Community R-6 is hitting the ball hard right now.

Community vs Sturgeon Photo Gallery

The Trojans won their seventh straight game by defeating Central Activities Conference foe Sturgeon 8-0 on Thursday at home to move to 8-1 — their best start since a 10-1 start years ago, according to head coach Joel Krato. Community (2-0 CAC) finished with 11 hits, including five extra base hits, junior catcher Eli Johnson led the way by going 3-for-3 with 3 RBI and his first high school home run, and Gavin Allen struck out 11 in five innings as Sturgeon (2-7, 1-4 CAC) was limited to one hit all game.

During the previous seven games, the Trojans have averaged 8.9 runs per game and currently own an 8.2 average for the season. Krato said the production has spread out as Johnson’s home run was the team’s sixth and the fourth different Trojan — Johnson, Allen, Mason Carroll and Brant Cope — to leave the ballpark this year. Community’s four doubles on Thursday were hit by four different Trojans.

“It’s not like we’re relying on one person,” Krato said. “Anybody that goes up to the plate can do something. (Senior) Ayden (Meranda) almost hit one out as it went off the fence. There were a lot of baseballs on the barrel. That’s what you got to do. You’ve got to hit the ball hard. When you hit the ball hard, it makes it harder for the defense to make plays.”

Someone who has found the sweet spot at the plate is Johnson as Thursday’s performance wasn’t an outlier. In his previous five games, Johnson has gone 9-for-17 with seven RBI, four doubles and now a home run. Krato said Johnson has made a habit of hitting balls over the fence in practice, as he estimates he has hit 15 practice home runs. 

Johnson was relieved one of his balls over the fence finally counted. He said that was the biggest obstacle preventing him from rounding the bases.

“I worked hard for that every day,” Johnson said. “Krato said that I’m the best practice hitter. It really boosted my confidence and everybody was saying that I was going to hit one today.”

Johnson launched his milestone long ball in the third inning to double Community’s lead to 4-0. Krato admired it while adamantly saying it was leaving the yard.

In the fourth inning, the Trojans increased their lead to 6-0 on a RBI single that Johnson was able to drop into shallow left field to pick up his third hit and third RBI. Johnson said much studying has helped in this extracurricular activity.

“Staying inside while I’m batting (has helped me),” Johnson said. “I’ve been watching a lot of videos and getting help from my coaches and teammates, making my confidence good.”

Leadoff hitter Meranda was the other Trojan to finish with three hits — and the second of Community’s top two hitters in the order to tally three hits along with Johnson — as he scored two runs and had an RBI double in the fourth inning. 

Krato said another Trojan’s multi-hit game was a feel-good performance. Chase Dobbins led the team in RBI last year despite not playing baseball since he was five years old, according to Krato. Dobbins had to sit out the rest of last season and didn’t return this year until Thursday’s game but still showed his natural ability by hitting a RBI double in the fifth inning for a 7-0 Community lead.

“It was cool to see him get his first hit of the year in his first game back,” Krato said. “He started last year, played the first games as the DH and was leading our team in RBI. (Wednesday) was the official day he was active, I said ‘I’ll give you a chance’ and he smokes a base hit to right (field).”

Krato said it also felt good to run out his horses in Allen and Carroll as Community went 65 pitches with Allen prior to bringing in Carroll, who proceeded to retire the six Bulldogs he faced to close the game. Johnson has been behind the plate to receive the duo’s pitches and thought they were throwing typical unhittable stuff.

“Gavin and Mason threw a really good game,” Johnson said. “They always do, and they executed very well.”

As Johnson was singing their praises, Allen made his catcher receive one more thing as he poured a water bottle over his head n a celebration that slightly resembled a cooler bath shower.

Krato said this is one example of how this year’s Trojans are having fun. Last year’s meeting with Sturgeon wasn’t as fun as Community lost 10-0 — a year after losing 16-1 to the Bulldogs. Before the game, Krato recalls his players joking around on the bus only for them to be unfocused during the game. This year’s team has been a polar opposite case of that as, while the Trojans still like to have fun, the better focus has allowed the team to turn the tables on teams like Sturgeon this season.

“You see my boys chanting in the dugout and dumping water. They’re having a lot of fun,” Krato said. “Overall, that’s going to lead to not just winning baseball but memories they’re going to enjoy for the rest of their life.”

Krato said Community will be encountering a “measuring stick” for the conference at 5 p.m. Monday in New Franklin (8-4), who is 4-0 in CAC play and has defeated the Trojans by a margin of 43-0 in the previous three meetings.