The Trojans are hot! There's no better way to put it after they bested the Indians of Lake Central by a score of 13-5 at their place. With the Chesterton diamond still holding a little of the .90 inches of rain overnight the games were switched from home today away tomorrow to the opposite to get the conference games in. Troy Barrett(5IP, 3H, ER, BB, 10K) would be entrusted with the pearl and immediately Cheese Town felt like a victory was likely. The lefty has no problem putting the whole town on his shoulders and carrying them all to notch another win for his school and town. Since it's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog, Barrett ranks among the best pitchers to have pitched for the maroon and gold. Barrett belongs in the conversation when talking of past Trojan greats such as Mark Armstrong, drafted by Toronto, Joe and Chris Bend, Mark Gland, Jeff O'Conner, Paul Royko, Jerry Meyers, Matt Hogan, Luther Bowen and Austin Peterson who is currently rehabbing a strained triceps muscle with the Cleveland Guardians, to name a few. The dub gives the southpaw a perfect 6-0 record with a sub 1 era at .913 on the season boasting half the teams wins. I could go on for several more paragraphs about this talented senior, hurler but the other 14 boys on the roster deserve their fair share of love too. Barrett helped his own cause by walking and scoring on a passed ball giving the boys of spring the 1-0 lead. Ethan Glassman's(3-5, R, 4RBI, 3B) three-run triple set the tone of the game for the Trojans. Glassman's warning track blast was held up just enough by a slight breeze blowing in over the left field wall preventing a sure grand slam. Scoring on the shot was Eli McClelland(1-3, R, RBI, 2BB, K) who singled, Logan Chestovich the courtesy runner for Caden Hackett(1-4,RBI, BB, K), and Dylan Bradford(0-2, 2R, 3BB, K) who was celebrating his birthday, reached via the free pass, making it 4-0 good guys. The Trojan bats were silenced over the next two innings after sending eight batters to the plate in the first and the score remained 4-0 until the fourth. Isaiah Prater(1-5, 2R, 2K) led off and reached on an error by the third baseman. Rob Czarniecki(3-4, R, 3RBI, 2BB, 2B, SB) got a loud knock back through the middle and Barrett moved the runners up with a beauty of bunt putting both runners in scoring position. With the infield at regular depth, McClelland got the job done grounding to short plating Prater from third. Caden Hackett traded places with Czarniecki at second by singling sharply to left and advancing to second on the throw to the plate. The Indians would cut into the six run Trojan lead when a leadoff walk to Oklahoma commit, P. Robinson proved costly as they always do, when Robinson would score on a Forystek single to right fielder, Nate Redman(1-4, R, RBI, BB). After a double to Thuftedal put Lake Central runners at second and third and only one out, Barrett(1-4, R, RBI, BB) dug deep to fan Friesema and Brower to end the LC threat allowing only the lone run. The Trojans, who scored in five of seven innings, got that run right back in the fifth after Prater muscled a dying quail into right and Czarniecki smoked a grounder through the middle to set the table for Purdue bound, Barrett. Barrett singled to left plating the speedy Prater. A "Chowder" walk packed the sacks again for the Trojans who achieved that five times in the contest. but this time all three ducks were left on the pond. Barrett, your Defensive Player of the Game recipient, whiffed two hitters in the fifth to keep the hosts in check in the home half securing the 7-1 lead. G Kirkland(2-4, 2R, 2K) wore one to lead off the Trojan sixth and birthday boy, Dylan Bradford worked one of his three base on balls, and Redman squared up an offering to left filling the bases with the boys in black uni's and gray pants. All three runners advanced on a wild pitch that brought Kirkland to the dish running the tally to 8-1. A Czarniecki walk had a Trojan standing on each base again but they would all be left on base after a Barrett shot was snared by the outstretched arm of center fielder, O'Bryan, who prevented the game from becoming a blowout. Lake Central would get a few runs back in the sixth with a home run to right off junior southpaw, Cam Campbell(0IP, 2H, 3R,). Campbell hit a batter who would come around to score on a wild pitch from reliever, John Knight(1.1IP, ER, 2BB, 3K). With the lead dwindling away and now down to four, Chesterton tallied five runs in the seventh giving Chesterton breathing room again. Hackett reached on an error, Kirkland roped a single, and Bradford took four out of the zone to once again load the bases. Glassman, who tripled earlier, found himself up again with three teammates on the base paths and the Offensive Player of the Game came through for his squad with a rbi single that the diving shortstop kept in the infield. Redman walked to bring Kirkland home. Prater went down on strikes bringing up Czarniecki with two in the wagon and nowhere to put him. The Kentucky bound centerfielder wasn't going to let his team strand three runners again and worked the count in his favor at two balls and no strikes. The smooth swinging right hander barreled up the offering and deposited it about 395 feet away in deep center for an exclamation point on his 3-4 night. The double drove in all three runners giving Czarniecki 16 rbi on the season. The Indians made a nine-run deficit seem closer than it was in the last at bat even though they only plated one run on a Robinson double. Chestovich(.1IP, H, 0R) who took over for Knight on the hill couldn't retire the side and got into a bit of trouble with two gone gave way to Czarniecki to come in and slam the door. Czarniecki took six pitches to K the Indians six-hole hitter to close the books on the DAC billing bringing the Trojans win streak to nine with victories in eleven of their last twelve. RECORD: 12-3 OVERALL 7-0 DAC The two go at it again tonight at Chesterton High School with a start time slated for 4:30.