American National's Eagan Dominates Rival Eagles West

Recent Hazelwood Central graduate Mike Eagan must have really wanted to quickly get home so that he could watch Tuesday evening’s St. Louis Cardinals game against the Houston Astros at 7:05 p.m.

Never mind that he had his own team, the American National Eagles', St. Louis Amateur Baseball Association (SLABA) league game to pitch in at 5:45 p.m. The Cardinals are in first place and on a real hot streak, and Eagan seemed desperate to get somewhere and watch them.

At least it seemed that way, considering how Eagan dominated rival Eagles West in a 3-0 American National win on Tuesday at the Hazelwood Sports Complex. Especially after he quickly bolted the ballpark just in time to hear the first pitch of the Cardinals’ radio broadcast in his car on the way home.

“Mike was in complete control,” American National head coach Bill Becher said. “(Eagan and catcher Oday Al-Yatim) worked great together. They were on the same page the whole time. And we played great defense. It’s quick and easy, when you do it like that.”

Boy was it ever.

Eagan and his American National mates took care of Eagles West in just over an hour, with the fireballing right-hander handling most of the work on his own, allowing just five base runners the whole game, and not allowing more than one base runner in any one inning.

“He’s got so much stuff, and he’s so smart,” Becher said. “He’s got a dynamite change-up, and he sets it up with that fastball, that when he throws it, it’s in a spot.”

Eagan’s teammates were also spot-on in Tuesday’s game, making several sensational defensive plays, including a brilliant double play to end the fifth inning and a spectacular diving catch by centerfielder Michael Hardin for the first out in the ninth.

“We made some great defensive plays tonight,” Becher said. “(Eagles West) is a good team, but we made some great plays against them.”

American National was clutch at the plate against Eagles West starter Brett Sloan, who also pitched pretty well for most of the ballgame.

Heading into the fifth, Sloan had only allowed one hit. But American National finally got to him in the fifth.

junior-to-be Shane Olmstead got the rally started with a leadoff double to left-centerfield.

He moved to third on a ball hit by West teammate Joe McCune, and later scored what proved to be the game-winning run on a base hit up the middle by Pattonville senior-to-be Justin Dertinger.

Another Pattonville senior-to-be, Shane Hartwig, followed with a hit, as did 2011 Lutheran North graduate Brendan Buenger to load the bases.

That brought American National’s third Pattonville senior-to-be, Curtis Nothdurft, to the plate with one out. He drove in his team’s second run when he grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing Dertinger to score.

Nothdurft’s hustle on a would-be double-play ball meant American National’s best hitter, Hardin, would get a key at bat. And he delivered with a base hit through the hole at shortstop, scoring Hartwig to give American National its 3-0 edge.

“That was a great inning,” Becher said. “Curtis’ hustle on that double-play ball was huge. That gave us a run, and gave Michael Hardin a chance. That was some great (team) baseball.”

Buoyed by the 3-0 advantage, Eagan did the rest, mowing down Eagles West in the sixth and seventh, and allowing all that wanted to get home in time for the Cardinals game to do so.

“I’m just real proud of the effort tonight,” Becher said. “If we pitch that good, play defense that good, and get timely hitting like that all the time, you won’t hear any complaint out of me.”

American National improved to 9-5 this summer.