South Park silences Ringgold bats

The Rams managed only three hits as the Eagles’ Cooper Hochendoner struck out 13 in a 6-1 win.

South Park rode a dominant pitching performance from Cooper Hochendoner to a 6-1 victory over Ringgold Monday.

Hochendoner shut down the Rams, holding them to just three hits while striking out 13 batters as the Eagles won their season-opener at their new facility.

Hochendoner was in complete control from the outset, retiring the first 11 hitters he faced before Alex Kolano finally broke through with a two-out single in the fourth.

During that stretch, Hochendoner mixed his fastball and off-speed pitches effectively, generating swings and misses while staying ahead in counts. His command was sharp, and Ringgold struggled to put the ball in play, as Hochendoner sat down batter after batter with ease.

“I thought our pitchers threw really well,” said Ringgold head coach Jeff Lander. “The other team just put the ball in play and we just couldn’t make the plays behind our guys. Overall, I thought Anthony (Koziel) and Jimmy (Nash) kept us in the game, so I was proud of those guys for sure.”

Ringgold’s starter, Koziel, battled through five innings allowing four earned runs on eight hits while striking out six.

Despite a solid performance, he couldn’t match the dominance of Hochendoner, who allowed just one hit through the first six innings. Ringgold’s hitters struggled as Hochendoner used his fastball effectively to paint the corners and keep the Rams off balance.

“We’ve been lucky to get four games in already, so even though we’re not getting a lot of practice time outside, we are getting game time,” Lander added. “The kids are still trying to get back into the feel of it, seeing the ball, and getting a bat on it. We definitely need to work on our hitting.”

South Park (1-0) took control of the game early, pushing two runs across in the first. After a leadoff walk to AC Miller, Ryan Spitznagel doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Hochendoner then helped his own cause with an RBI groundout, and Andrew Mittleider followed with another groundout to drive in Spitznagel, giving the Eagles a quick 2-0 lead.

Despite a leadoff triple from Robert Lenzi in the third, South Park was unable to add to its lead until the sixth inning when they broke the game open.

A leadoff single from Bryce Berzansky, followed by a walk to Keegan Fekety, set the stage for a Troy Miller RBI single. Ryan Glowa singled to load the bases before Lenzi lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 4-0.

Spitznagel worked a walk, and Hochendoner grounded out to second to bring in another run, stretching the lead to 6-0.

Koziel kept Ringgold (0-2) within striking distance despite the lack of run support. Lander praised his starter’s resilience and work ethic, noting his importance to the team.

“Anthony is going to be one of our go-to guys this year,” Lander said. “He did well for us last year, and that’s the kind of effort we expect from him. He’s a bulldog out there – always gives us everything he has, throws the ball hard, hits his spots, and gives us every ounce of effort he can, for sure.”

Ringgold finally broke through in the seventh inning.

After Hochendoner retired the first batter, Kennedy Nash lined a single to center. Pinch-hitter Tyler Fisher followed with a clutch RBI double, putting the Rams on the board.

Nash and Sam Allen worked back-to-back walks to load the bases, but Hochendoner struck out Brandon Cole looking before inducing a game-ending flyout from Demetri Lowe.

Despite the loss, Lander tipped his cap to Hochendoner’s performance, acknowledging the challenge his team faced against such a dominant pitcher.

“Cooper pitched lights out tonight,” Lander said. “Very dominant on the mound. Threw the ball hard, hit his locations, and we just couldn’t get the bat on the ball. That’s a tough team, and they’re going to do very well in their section this year.”

With the loss, Ringgold will look to regroup and improve at the plate moving forward. The Rams open section play at home Monday against Elizabeth Forward.