Rockets’ baseball running on all cylinders

Last Thursday may have been historic for the Cedar Grove-Belgium High School baseball team.

Junior star Ira Hilbelink, who recently committed to play Division 1 baseball for the University of Minnesota, went 7-for-7 with two doubles, a triple, five RBIs and six runs scored in a 36-0 thrashing at Sheboygan Lutheran in five innings via the 10-run mercy rule.

“I think he’s the best player in the conference,” coach Tom Race said of Hilbelink. “If you’re a fan of the game, you can just see the bat speed.”

Seven hits and 36 runs might be school records. Race said detailed records weren’t kept before he started coaching.

The Rockets had 30 hits, including eight doubles, and 30 RBIs. Sheboygan Lutheran’s coach, Race said, understood the situation.

“They’re a younger team and don’t have a lot of experience,” Race said. “We weren’t running up the score. We were hitting everything.”

Jonah Banton was 4-for-6 with three doubles and seven RBIs.

“He’s driving the ball in the gap,” Race said.

Seth Race was 4-for-6 with two RBIs. Carter Schmitz was 3-for-6 with a double and four RBIs. Josh Anzia was 3-for-3 with four RBIs. Griffin Knight was 3-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. Connor Waters was 3-or-3 with three RBIs.

Schmitz struck out six and walked one in three innings, and Knight whiffed four in two innings for the combined no-hitter.

The Rockets beat the Crusaders at home, 10-0, on April 21 in a game coach Race said his team didn’t play as well.

Anzia had two hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Seth Race had a double and an RBI.

Hilbelink whiffed five in two hitless innings. Knapp whiffed five and allowed three hits in two innings. Race whiffed a pair in one inning.

Last Saturday, the Rockets beat Horicon, 11-1. It was the first time a team scored on the Rockets since April 11.

Knapp had three hits, including a double, and two RBIs. Banton had two hits and two RBIs. Anzia had three hits and an RBI. Hilbelink had two hits and an RBI. Griffin Posthuma had a hit and an RBI.

Hilbelink allowed two hits and five walks while striking out 10. Race allowed a run, a hit and two walks and struck out one in one inning.

The Rockets, 6-1, who have outscored opponents 67-1 in their last four games, were to host Kohler on Tuesday, April 28. They play at Kohler on Thursday, April 30, at Whitefish Bay on Saturday , May 2, at Ozaukee on Monday, May 4, and at Oostburg on Tuesday, May 5.

The team, Race said, is in good form.

“Even the practices are something fun to watch, both defensively and offensively,” he said.