
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Independence's Andy Curtis slides safely back to third on a pick-off attempt by Agusta's Scott Martinnson during Tuesday's game in Independence. (Photo by Katie Derus/Winona Daily News) |
The senior pitched seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and walking just one. He also survived a collision with his catcher Marty Guza, who is more used to blocking for Curtis as his fullback in football.
On that particular play in the fifth inning, Guza and Curtis collided diving for a short popup between home and the mound.
Neither were injured, just a little shaken up.
“I don’t know what happened there,” Curtis said.
Offensively, Curtis went 3-for-3 against Augusta.
The senior, who is going to run track for UW-River Falls next year, got the offense rolling with a lead-off triple.
Ben Guenther and Cody Kyser followed with RBI singles in the first as I/G (5-11, 4-10) scored three runs in the inning and never looked back.
I/G, which started the season 2-11, has won three straight; and Curtis is a big reason why.
“Having a guy like that, that can spark you, it just makes it easier,” I/G coach Bryan Wanek said. “He’s a great all-around player. He’s got speed, he can pitch, play great defense and hit.”
Last year, Curtis couldn’t hit much at all. He batted .195. This season, he’s batting .408.
“I don’t know why or how,” Curtis said. “I’m just having a good senior year. I just swing and it’s usually there.”
During I/G’s three-game win streak, Curtis has twice gone the distance on the mound — all 14 innings — and gone 7-for-10 at the plate.
But he takes no credit.
“It’s just been pitching and defense,” he said.
His coach said the same exact thing minutes later.
“Our defense has just been making plays it didn’t make at the beginning of the season, and our pitchers have been throwing strikes,” Wanek said.
Curtis went 3-for-3 and struck out six in a 5-1 win over Gale-Ettrick-Trempealeau last week, including striking out batters to end two innings in which the Redmen had two runners on base.
He wasn’t in near as much trouble on the mound against Augusta. He held the Beavers to just two hits.
In fact, the hardest part of Curtis’ day may just have been getting his jersey clean for Thursday’s matchup at Whitehall.
