ÈËÊÞÐÔ½»

Now 6-0, the Wolves have taken four of their wins in five innings. With the loss, Southern Cayuga falls to 5-5.

Here are three takeaways from the Cayuga County matchup: 

Prolific pitching and defense

Last season, Jack Walters led a Union Springs pitching staff that finished the year with a combined 1.75 ERA and 1.169 WHIP. The hurler paced the group with a 1.28 ERA, 1.061 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 49 innings pitched. 

Through four starts as a senior, Walters has continued to shove on the bump. Pitching 19 of 34 innings, he has struck out 32 batters and allowed just one earned run.

His stuff was on full display against Southern Cayuga, as he sat down nine batters and allowed one earned run in a complete game. He backed his own effort on the mound by launching a three-run homer — his first of the season — to right field in the top of third to give Union Springs a 5-1 lead. The senior ended the game with four RBIs, one hit, one run scored and one walk.

Following the win, the Wolves' staff now sits at a 0.618 ERA. 

To back up its pitchers this season, Union Springs has fielded a nearly airtight defense. It has committed two errors thus far, which head coach Kyle Lumpkin credits to his team's camaraderie.

"It's a game of communication," he told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½». "They've been playing together their whole career, since Little League, and then the last three years on the varsity team. They just have built a strong cohesiveness."

Brozon's batting

Coming off a junior season where he finished with a .565 batting average, four home runs, 25 RBIs and a 1.680 OPS, Isaac Brozon has continued to leave his mark on the diamond.

The Le Moyne College commit has totaled 24 runs scored, 17 hits, eight walks, six RBIs and a .607 average in 28 at-bats this season.

On Thursday, he extended his hit streak to six with a pair of singles against the Wolves. The senior has also totaled nine hits and seven walks during that streak. 

In addition to what he's done at the plate, Brozon has made an impact on the mound, at shortstop and behind the plate. He entered Thursday's matchup fresh off throwing 14 strikeouts and allowing one hit in a five-inning win over Newark Valley on Wednesday. 

Southern Cayuga head coach Aaron Dingy has been coaching Brozon since he's been in Little League, so he's had a front-row view to what the senior has brought to the table.  

"He's our No. 1 guy. (All our players) respect him. He respects every player on this team, which is awesome," Dingy told ÈËÊÞÐÔ½».

"His attitude, his drive for the game, really does keep the rest of the kids going, especially in practices, because nothing's ever enough. He wants more grounders all the time. He wants more at-bats all the time."

Running Wolves

Union Springs has lit up the scoreboard to start the season.

The Wolves have put up double-digit runs in four of their six games, averaging 9.7 an outing. Part of the reason for that number is the team's aggressiveness and success on the basepaths. It's averaging just over six swiped bags per game, which is on par with how Union Springs performed last season.

Leading the charge is Aaron Johnson, who stole 29 bases last year. 

"(Aaron) flies," Lumpkin said. "I mean, there's not too many kids that are going to be running faster than him on a high school baseball field, so it's nice to have that speed."

Despite not picking up a hit on Thursday, the senior scored three runs by walking twice, reaching base on an error and tallying two of the Wolves' nine stolen bases. Through six games, Johnson paces Union Springs with 10 steals.