Notebook: Zumwalt North Baseball Heating Up

Fort Zumwalt North baseball has reeled off six consecutive victories, capped by the Panthers’ 10-0 shutout of St. Charles on Friday. Pitcher Joey Siegler hurled a five-inning shutout, allowing just two Pirates hits.

The Panthers are 9-4, including a 2-0 mark to grab an early co-lead in Gateway Athletic Conference North race. Fort Zumwalt South is also 2-0. Zumwalt North is allowing just 4.4 runs per game, and Siegler has played a vital role as the staff ace. He is 3-1 with a 3.79 ERA in a team-high 24 innings pitched. The dynamic senior has also been a force as a first baseman, hitting .432 and driving in 12 runs.

Dre Gleason has been the primary catalyst for coach Steve Siebert’s offense. Gleason is batting .455 and has a team-high 17 runs, 20 hits and 21 RBI. The Panthers will host Warrenton on Tuesday at 4:15 p.m.

The Zumwalt North girls soccer team posted back-to-back shutouts last week before losing to Troy on Thursday, 6-0. The Panthers blanked Pacific, 5-0, and Holt, 1-0, at the tourney in Troy before falling to the host squad.

Junior Amanda Wiechens has been the team’s go-to player on offense with 14 goals this season, which is more than her teammates’ combined output. Zumwalt North will play at Christian High on Monday at 4:30 p.m.

Fort Zumwalt West girls soccer (8-3) dropped two tight matches last week, after winning eight of their first nine games in what has been a very busy season schedule. The Jaguars lost 2-0 at Cor Jesu last Tuesday, and 1-0 at home to Francis Howell North last Thursday. Zumwalt West will play at Troy (9-2) on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in a GAC South matchup.

Fort Zumwalt West senior goalkeeper Emilee Johnson, who recently committed to play at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, is only allowing 0.55 goals per game for coach Jack Baldwin. Junior Maggie Richard leads the team with five goals, and junior Janey Marion has added three goals and seven assists.

As the Zumwalt West baseball team gears up for its GAC South slate, the Jaguars are showing the kind of balance that could keep them in the title race in the elite league. Consecutive victories over Warrenton, 8-3, and St. Charles, 13-3, preceded the Jaguars’ 3-0 home win over Parkway West on Thursday.

Senior pitcher Tyler Kummer earned the complete-game shutout by allowing just three hits in seven innings. He is now 3-1 this season with a 1.54 earned-run average in 27 1/3 innings.

Junior first baseman Tommy Hager has carried the offense for coach Eric Gough. Hager is batting a team-high .487, and also has team-highs with 19 hits, eight doubles and 18 runs batted in.

(Have some local sports news, or story ideas? Please email Patch sports editor Brian Doolittle at briandoolittle@hotmail.com)