Flying under the radar is no longer an option for Conner.
The Cougars announced themselves loud and clear Tuesday night, blowing past No. 13-ranked Beechwood, the preseason top team in northern Kentucky according to the Northern Kentucky Baseball Coaches Association, 13-3 in six innings in Hebron.
While the Tigers were ranked at the top in the area, Conner came in at No. 8, proving that numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
“At the end of the day, numbers don’t matter,” senior centerfielder Brady Bushman said. “You’ve just got to beat whoever’s in front of you.”
Bushman credited the team’s chemistry and shared mindset as a key to their early-season success, and their bats proved it against the Tigers. Conner put up the most runs they’ve scored in 17 games, which was 14 that they put up against Cooper last season, while collecting 13 hits.
Five players recorded doubles, including Bushman, who had three hits, two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base, and designated hitter Max Brunkel, who also had three hits, two runs, and three RBI.
“He’s so good,” Beechwood head coach Kevin Gray said of Bushman. “We’ve been dealing with him for three or four years, and he hit the crap out of it tonight. He’s a hard out. We struggled pitching to him and we were in a fastball count most of the time. If he’s in a fastball count, he’s going to do damage.”
Bushman entered the season at No. 3 on the 9th Region preseason watch list. The Tigers, meanwhile, feature three players in the top 10: No. 1 centerfielder Tyler Fryman, a University of Louisville commit, and Morehead State commits Caleb Arrasmith (No. 4) and Brooks Becker (No. 5).
Both sides had to contend with the talent coming from the opposing dugout.
“We just attack,” Conner head coach Mike Hart said. “We told our pitchers, whoever’s at the plate, go after them, attack the zone. If they hit it a ton, they hit it a ton, but we can’t be afraid to face anyone. We’re going to see all these guys later in the year. If you want to compete in the region and at state, you’ve got to go after guys.”
Attack is exactly what the Cougars’ starting pitcher did.
Junior Jagger Sheanshang took the mound and pitched five innings, giving up just four hits and one earned run while striking out three.
“He was a bulldog today,” Hart said. “He texted me this morning saying he wanted the ball. We were thinking maybe later in the week, but he said he was ready. I said, ‘Alright, let’s go.’”
Beechwood collected just four hits and committed four errors. On the mound, there were four hit-by-pitches and five walks.
Conner jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first inning, with runs from Bushman and Brunkel.
The Cougars extended the lead to 5-0 after three innings on a two-RBI single from Bushman.
“I’ve been in a slump, swinging, pulling my head, popping out to the infield,” Bushman said. “Today I just wanted to stay through it. If it’s out, hit it the other way; if it’s in, hit it where it’s placed.”
Beechwood got on the board in the fourth inning after Conner committed two errors, allowing one run to score, and a Bobby Meier sacrifice fly brought in another. Sawyer Carlisle had two runs on the night and Austin Stephenson tallied two RBIs.
The Tigers scored again in the fifth, but Conner closed the game with six more runs, triggering the run rule.
“We didn’t pitch well, we hit okay, and our defense wasn’t good either,” Gray said. “Credit to them, they out-hit us, outplayed us, and out-pitched us. Their defense was really good.”
The loss marked Beechwood’s first of the season to an in-state opponent. Their only other defeat came Sunday against William Henry Harrison of Harrison, Ohio, also by a 13-3 score.
The Tigers move to 7-2, while the Cougars improve to 6-2.
MORE PHOTOS: Provided by Charles Bolton
COUGARS 13, TIGERS 3 (5 INN)
BEECHWOOD — 000-210-x — 3-4-4
CONNER — 203-242-x — 13-13-3
RBI — (C) Brunkel 3, Bushman 2, Hall 2, Arbaugh, Kelly, Wagner (B) Stephenson 2, Meier
2B — (C) Brunkel, Bushman, Kelly, Testerman, Wagner
WP — Sheanshang. LP — Conover.
Records: Conner 6-2, Beechwood 7-2